Leadership in a Rebounding Culture
C. Thoughts about Leadership in a Relaunch Context … Pastor Al
A. In Rebounding Churches, it must be simple.
Two Foundational Declarations from Jesus are foundational.
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31, ESV
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20, ESV
Where do a person’s abilities in spirituality, chemistry, and strategy come from?
The answer is in the way God formed each of our hearts, souls and minds.
B. Foundations of Christian Leadership … Caught Not Just Taught!
1) Spirituality … (Character) How do we love God with all of our Heart, which in the Greek New Testament is the word Kardia, to describe the part of each human that is meant to connect with God himself or herself. It is with our hearts that we express our appreciation, longing, dependence and affection with God. Spirituality finds its fulfillment in understanding the essence and experiencing the depth of the true God. Spirituality is the basis for our connection with God and the experience of communion with God.
“Our spirituality is a grace gift from the Lord that we must steward and not own because the moment we own it we will abuse it!” Al Soto
Spirituality is highly linked to artistic instincts and ability, combined with a desire to create, whether in music, art, writing or craftsmanship. People who are strongest in spirituality often have an appreciation for the symbolic or ritual. They have a deep need to express, in some physical way, what they intuitively understand in in their heart. They are drawn to outward symbols that portray what they experience deep within their inner being but find difficult to express with words alone.
2) Chemistry … The second part of the Great Commandment (“love your neighbor as yourself”), instructs us to love people with all our soul. The Greek word for soul is “psyche” the inner part of our being that allows us to connect emotionally with other people. It is with our soul that we create the love connection with those around us. Chemistry is the word we will use to describe this relational engagement.
Chemistry finds its greatest joy in human interaction. Those strongest in chemistry are people-centered and feel that they would die if they were left alone. They love all forms of human interaction and bring zest to life that is infectious. Chemistry people are unusually good at displaying the fruits of the Spirit.
3) Strategy … (Competency) The Great Commission teaches us to love the world with all our mind. The most common Greek word that is translated “mind” in the New Testament is the word “nous”. Our mind is the part of the brain that allows us to think in an orderly manner so that we can accomplish real physical progress in our world. Strategy is the word we will use to describe how we love the world.
The strategy gift creates the desire to turn dreams and ideas into reality. Strategy people want to make a physical difference in this world. They spend much of their time thinking about the future and try to create a sequential process that will make the future better. Strategy people get frustrated when others just talk about what they want to do but never get it done. Strategy should produce action. This works itself out in plans, procedures, physical structures, streamlined organizations and actual progress.
4) Leadership Wisdom …We are to love Jesus and others with all of our strength. This is Passion. Wisdom not only holds the other characteristics together, but it brings balance. It has a discernment to know we the team is at on their journey. These people are able to speak the truth in love without disrespecting other people or violating their dignity but at the same time it is more concerned about the health and mission of the team versus if he or she will be liked or if there is pushback.
C. Truth’s To Grasp in a Relaunch Culture
1) The Holy Spirit will provide different people to step into roles at certain times to help move the mission and it may not be long-term. 2) Real Trust takes time and every new person on the team means you must rehearse and educate values. 3) Season of challenge are moments of clarifying values and direction. 4) Systems and Structure must be aligned to mission. 5) Small Ego’s Big Mission … Team Members must be able to Play well with others. 6) Conflict graduates us to new levels of TRUST. 7) People must be replaced in roles that grow beyond their capacity.