Lublink on leadership

… a responsibility for the entire church

C

hristian leadership is always something of a hot-button topic.  It has become almost expected, for example, that every successful leader publish a book on leadership - as though he or she had single-handedly stumbled across the secret formula for success.  From church planters to mega-church leadership gurus to Christian social justice advocates, everyone has to list the five simple keys to success.  Buy the book, take the course and you’ll see your ministry as a leader blossom.  Right?  Unfortunately, life is never that easy.  Nor is any one leadership methodology so universal that it can function precisely the same way in every situation, regardless of context.

 

Biblically speaking, as well as experientially, it should be said that leadership is not about some secret codex of principles to be keenly followed in order for success to be achieved.  Nor is it about select individuals in the church using a series of secret scripted words, as though leading others were about casting a spell, getting all the secret steps just right.

In my teenage years I was a part of the Air Cadet Program, which among other things focuses on the development of young leaders.  To that end, I attended a leadership course one summer where principles and dynamics of leadership were drilled into me for three weeks straight - so much so that to this day I can still recite by memory the Department of National Defense’s definition for leadership: “Leadership is the art of influencing human behavior so as to accomplish a mission so desired by the leader.”

As those words continue to influence my own thinking on leadership, I realize how broad the term “leadership” really is meant to be.  It is not a monopoly right for those wearing a uniform, those standing behind the pulpit or even those writing the volumes of books on leadership.  Leadership is about influencing others to follow certain thinking; to work together to accomplish certain tasks.  That is something we all have the ability to do to one extent or another.  We all have the power of influence through the people we connect with on a day to day basis, without some mystical leadership secrets.

Aside from leadership being about influence, in its broadest sense leadership is also something of an art.  Which, truthfully speaking, means that some people are better at it than others.  But that does not ever mean that some people are to be leaders while others are to be exempt from it.  It is simply a matter of ranging artistic abilities in the context of leadership skills.  Some people can lead or express themselves very simply; others - the Picassos and Mozarts in the group - lead in such persuasive and dynamic style that their leadership is recognized publicly.  But at the end of the day, whether we excel at influencing to the point of public recognition or our influence forever rides under the radar, we all have a role to play.

As Christians, our “mission so desired by the leader” is already prescribed for us in the Bible to varying degrees.  We know what it is we are called to do; it is just in the details that we have to get creative.  Funny though that the Bible is still sometimes the last place we look when trying to decipher the direction for our congregations and communities.

If we are all to be leaders to one degree or another, we must first and foremost seek to know our Bibles.  We must all seek to know enough about the gifts we’ve been given to know where our influence will have the greatest effect, and we must step forward from thinking about what it is we are supposed to do and actually do it.  We indeed all have a part to play.

Simply put, biblical leadership is not the sole property of those in public roles in the Church; it is a responsibility for the entire church, both as a whole and as individuals to be a positive changing influence in today’s world.

Writer: Peter Lublink with his wife Alison are less than a week away from being commissioned as Salvation Army officers in the Canada & Bermuda territory, with their first appointment being to Highpoint Community Church in Victoria, BC.  They have also recently worked together on developing ONLeadership: a training curriculum for growing and developing leaders in the church.  This free curriculum is based on Biblical truths, and challenges participants to better use their influence in their communities and churches.  The course is currently being offered here as a downloadable PDF online.

1 Comment to Lublink on leadership

1. Thanks for this Peter. Looked at your educational materials and really like their a) simplicity and that b) they are very much grounded in Scripture. Sometimes I wonder if a big part of leadership isn’t good followship. Being part of the church these days is a voluntary decision and yet the church persists. But there are so many leaders…who to follow? Thanks, Andrea
Andrea614Regent on June 11th, 2008

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