Lead, follow or get out of the way! (part one)

Your major youth event is soon to get underway.  Months of dreaming, planning, and hard work have brought you this far and now everything seems to be falling to bits.  Technical issues, delays in the set up, key people missing, and now tension in the team, all seem to be working to destroy the best made plans.  As the main leader of the effort, all eyes are on you.  All sorts of emotions are rushing through your brain as you consider how to respond.  It is a defining moment… one that will set you apart as a leader or expose every weakness within you.  Did you share this dream months ago only to see it fall apart at the last minute?  Have you led your team down a cul de sac?  As you weigh your options, you realize that this single event is challenging you to the core of your being.

Being a leader demands that we examine the core of who we are and tune into our relationship with God.  If we have the right perspective, we can lead effectively and make a huge impact on the world around us – often without realizing it.  A few years back I read a book titled Relational Leadership by Walter Wright that takes a look at leadership through an exposition of Jude.  From one of the shortest New Testament epistles, Wright gleans incredible insights into the heart of leadership.   Reading this and reflecting on leadership lessons learned over the years brought a new focus to my thinking on the challenges that leaders face.  It seems that if we are going to be leaders that change lives, we need to have one eye on the Bible and the other on a mirror.  If you are self conscious like I am, this can be a very daunting thought.

My friend Tim used to encourage people with the words “love God until you shake, and be yourself!”  When we get the first part right, the second is a blessing to others.  Leadership then becomes the task of being oneself for the benefit of others.  However, apart from a right understanding of who we are in relationship to God, we will only see our flaws show up in the lives of those we lead.  While there are many leadership skills and qualities to develop, getting the heart right is a central ingredient to being effective leaders.

What is at the heart of leadership?

In the opening verse of Jude, we find three primary issues in the lives of all people; leaders and followers, believers and non.  The first issue is identity.  Many people find their identity from physical sources such as material possessions or community they live in.  Marketing caters to this drive to identify ourselves by what we purchase and the lifestyle that we live.  For others the family they come from defines who they are.  Being royal or noble is a whole different identity from being common.  The second issue is security.  Have you noticed how insecure most people are?  So many people’s lives are driven by fear and anxiety.  We have so much to be worried about in this age.  It has caused the most enormous boom in the psychiatric business in the past century.  The third issue is meaning.  Have you ever stopped to consider what do most people live for?  Where do they find meaning and purpose?  Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life” was a national best seller in the states precisely because people lack meaning and purpose in their lives.  It is not that most people don’t find some meaning, but rather the meaning many find is unfulfilling.  The gospel compels us to find meaning in our relationship with God.  In a world where most people find meaning elsewhere, it becomes more difficult to maintain this perspective.

The primary issues Jude raises are answered in the same verse.  God’s answers to these life issues are as simple and profound as the issues themselves.  First, our identity is found in being loved by God.  That truth is all we need for our identity!  As leaders we must find our identity in Jesus, the one who loves us.  Our identity is not found in our work or leadership position, it is found in the fact that Jesus called us into a relationship with Him!  When we find our identity in our work or position, we are at great risk of having a crisis of identity if the position falls through.  I have known far too many people in ministry who so identified themselves in their position that when sacked, their whole life fell apart.  Have you ever noticed how often Paul wrote in his epistles about being “In Christ”?  The answer to the simple question ‘who am I?’ is not ‘I am a youth worker’ but rather ‘I am a child of God presently serving in youth work’.  It is far too tempting to place our identity in the secondary fact that we are leaders.  The underlying issue in it all is actually a struggle for power.  When we find our identity in being loved by God, it is God who has the real power in our lives.

Second, our security is found in being kept by Jesus.  God’s love is not merely an abstract concept, but rather an active relationship.  Our security is then found in the fact that we are cared for by Him.  Fears and anxieties crumble when we hold onto the perspective that we are in the care of God.  There is no need for insecurities or worry.  We can take risks, step out in faith, and know that God will look after us.  Often we pay lip service to this idea and don’t really find our security in Jesus.  We only undertake efforts that we know we can achieve on our own talent and strength.  However, the most rewarding experiences in life are found when we reach beyond our means to accomplish what God has called us to do in faith.  Think of how often in scripture we see examples of people who stepped out in faith and found God faithful.  The temptation however, is to allow pride to take over and for us to create our own security.  In short, the security of our leadership and lives must be based on an active relationship with the living God.  Anything less than finding security in Christ, is probably a result of pride in our lives.

Third, our meaning is found in being called by God.  As leaders we are called specifically to be people who influence others.  The question of why I am here has been answered.  Our purpose is not about a position or role, but rather it is about being called to influence others, to point them to God. I am convinced that we must take seriously our call not only to a position of leadership but to a place of ministry as well.  Too often good youth workers change jobs every time things get difficult and never really stick out the call to the church or community that God has placed them in.  God does move us on at times, yet so often we don’t pay enough attention to our meaning and purpose in a specific place.  Our meaning and purpose is found in God’s calling.