Spiritual Authority
Effective Leaders Value Spiritual Authority As A Primary Power Base.
Spiritual authority is the right to influence conferred by followers because of their perception of spirituality in a leader. It is that characteristic of a God-anointed leader which is developed upon an experiential power base that enables him/her to influence followers through: 1) Persuasion, 2) Force of modeling, and 3) Moral expertise.
Spiritual authority comes to a leader in three major ways.
First as leaders go through deep experiences with God they experience the sufficiency of God to meet them in those situations. They come to know God more intimately by experiencing Him. This experiential knowledge of God and the deep experiences with God are part of the experiential acquisition of spiritual authority.
A second way that spiritual authority comes is through a life which models godliness. When the Spirit of God is transforming a life into the image of Christ, those characteristics of love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance carry great weight in giving credibility. They show that the leader is consistent inwardly and outwardly.
A third way that spiritual authority comes is through gifted power. When a leader demonstrates gifted power in ministry —that is, a clear testimony to divine intervention in the ministry—there will be spiritual authority. While all three of these means of developing spiritual authority should be a part of a leader, it is frequently the case that one or more of the elements dominates.
Ideally spiritual authority is the major influence means used with mature followers. Other power bases such as coercion, inducement, positional, and competence may have to be used as well as spiritual authority because of lack of maturity in followers. Mature followers will recognize spiritual authority. Leaders who command and demand compliance are not using spiritual authority.
Leaders should respond to God’s processing in their life so as to let spiritual authority develop as a by-product of the processing. Leaders ought to recognize and use spiritual authority whenever they can in their ministry.
Why Important: Leaders who rely on privilege and power associated with a position tend to abuse power in their ministry. Spiritual authority counters the abuse of power. Spiritual authority honors God’s maturity processes in followers.
Biblical Examples: Moses, Jesus, Paul
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Sunday, 12 June 2011
Leadership lessons Part 2
Learning Posture
Effective Leaders Maintain A Learning Posture Throughout Life.
The ability to learn from the Bible, current events, people, reading, ministry experience, and other sources in such a way as to affect one’s leadership is fundamental to being an effective leader. Flexible leaders usually do have a good learning posture (has to do with an attitude, a mental stance toward learning). Inflexible leaders are not usually active learners. God will bring into a leader’s life necessary information and wisdom to meet leadership situations if that leader is open to learning. Leadership is dynamic. Changing situations demand that a leader be constantly learning. One of the five major factors identified with leaders who finish well is a good learning posture.
A leader ought to be continually learning from a wide variety of sources in order to cope effectively with life and ministry. A good learning posture is one of the enhancements toward a good finish. It is also the key to
ministry insights, paradigm shifts, and other leadership lessons that can make the difference in effective on-going leadership.
Biblical Examples: Daniel, the classic Old Testament leader, models an exemplary learning posture. The Apostle Paul does the same in the New Testament.
Effective Leaders Maintain A Learning Posture Throughout Life.
The ability to learn from the Bible, current events, people, reading, ministry experience, and other sources in such a way as to affect one’s leadership is fundamental to being an effective leader. Flexible leaders usually do have a good learning posture (has to do with an attitude, a mental stance toward learning). Inflexible leaders are not usually active learners. God will bring into a leader’s life necessary information and wisdom to meet leadership situations if that leader is open to learning. Leadership is dynamic. Changing situations demand that a leader be constantly learning. One of the five major factors identified with leaders who finish well is a good learning posture.
A leader ought to be continually learning from a wide variety of sources in order to cope effectively with life and ministry. A good learning posture is one of the enhancements toward a good finish. It is also the key to
ministry insights, paradigm shifts, and other leadership lessons that can make the difference in effective on-going leadership.
Biblical Examples: Daniel, the classic Old Testament leader, models an exemplary learning posture. The Apostle Paul does the same in the New Testament.
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Leadership lessons Part 1
Lifetime Perspective
Effective Leaders View Present Ministry in Terms Of A Lifetime Perspective. Leaders who recognize the big picture for their lives have a jump start on surviving present circumstances which may be both negative and overwhelming. A leader needs to recognize the notion of developmental phases over a lifetime and boundaries transitioning between them. He/she needs to understand the shaping activity of God over a lifetime. If such a leader also knows the basic goal toward which God is moving, he/she can respond to present day shaping for maximum benefit. In general, a leader knowing what it means to finish well, determines to have that for his/her life.
That leader recognizes the barriers to finishing well: 1. lack of financial integrity, 2. sexual impropriety, 3. abuse of power, 4. family related problems, 5. problems with pride, 6. plateauing. That leader recognizes the factors that will promote a good finish: 1. a learning posture, 2. mentoring help, 3. renewal experiences, 4. disciplines, 5. a lifelong perspective. A leader thus armed can perceive what is happening today from a sovereign mindset. In short, it allows the leader to go through present happenings because of the hope of the future and knowledge that God is in them.
Value Suggested: A leader ought to gain perspective on what is happening today in his/her life by interpreting it in the light of his/her whole lifetime and God’s overall purposes in it.
Why Important: 1) Few leaders finish well. Perspective is one of the enhancements that can help a greater number of leaders finish well. 2) Making it through tough times in leadership may well depend on gaining perspective. Without perspective, a longer range viewpoint on what is happening, few leaders will persevere through hard times. 3) A critical difference between leaders and followers is perspective. The difference between leaders and more effective leaders is better perspective. Effective leaders will be broadening their perspective. Biblical Examples: Jesus, Paul
Contemporary Example: Billy Graham, Suggestions for Follow-Up: Read Clinton’s The Making of a Leader for a popular treatment of a lifetime perspective on a leader’s development. See also the Article Time-Lines—Defined for Biblical Leaders. See Graham’s autobiography, Just As I Am.
Effective Leaders View Present Ministry in Terms Of A Lifetime Perspective. Leaders who recognize the big picture for their lives have a jump start on surviving present circumstances which may be both negative and overwhelming. A leader needs to recognize the notion of developmental phases over a lifetime and boundaries transitioning between them. He/she needs to understand the shaping activity of God over a lifetime. If such a leader also knows the basic goal toward which God is moving, he/she can respond to present day shaping for maximum benefit. In general, a leader knowing what it means to finish well, determines to have that for his/her life.
That leader recognizes the barriers to finishing well: 1. lack of financial integrity, 2. sexual impropriety, 3. abuse of power, 4. family related problems, 5. problems with pride, 6. plateauing. That leader recognizes the factors that will promote a good finish: 1. a learning posture, 2. mentoring help, 3. renewal experiences, 4. disciplines, 5. a lifelong perspective. A leader thus armed can perceive what is happening today from a sovereign mindset. In short, it allows the leader to go through present happenings because of the hope of the future and knowledge that God is in them.
Value Suggested: A leader ought to gain perspective on what is happening today in his/her life by interpreting it in the light of his/her whole lifetime and God’s overall purposes in it.
Why Important: 1) Few leaders finish well. Perspective is one of the enhancements that can help a greater number of leaders finish well. 2) Making it through tough times in leadership may well depend on gaining perspective. Without perspective, a longer range viewpoint on what is happening, few leaders will persevere through hard times. 3) A critical difference between leaders and followers is perspective. The difference between leaders and more effective leaders is better perspective. Effective leaders will be broadening their perspective. Biblical Examples: Jesus, Paul
Contemporary Example: Billy Graham, Suggestions for Follow-Up: Read Clinton’s The Making of a Leader for a popular treatment of a lifetime perspective on a leader’s development. See also the Article Time-Lines—Defined for Biblical Leaders. See Graham’s autobiography, Just As I Am.
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