Thoughts about leadership

Last Friday was the candidate's speeches for CCF committee, and it was encouraging to hear what God is doing in their lives, and the vision God has poured in them for the fellowship. Vision is a fundamental part of leading, and I blogged about this before about the man of vision.

I think there are two very important characteristics that all Christians leaders should have. And I want to share a bit about the passage in John 13, where our Lord Jesus washed the disciples' feet.

"It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love." - John 13:1

The first thing is to love the people who you are serving to. Knowing that God loves you despite who you are, and had given His Son to die for you. Our identity is rooted in Christ. To be Christian leaders, it is not primarily about running programs or managing parts of a fellowship, but we are to love others just as God has loved us. This is not easy because we are a group of sinners, and often we can hurt and misunderstand one another. Often leaders get criticized (sometimes in meaningful constructive ways, sometimes in unreasonable ways), and it is a challenge to actually love the people. But loving them causes you to persevere in you ministry, to pray for the people unceasingly, and to intentionally invest on them. Really, leadership is about influencing people to go towards a place closer to God, so the goal (after glorifying God) is the people.

"When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. 'Do you understand what I have done for you?' he asked them. 'You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." - John 13:12-15

The second thing is about living as an example of the vision God has burdened your heart with. The best way to excite others about what God wants to see happening is to live it out yourself. People often are drawn to those leaders who have a pure zeal for the Lord, and that is contagious! Jesus really lived out what He preached, and we are to follow His model. And really, it is through a deep relationship with the Lord that we can live in alignment to what He has called us to. So make it always a point to invest time knowing God and learning from Him through His word and service.