by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Feb 7, 2017
In grade school, I was part of a brief study on the meaning of love. My third grade class was interviewed, a few at a time, on the meaning of love. I thought I knew what it was until I tried to articulate an answer. “It’s when you like someone very much.” Even as I said it, I felt flustered, unsure. Somehow I knew those words came up short. But I also knew that I didn’t really know what love was.
As Christians, we are committed to love. It’s our watchword. It’s our definition of God. Our highest human ideal. Yet, in church, the practice of love often falls short. As leaders, we draw the circle of concern close enough so that our sermons, prayers and conversations don’t stray into areas that might evoke feelings other than compassion and care.
But what good is love if we aren’t called to exercise it?
Sure, we’re good at praying for the old and ill. We intentionally feed the hungry in our communities. We respond with killer generosity to victims of natural disaster. Those are all important.
But what about when love stretches us into terrain where disagreement crops up? Where we feel afraid or unsafe? How do we exercise love then?
I encountered it everywhere this week. One leader I coach came away deeply unsettled from a meeting with a denominational board that tried to anticipate future rulings on leadership and human sexuality. Later that week, I attended a small, local prayer vigil for immigrants, refugees and Muslims. It was for the community, but was overwhelmingly attended by clergy from a variety of denominations. Still later, I attended a gathering of citizens who aimed to transcend fear and exclusion by actively engaging the democratic process. My takeaway from all this? As leaders, we care deeply about the issues before us, but we’re not always sure how to engage or empower those we lead.
I get it. These are not easy topics. But they are important. Especially for us Christian leaders. They rightly engage our deepest values, and our deepest fears.
Paul wrote that God has given us not a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control. With that spirit, Jesus counsels us to “Love those who hate you and do good to those who persecute you.” This isn’t the kind of love I was familiar with as a grade-schooler. It still takes more heart muscle than I can easily muster.
I’m not alone. We live in a time of increasing angst. Tempers are short. Insecurity is high. Outrage is the new norm. It seems like anything can happen.
Friends, this is our time! It’s our time to demonstrate courageous love. In order for us to love in the midst of angst, we need practice. This won’t be easy. But it’s definitely do-able. Here are specific ways to develop our capacity to love.
Love of God
- Begin by creating time in worship for people to directly experience and receive the love of God. Invite folks to sit quietly in worship for a few minutes of guided or silent meditation. Follow it up with a ritual of candle-lighting or reaffirmation of baptism. Enhance the power of this experience by reminding folks that God’s love is not dependent on their good behavior, self-evaluation, being perfect or any other quality. They don’t even need to be loveable. They are loved simply because they are creations of God, made in the divine image. Jesus’ own love of us reaffirms this.
- Next, lead people in expressing their love and appreciation back to God. Giving thanks for the smallest blessings to the largest ones increases one’s spiritual and emotional resilience. Every week invite people to share 3 things they’re grateful for with a person sitting close by. Or invite people to write a gratitude list that can be added to the offering plate. This expands our connections, raises the vibration of worship, and heightens our appreciation of life.
Love of Self
- Doom, gloom, and critical self-talk is the default position of our brains. This makes its way to our hearts and gets expressed in our behavior. Being hard on ourselves ultimately means we are hard on others. Help your people practice affirming themselves. This is not selfish or self-centered. This is sanity. It leads to calmer people who have an overflow of love to share with others.
Love of Enemies and Persecutors
- Having cultivated emotional resilience and a reservoir of love, guide your people in sending intentional love to those around them. This works for people near and far. They don’t have to like them, agree with them, or approve of them. They don’t need to be loveable by them. But offering love to others in prayer—enemies and persecutors included—shifts the heart and embodies Christ. It makes new conversations possible.
- Guide your people in how to speak from love when interacting with enemies and persecutors. Reacting from fear, hate, outrage, vitriol, or fear only sets up a chain reaction. Encourage them to refuse to demonize others. Counsel them to look for the best in other people, and grant them the dignity due fellow human beings.
From this place of intentional love, lead your people to take actions on behalf of those the world does not love. Grounded in love, you will be able to keep your cool in the midst of angst.
More than anything, love invites us to step into the gap between fear and faith. Continue to cast a Kingdom vision of the Beloved Community, of the reign and realm of God. Don’t abandon it because it might be uncomfortable, inconvenient, or controversial. Instead, lift it up because deep down it’s what we all yearn for. In the end, it’s all we have to offer.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Oct 7, 2016
I’ve never heard a denominational executive say these words before: “You were called by God to serve the Kingdom. So do that. Don’t worry about the institutional church.” He stood before some 40 clergy colleagues at a recent clergy orders retreat I led. The room was quiet, stunned.
After years of paying attention to the three rules of survival, he was inviting these pastors to play a different game. Rather than insure the survival of the institutional church, he was inviting them to transcend that worry and re-connect with the life-giving joy of their call. He was right on. The more we pay attention to survival, the more likely we are to die.
I want to share with you the 3 rules of survival that will do us in. And 3 rules that just might set us free.
The game of survival is all about keeping the church afloat, alive, open another day. It’s one of the strategies we’ve been busy employing as numbers have gone down, membership and worship attendance has dwindled, and doors have closed. Here are the rules of this game and how they do us in:
- Keep the big givers happy. When we put money worries first, what we’re left with is worries. Every new idea, every decision, every ministry has to be judged by whether or not it will upset certain givers. That limits our ability to do ministry. The truth is that God alone is our Source, not any particular giver. Limitless abundance is available to us. But that rushing river of abundance slows down to a trickle when we think it can only come through one person or another. While churches do need money to pay bills, fund ministries, and advance visions, keeping the big givers happy is the wrong way to go about it. It keeps us small by putting personalities before principles. Jesus didn’t say, “Go and make givers of all nations,” but disciples. Worry doesn’t generate miracles; disciples do.
- Don’t rock the boat. The culture of most churches these days is harmony-seeking, stability-oriented, and internally friendly. On the surface, these seem like the most positive of attributes for a church. They are positive. But prioritizing these behaviors over momentum-oriented visions leads a church to stay stuck. Stuck eventually spells death. Churches that insist on things staying the same will find that the one thing they don’t want to happen—decline and death—becomes inevitable.
- Don’t change anything. When I was beginning pastoral ministry, the common wisdom was, “Don’t change anything for a year.” I look back and wonder why. Yes, getting to know the people as they are, and the culture as it exists, is important. But sometimes churches don’t have a year. If we wait a year to change a dynamic that suffocates life, we may have waited a year too long. A few key funerals is all it takes for a church to slip from maturity into decline. A colleague of mine is so inundated with funerals right now that he feels he can’t help the church envision a new future. Without a new vision, though, and the changes that come with fulfilling it, the church will continue to shrink.
There you have it. These are the three rules of survival that will do us in: Keep the big givers happy; don’t rock the boat, and don’t change anything.
But they’re not the only rules we can play by. Try on these new, forward-thinking rules to see what new life they may bring.
- Put ministry before money. Let the vision of the Kingdom and the ministry it inspires in you lead the way. You’ve heard it said, “Do what you love and the money will follow.” It’s true. Imagine how true it is if what we love is also what God loves! Then certainly the money will follow. Jesus and his apostles brought new life to the world without a budget, an endowment, or memorial gifts. They kept the Kingdom in mind, and God supplied the rest—through all sorts of unexpected ways.
- Make waves. Leaders are called to lead change. That means making waves is part of leadership. Learning how to ride them is what helps a church experience new life. Do you long to challenge injustice, advocate for others, deepen the prayer life of the church, reach out to new and different kinds of people? How about trying new forms of worship or a single board governance? All of this will rock the boat. And make the good kind of waves. Waves are good because they necessitate movement. I remember from my biology classes that all living things have one thing in common: the ability to move. What will help your church keep moving?
- Speak up about problems. Every church has them: problems. You may have problem relationships, problem committees, or problems in the community. Not talking about them won’t make them go away. Dealing with them is messy. But ultimately hopeful. It means health can return to a system. Do speak up about problems in a way that is direct, invitational and solution-oriented. You’re not the only one that has noticed them. Be a leader by addressing them.
Look, I’m not saying any of this easy. Each of these new rules requires courage, skill and deep reservoirs of faith. But what’s the alternative? If all we do is try to protect the status quo—even that will slip away. These are the days to be bold and of good courage. Take it from one visionary, institutional top dog: “You were called to serve the Kingdom. Do that. Don’t worry about the institutional church.”
Not sure how to make these changes, or how to stay sane in the midst of the fear and anxiety change can cause? Please contact me; I’ve got your back. I empower church leaders to accelerate vitality and interrupt church decline through creating a culture of renewal.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Apr 5, 2016
As the Republican convention draws near it’s clear that Trump is a force to be reckoned with. But what sort of leader is he? A bully, yes. An egomaniac, yes. An outsider, yes. One who seems to speak for a certain segment of American society, yes.
But at the risk of being tagged #loser, I’d like to mention another kind of leadership he represents. One that we persons of faith can learn from. Trump is a Moses knock-off. An Aaron. A fabricator of a 21st century Golden Calf.
You remember Aaron, brother of Moses. He’s the designated communicator for Moses—who has some sort of speech impediment. A leader in his own right, Aaron holds down the fort while Moses meets with the LORD for 40 days and 40 nights atop Mount Sinai. Meanwhile, the Hebrew people, newly freed from slavery, await at the base of the mountain. They have fasted, purified themselves, even abstained from sexual relations to be ready for whatever message Moses might bring back to them.
But Moses is gone a long time, “shamefully long” and his absence is keenly felt by the newly freed slaves. The people, fearful and anxious, “assemble against Aaron” and demand that he make them “a god who will go before us” because Moses, “the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron tells the men to collect gold from their wives, sons and daughters. They do and he forms it into a molten calf, a common symbol of the deity in the Ancient Near East. Upon seeing it, the once fearful people are psyched! “This is your God, O Israel who brought you up out from the land of Egypt.”
Meanwhile, Moses, two covenant stones in hand—including the injunction against worshiping graven images—descends the mountain with bad news ringing in his ears. God has clued him in about what’s happening at the base of the mountain. A party with a golden calf, an idol, at the center of it. He’s already talked God out of destroying these people and starting over with Moses-clones. “You want everyone to think you’ve brought us out of Egypt just to destroy us?” He argues for their safety, and wins. He’s a uniter with a calm head.
But by the time he arrives at camp he’s angry too. And here I paraphrase: “What were you thinking? What happened here, Aaron?” Moses asks. “I told you I’d be back. You were supposed to help the people wait for me and stay in a purified state.” “Sorry, bro,” Aaron says. “They wanted it. And I gave them what they wanted.”
This sort of “give the people what they want” leadership approach was a chief concern of the British when it came to American self-rule. They worried people wouldn’t have the decency or civility or good sense to self-govern. Trump’s success seems to prove them right.
On the other hand, Trump’s supporters, like the fearful Hebrews, have some legitimate beefs. The Hebrews were fearful and seemingly leaderless and they demanded certainty. Trump supporters, meanwhile, have found that the economic recovery has passed them over. The world is changing faster than they are used to. Even though Moses didn’t abandon his people, Trump’s primary supporters— blue-collar, white Americans without college degrees—feel as if they have been abandoned. Fueled by their fears and anxieties and anger—plus over the top media coverage—Trump has given these people what they seem to want: unadulterated anger toward Muslims, immigrants, women, and those who dare to disagree with him. Abandoning “political correctness,” he has become the mouthpiece for a toxic stew of racism, xenophobia and sexism.
Even so, there are still things we can learn from him. Namely, what not to do. Here are five leadership pitfalls we can learn about from Trump, Aaron and other Moses knock-offs.
- Don’t be fooled by glib communication. Just as Aaron was the dedicated communicator for Team Moses, Trump’s talking points have dominated and shaped the Republican campaign. He speaks at a 4th grade level with words and mottos that are catchy, easy to repeat. What’s missing is truth.
- Lies are not leadership. The 2015 Lie of the Year award was bestowed upon Trump. Not for one whopper mind you. There were too many to choose from. They lumped all of Trump’s prevarications together. Together, the bunch is staggering. And award-winning. Likewise, Aaron told Moses upon his return—The calf simply emerged from the fire! He left out his role in shaping and creating it.
- Weak leadership preys on people’s vulnerabilities. Notice it wasn’t Aaron who was to free the slaves. He was just supposed to say what Moses told him to say. But left alone to fill the leadership gap, his limited capacity for leadership was illuminated. Likewise, Trump is preying on the vulnerabilities of the economically passed over. And those who fear change.
- The best leadership doesn’t just give people what they want. Like Moses, they balance needs and wants with the greater good. Leaders are responsible to a higher calling, a higher vision, a higher authority. They have a responsibility to do what’s best and not necessarily what’s easy. Aaron had let fearful people in camp run wild and get out of control. His “give them what they want” approach actually kept people from dealing productively with their questions and fearful anxiety. Similarly, Trump’s approach puts a stamp of approval on people’s desire to scapegoat instead of work for real change.
- People-pleasers like Aaron don’t make great leaders. Bullies, the flip side of people-pleasing, don’t either.
America has some real economic and racial problems. But funneling that into “fear of the other” is not going to solve our problems. Any more than killing off Jews in Europe solved German financial woes. It’s not clear if there is a Republican Moses at this time. But one thing is clear. It ain’t Trump. At the very least, he’s a Moses knock off. At worst, he might be the Golden Calf itself.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Mar 2, 2016
I’m a Zumba aficionado. I admit it. I love the rhythms, the music, and the fun of these classes. Zumba, in case you don’t know, is a fitness class that draws on elements of Latin dance moves such as salsa, merengue, and cumbia. It also involves a fair amount of of hip rolling and shoulder shaking.
At first, I was pretty self-conscious about moving my body in these ways. (Do I look ridiculous? Are they judging me? Does the teacher think I’m a jerk?) With practice I’ve gotten more comfortable and the moves have gotten a lot easier. I’ve stopped asking those self-conscious questions.
Song lyrics aside, there are some surprising similarities between Zumba and the church. In fact, I’d like to offer 4 bold leadership moves Zumba can teach the church.
Leadership Move #1: DANCE BIG
To get the most from a Zumba class means dancing big: moving freely, trying new things, striking out in directions you haven’t gone before. The bolder the moves the more calories you burn, the better the workout, and the more fun you have. Dancing big requires letting go of two things: self-consciousness and wondering how you look. It means trusting the process.
Dancing big is not only essential to having fun with Zumba, it’s part of emulating the Lord of the Dance. Jesus took all sorts of risks and never once did he ask: How do I look? He trusted God, trusted his disciples, and trusted the process.
Here’s the catch for us: the more institutionalized an organization is, the more pressure there is to play it safe. How old is your church or organization? 40 years? 100 years? 200 years? You’re probably going to come up against some resistance as you try new moves. But Jesus and his disciples did it. They took risks within the context of Judaism which was centuries old at the time. That they did so spoke to their very high levels of faith.
Leadership Move #2: LEAD WITH YOUR FEET
Zumba instructors give very little in the way of instruction. Instead, she (or he, but I’ve never see a male Zumba instructor) leads by example. She moves and the class follows suit. Believe me, it can take a while to catch on to the moves. The trick is to watch her feet. Once you’ve got the steps down you can add arm movements, then embellishments with hips and shoulders. While the students are catching on, the instructor needs to remain focused on executing the proper steps, encouraging others, and staying in rhythm. All while refraining from judgment.
Same thing in the church. While the church leader models the moves of discipleship, others are watching. But to wait for them to have the moves down first, without your modeling it over and over will be an exercise in disappointment. Jesus demonstrated his moves for his followers. For three whole years. They caught on. That’s how he could send them out 2 x 2 to to perform miracles and announce the Kingdom.
Leadership Move #3: SET THE TONE
Zumba instructors sets the tone and intensity of the class. The more restrained and self-conscious she is, the more restrained and self-conscious the class is. The class rarely moves past her. In fact, there’s a certain amount of peer pressure to not be more expressive than the instructor. So if she remains timid, they will to. But if she is willing to freely express herself with big bold moves, the class follows suit. If she adds embellishments, they will too.
At every area of leadership in the church, followers look to their leaders to figure out the acceptable moves. That’s true from Bishops all the way to the members of the Trustees.
Jesus set the tone and standard in his way of living, and in his teaching. His followers came to expect they too would challenge authority, be bold, and look for the impossible to become possible.
So, if you micromanage, displaying hesitation and caution every step of the way, others will follow suit. Let’s say you shy away from conflict and avoid issues that need to be addressed, the people you lead will get the hint to do the same. If you refrain from talking about how giving is connected to your vision, don’t count on others making the connection.
One of the pressures of being a leader is setting aside your own level of comfort for the group’s greater good. Let’s say you dance big, lead with your feet,
and model new moves—your followers will try to keep up with you. That means you also need to assume responsibility if the bold moves don’t pan out. Or being the one who levels with people: “Look, this might not work. But we’ve got to give it our best shot. Because if it does work, it will launch us into the Kingdom of God! That’s just the kind of risk that our faith asks us to take. And if it doesn’t work, God will be with us to help us try, try again.”
Leadership Move #4: RELAX AND HAVE FUN
The best Zumba instructor is relaxed and enjoying the process. She leads the kind of classes where mistakes aren’t catalogued and bad moves aren’t noted. It’s the kind of place people want to return to. It’s easy to leave self-criticism and self-consciousness at the door.
Why do people prefer to be at soccer fields, Zumba classes, or coffee shops instead of church? A denominational leader recently told me of visiting a Farmer’s Market on a Sunday morning. “Everyone was happy,” he marveled! “No one was scowling or throwing darts with their eyes like some of the churches I’ve been in.”
I have been to too many churches where it’s all doom and gloom. It’s as if celebration weren’t kosher. Answered prayers are never mentioned. Testimonials are never given. Joyous songs of trials overcome are never sung. Even visitors are viewed with suspicion. No good news there, no matter what the Gospels say. If you’re not enjoying your life of faith and discipleship, why do you think others would want to follow?
Mastering Zumba takes practice and lots of it. Effective church leadership too. But you can have a lot of fun and make a real difference along the way.
Still not convinced that you can make the bold moves necessary? A good place to start kicking up your heels is through the award-winning leadership program I developed called Creating a Culture of Renewal. You learn how to dance big, lead with your feet, set the tone for renewal all while being more relaxed and having more fun than before. You might still stumble a bit, maybe confuse salsa with merengue, but we help you learn the steps that make a true difference. When that happens, you’ll start seeing positive, life-changing results in both your leadership and your ministry. We love helping people find their leadership groove and dream like Jesus.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Feb 15, 2016
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s classic 1937 book, The Cost of Discipleship, describes cheap grace as the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline and communion without confession. It’s the sort of grace that allowed would-be disciples to avoid confronting the evils of Nazi Germany.
These days, cheap grace has competition. In an effort to appease a different kind of cultural complacency, grace has come to mean a bar that is set quite low. Offering this grace requires little to no accountability, enforces few if any standards, and bears almost no fruit. In churches, this low-level grace is most apparent in our communal and organizational life. It translates into a kind of laissez faire, you’re off the hook, no accountability stance.
This isn’t cheap grace. It’s worse than that. It’s mediocre grace. But mediocrity is not a biblical value. Jesus killed trees that bore no fruit. He spit out the lukewarm. He counseled followers to let their yes be yes and their no be no.
When it comes to perpetuating a culture of mediocrity in churches, there’s plenty of blame to go around—from the system, to pastors, to lay people, to denominationalism itself. Not to mention the larger culture that is rapidly changing, and lives that are overly busy. The list is long.
But you know the old saying: If you’re pointing a finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you. The truth is church culture can be shifted. But not by blaming others.
Here are four practices of low accountability/low fruit churches:
1. We neglect the secret of miracle-making. “Your faith has made you well” was a common refrain of Jesus. In the culture of mediocrity, we do not activate our faith in God, or in ourselves, to co-create miracles with the Divine. Instead of miracles we settle for the mundane. Then complain that nothing gets better. It sounds something like this: “How come young people don’t come to our church?” Or “How will we ever get people to help us bear the burden of our bills?”
2. We underestimate the size of mustard seeds. By confusing faithfulness with predictability (instead of trusting God in the midst of the unknown) we stunt our development as disciples. Our faith can’t even reach the size of a tiny seed. The culture of mediocrity means we no longer act as though we have been given the power to heal the sick, cast out demons, or even actively proclaim the kingdom. The church is silent on important issues and passive in the face of injustice.
3. We buy the lie. Churches that dispense mediocre grace buy into the lie that wastes time, energy, talent, and good will. It goes like this: “If this ministry / meal / outreach / worship service reaches just one person then it will all be worth it.” In churches that practice mediocre grace, this is often an excuse for not doing something well. It reinforces setting the bar for success low.
Those 3 are bad. But the worst of all is this one insidious and pervasive practice of mediocrity:
4. We let our yes be no and our no be maybe. You know what this looks like: people who commit to doing things, but never show up to meetings or get stuff done. Here mediocre grace means we can’t hold people accountable or even bring up broken agreements—lest we offend. In its worst forms, those who are authorized to decide, act, and move things forward continually put the brakes on. Meanwhile, the church loses its reputation as a safe place and a trustworthy partner, and as a witness for justice and a voice for the poor. All the while giving, and energy, goes down.
What makes this one practice so damaging? If we are not accountable in the small things, like our word, then we’ll never have authority over the larger things, like manifesting the Kingdom in our corner of the world.
Our nodding acquaintance with theories about systems and group cultures has gotten us to the point where we don’t believe we can make any changes because we can’t change the system. News flash: we are the system.
One group I am working with has started to shift its culture of mediocre grace by addressing its habitual lateness. Everything from budgets to annual reports to event registrations to worship bulletins are turned in late. Deadlines are routinely ignored. So things can’t be planned or executed well. Occasions that take extra preparation get bogged down because timelines aren’t met. Although the people themselves love God and care deeply for each other, they give the impression that they don’t. While accepting this behavior without comment seems Christ-like, it actually fosters resentment, resignation, and bad-mouthing. Definitely not Christ-like.
In this group, the denominational executives are starting the culture shift from the inside out. By acknowledging how they themselves have participated in promulgating a deadline-amnesic culture, they are making gains. For years they excused others without question when deadlines were missed, endlessly extended registration periods, and offered mediocre grace. All the while bitterness crept in, along with hopelessness, and trust among otherwise friendly colleagues suffered. Over time the situation spiraled out of control—costing them money, respect, and workability. It will take some time and intentionality to right this ship. But their courageous and transparent stance is sending all the right signals. It’s only a matter of time before mediocre grace gives way to both higher expectations and more miraculous outcomes.
It’s powerful to start a culture shift at the top. It demonstrates a willingness to take responsibility for what’s not working. It’s the opposite of the blame game. And it’s engaging. But what if you don’t have that luxury? What if the powers that be don’t recognize a need to change, or don’t know how to? No worries. Start where you are. With the people in your setting.
If deadlines are routinely ignored, or people come to church meetings unprepared, introduce the idea of a guilt-free accountability plan. Start by holding yourself to higher standards. Visibly write down dates, or enter them into your calendar, and ask others to do the same. If you miss a deadline or don’t make good on a promise, be the first one to speak up about it. No need to wallow in guilt or excessive apology. Simply owning the behavior is often enough to clear the air. This guilt-free process reinforces safety and trust. It also allows others to own their mistakes more easily.
One pastor I coach has decided to address the culture of mediocrity in her mid-size church by suggesting church teams create a group covenant. Intrigued by the idea, two teams have taken her up on the idea. They spent time hammering out the kind of agreements they’d like to operate with, and how to get there. Including a low-key, high-impact process for communicating lateness or the inability to follow through on a commitment.
Buoyed by their initial success, they now begin each meeting by reviewing their covenant out loud. Team members are encouraged to speak up about agreements not honored. As well as those met. No, it doesn’t change the past. But it does create a strong foundation for honesty respect to flourish. Instead of hiding out and counting on mediocre grace, this church is practicing the kind of straightforward communication that Jesus counseled. Friendships are being strengthened and new ministries are taking root.
It takes practice to move from mediocre to miraculous, from resignation to rejoicing. But I’ve seen it happen. Church cultures can and do shift—a bit at a time. The good news and the bad news about this is the same: it all starts with us.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jan 18, 2016
The world wants more of churches: more spirituality, more community, more engagement, more love, more miracles, more demonstration of the kingdom. Not less. Yet, most of us are serving shrinking, declining, even dying churches. If our leadership is to be effective, if we are about manifesting the kingdom here on earth, if we are to make a true difference in the lives of those we lead, and the communities we serve, we need to think big. Then, even bigger.
Of course, thinking big isn’t enough. We have to know what to do with the ideas. Jesus mastered 3 hidden leadership skills that we would do well to learn.
To begin with, Jesus boldly crafted and expressed his vision. Even under the most difficult of circumstances.
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles–
the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
In the shadow of John’s death, Jesus got to work. He went about the countryside proclaiming a message welcomed by some leaders of the time, and dangerous to other leaders. He didn’t let death or threats of death stop him. In fact, he was intent on being light in that particular time of darkness.
But he didn’t stop there. Or try to do it all himself. He found people who were aligned with his message.
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately, they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets and he called them. Immediately, they left the boat and their father and followed him.
And that’s not all.
Jesus went throughout the Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan.
Other Jewish teachers, rabbis and miracle workers traveled the land during Jesus’ day. What set him apart was that he was doing it as a sign of the inbreaking of the kingdom. In the process, he was building alignment for his vision. Crowds of people, great crowds, began to follow him. That’s when he taught them more about his vision.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs it he Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Unlike some spiritual leaders today, Jesus wasn’t trying to do all the work himself. In fact, he knew that if the message ended with him, it would die when he did. He used the buy in of the people to execute his vision of the Kingdom.
Watch what he does with his disciples.
Then Jesus summoned his 12 disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.
These 12 Jesus sent out with the following instructions, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The Kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.
Jesus doesn’t stop with this charge. He goes on to give them very specific instructions about how to execute the vision.
You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food.
As specific as he is, he does not fall into micro-managing. He demonstrates trust in their ability to discern the nature of the people they will encounter.
Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
Vision. Alignment. Execution. These are the three hidden leadership skills Jesus practiced.
But leadership is not a linear process. It’s a spiral that redoubles and comes around again. Watch how Jesus demonstrates that.
Now when Jesus had finished instructing his 12 disciples, he went on from there to teach and proclaim his message in their cities.
He’s just sent off his 12 closest followers, and now he’s off to cast his vision, build alignment and empower execution among brand new people! Powerful visions are like that. They compel you, energize you, and pull you forward. This was not drudgery for Jesus. It was his passion and purpose in life. (Luke 4:43). It was the reason he got out of bed in the morning. He was unstoppable!
If leadership requires vision, alignment and execution, it seems to me that there is one criterion that precedes these three tasks.
The vision has to be worth it. It has to be big enough, bold enough, and compelling enough to promise a new state of affairs. Otherwise, you’ll lose interest. And so will everyone else.
Are you leading with a bold vision? That’s where it all starts.
