On leadership...

On leadership…

Honor, Courage, Commitment

People often ask my views on leadership. I have thought long and hard across the years and I have realized several things about leadership. My friend Alvin Reid made one of the coolest statements that I have heard in a long time. He said, “I want to sit under a tree that I have planted”. I remember thinking wow that is exactly what I want. I want to sit under the teaching of someone that I have taught. I want to receive a return on the investment that I have made in young people. Over the years I have had a great opportunity to mentor and teach many young people who feel God’s call. I have also had the opportunity to teach hundreds of students that have chosen other vocations. I love to pastor emerging leaders! I love the fire and the passion (often untested) I see in each of these young men and women. I try to teach the core values that I learned in while serving in the United States Navy. Honor, Courage and Commitment, these values are more lived than learned. I believe that future church leaders must posses these qualities.

1. Honor-Our lives must honor God. To many leaders today are leading without honor. 1St Timothy 3 outlines the qualifications of a Church leader. We can see that it is a noble work. The life of an overseer must be one of Honor. This is true for leadership in general; a great characteristic is one of honor. We must be people of integrity who deal with an element of grace. Our love needs to be at full strength. Every problem that a believer deals with has to be filtered out by grace.
2. Courage-A leader cannot be afraid to take a stand. We have to champion the value of people but we have to stand! It takes courage to be a leader! It takes courage to exercise your faith! Do not compromise what you know to be right. Be strong and Courageous, the Lord is with you!
3. Commitment-You must stand for something or you will fall for everything! God wants your commitment. Leaders are committed for the long haul. Leaders possess vision; they can see the end result, the big picture. Leaders can lose skirmishes but still win the battle! As a leader, you have to be committed, even when things are not going the way you think they should. A leader commits to the cause not the task at hand. A leader is always looking for better ways to lead. A real leader will make an impact on generations that they may never see.

Last, a good leader is also a great follower and listener. Leadership requires wisdom and thought. Emerging leaders must empower those around them to lead. A Captain of one of the ships that I served on told me “I don’t have to be the smartest person on board, I just have to surround my self with smart people.” Surround your self with people who have the same core values that you have! And don’t be afraid to lead! I love you all <><