Heather Zempel - "Developing Character While Growing Spiritually"
(National Community Church, Discipleship Pastor)
- Leadership is a stewardship issue
- We have to lead ourselves first and well ("Imitate me as I imitate Christ")
- We don't have to know all the answers or have it all together
- Set goals in our own spiritual growth
- Before we can make disciples, we have to be disciples
- Acts 2:42-47
- In prayer and awe of the Spirit's work
- Seeking after God through spiritual disciplines
- Using our spiritual gifts
- Being devoted to the Apostles' teaching -- serving God with our minds/intellects
- Enjoying the favor the people (later hated)
- The early church was either loved or hated -- never ignored
- One-anothers of Scripture -- serving God relationally
- Financial/stewardship -- sold/shared resources
- Set achievable goals, but also ones that require faith
- Set measurable goals (not just "more", "less", etc)
- Make the goals time-related -- set a trial period to do it
- Look back after the period and decide whether to keep it up or discontinue it (seasonal change)
- Routines are good, but when it becomes routine, change it up
- Lean into our strengths
- Develop your strengths and work around your weaknesses (skill/gift weaknesses, not moral weaknesses -- those can disqualify from leadership)
- Identify areas in which we want to grow
- i.e. communication
- List the areas, then set goals to grow
- Read
- Leaders are learners
- It often takes two years for a book to be written; if you read five books a year, you are getting the equivalent of 10 years of people's work and knowledge
- Read in the areas where you want to grow
- Spend time with others who do well what you want to do
- Get involved in what they are doing ("trick" them into mentoring you, rather than asking formally)
- Talk to them about what they are learning
- Talk to them about what they are learning
- Add value to the people you want to hang out with (help them in what they are doing)
- Get involved in what they are doing ("trick" them into mentoring you, rather than asking formally)
- Write down what you are learning -- journal
- Journal to process and recognize what you are learning
- Journal because you will see more because you are looking more closely (in Scripture and life)
- Journal because it helps you see God's fingerprints more often
- Review the books you are reading
- Make notes of the conversations you have
- Put yourself in leadership situations that stretch you
- We want to see a miracle, but we don't want to put ourselves in situations that need miracles (i.e. mission trips, evangelism, etc)
- Example: if your small group is based in a neighborhood, figure out how to love them, then do it
- We want to see a miracle, but we don't want to put ourselves in situations that need miracles (i.e. mission trips, evangelism, etc)
- Always have an apprentice leader (2 Tim 2:2)
- Never do ministry alone; pass the baton
- See down the generations of the discipleship chain -- i.e. your apprentice's disciples' disciples...
- We are a link in the chain of the body of Christ and we cannot break it
- Turn every opportunity into a discipleship opportunity
- Create accountability environments for yourself
- Who knows you at an uncomfortable level and can ask anything?
- We will be defined by the people around us
- Those people need to be people who love us but love Jesus more than our friendship -- who want us to be more like Christ more than anything else
- People who are "editors" -- point out and correct the wrong and find good things to make better
- Take care of your personal life
- Family first (before ministry)
- Finances
- Health
- Don't define leadership quality by hours put in
- Great leaders know what is important
- Trust God with 6 days to accomplish that of 7 days (concept of "sabbath rest")
No comments:
Post a Comment