A Leader's Skills - Lifelong Learner

Leadership is an ongoing process of becoming a “lifelong learner.” Unless a leader continues to grow and stretch their understanding of leadership, they will eventually run out of steam. It is no longer a process of allowing a few people at the “top” of the leadership ladder to be in charge of everything, but it is moving people along in their own abilities on the team. The only way to improve an organization is to challenge the habits or processes that make it function. It takes humility and a teachable spirit for a person to improve and take constructive criticism. At the heart of any successful leader is a willingness to always be willing to improve. Without a good review of the process, there will be no improvement throughout the organization. With that being said, encouragement goes hand in hand with challenging the process. The motive of leadership is to help people come to a clearer understanding of themselves and become confident in their abilities. I have learned that there are negative and positive ways to lead. When I began in student ministry I sometimes viewed parents as an obstacle. For some reason I believed that I could help the students and thought that most parents did not know how to help their students. Through conversations with numerous parents, I learned that parents are my one of the most powerful aspects of student ministry. Instead of thinking that I had the answers, I would gather around me parents who were wise and we joined in the discussion together on how to lead students to be fully devoted followers of Christ.

I have learned in the past four years that leadership is a shared vision and not a “one man show.” Like earlier, when I began student ministry I focused upon the students mostly. Now I realize the powerful change that can happen when the parents are encouraged to be the spiritual influencers in the home. My passion is to build relationships with students and parents. My goal is to encourage and equip parents to lead in the home and reinforce God’s Word into the lives of the students. One of the challenges of leadership is to be willing to admit faults and through these past years, I have learned that parents need encouragement and ministry just as much as the students.

A Leader's Skills - Time Management

Time is passing away every second of every day. A skill that is vital to success in Christian ministry is time management. In order to make wise choices, you must ask yourself the question, What is most important? Many leaders struggle to manage time because of responsibilities at home, church, and more. Ministry is never done, there is always more to do no matter how hard a leader works. The leader who is people-centered will spend more time on the field than a quiet, studious leader in their office. The role of both is important in a ministry, but both need to be balanced. It is important to use a planner or reminder list to stay on track with tasks. At the same time, there should be flexibility within the schedule to meet people at their point of need.

One of the ways I prioritize my time every week through writing down important goals to accomplish. It is important to begin this way because if a leader does not prioritize their time, someone else will do it for them. I have learned that unless I have a goal in mind, it is easy to waste time on projects and plans and end up stressing due to last minute decisions.

I have learned to say “no” to good things in order to be able to lead great things. Through my ministry I have learned to delegate responsibilities in order to accomplish a goal faster and more effectively. When a leader rallies the people behind the vision, it becomes shared responsibility and takes less time to accomplish. The goal is spend quality time with our spouse, ministry, relationships and health. Leaders are to make the most of the time that God has provided.

A Leader's Skills - Part 1

A leader's skills are important alongside character. There are many Biblical accounts of leader’s using their skills in many ways. We are going to look at how a Christian leader can be effective by using their God-given skills and gifts. When I think of a strong leader, I think of Moses in the Bible. He was born a Hebrew, and was taught by his own mother as a child. He lived in the King’s palace and was educated in Egyptian belief and practices. In Exodus 2, Moses kills the Egyptian slave-master and hid him in the sand, and fled to Midian in fear of his life. Moses spent forty years in the desert, tending sheep. It is ironic that God was preparing Moses for leading the Israelites out of Egypt, who were similar to sheep. Moses was not blessed with good speech, but God used him anyway because of his strength as a leader.

We have to understand first, that God is the ultimate leader. In 1 Samuel, the people were becoming dissatisfied in letting God be their king. The people told Samuel, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways, now make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). When we take our eyes off of God as the leader, we can make decisions based on man’s ideals. Saul was selected as King of Israel, and was placed in that position for his physical traits, instead of his skills as a leader. The Israelites found out how wrong they were in choosing Saul when God rejected him and chose David to be king of Israel. I Samuel 16:13 says, “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.”

Skill are important in leadership, but having a heart after God is the most important. Psalm 78:72 says, “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.”