leadership part 2
Qualities For Leadership
Now while everyone is a leader to some extent, not everyone
has a leadership
position. In other words, not everyone has the
specific responsibility
of overseeing someone or something. While it may sound nice to
have a
leadership title and position, the person who makes the commitment to
accept a
leadership opportunity must also accept the responsibility that goes
along with
that position, whatever it is. This means that a really good leader is
someone
who committed to fulfilling their responsibilities even when they'd
really
rather be doing something else.
Besides commitment, a good list of other leadership qualities
can be found
in the Biblical book of 1 Timothy. Timothy was a young guy who was
given the
responsibility of leading the church in the town of
Principles For Good Leadership
"For
a pastor must be a
good man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must have only one
wife, and
he must be hard working and thoughtful, orderly, and full of good
deeds. He
must enjoy having guests in his home and must be a good Bible teacher"
(1
Timothy 3:2).
Now before we continue, let's park here for a moment and look
at this a
little more closely...
- A
good man whose life cannot be spoken against. This
means that a good leader's lifestyle doesn't provide anything that
others might use as a kind of "handle" to attack or accuse them.
- He
must have only one wife. If you're a youth leader
who is actually a youth then the chances are probably pretty good are
that you are unmarried, right? So let's customize this Biblical
principle to your situation by saying that a good youth leader should
show the qualities of loyalty, dedication and faithfulness.
- He
must be hard working and thoughtful, orderly. It
should go without saying that slackers usually make poor leaders. A
good leader is someone who is willing to work hard and also makes sure
to control his or her behavior in a manner that's right for the
situation.
- Full
of good deeds. A good leader is known for courtesy
and dignity, not disrespect. A good leader simply helps people who need
help and does those things that need doing without calling attention to
his or herself.
- Must
be a good Bible teacher. Then there is this part
about being able to teach the Bible. A good leader should be someone
who knows enough about the Bible to be able to communicate it to
others. Someone who wants to be a good leader should be Biblically
grounded enough to be able to teach people the truth and correct false
teachings. A good leader doesn't necessarily need to be a "teacher" but
they will be able to teach because they know what
God's Word says and means.
Here are a few more principles from 1 Timothy...
"He
must not be a drinker
or quarrelsome, but he must be gentle and kind and not be one who loves
money.
He must have a well-behaved family, with children who obey quickly and
quietly.
For if a man can't make his own little family behave, how can he help
the whole
church?" (1 Timothy 3:3-5).
- He
must not be a drinker or quarrelsome but he must be gentle and kind.
The language used here carries the idea of someone who doesn't get
drunk and get into brawls. A good leader isn't someone who is
argumentative but works to represent God in a way that doesn't repel
people or start fights.
- Not
be one who loves money. If money is
the number one priority in your life then you simply can't be the kind
of leader that really honors God. Here's the reason for that according
to Jesus Himself: "No one can serve two masters.
Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted
to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money"
(Matthew 6:24 NIV).
- He
must have a well-behaved family. For our purposes
we can say that this simply refers to the fact that good leadership
starts at home. If you're a poor example in your own home then the
chances are good that you won't be any different outside either.
Let's try a few more...
"The
pastor must not be a
new Christian because he might be proud of being chosen so soon, and
pride
comes before a fall. (Satan's downfall is an example.) Also, he must be
well
spoken of by people outside the church-- those who aren't Christians--
so that
Satan can't trap him with many accusations and leave him without
freedom to
lead his flock" (1 Timothy 3:6-7).
- The
pastor must not be a new Christian. It's usually
best for a new Christians to spend some time learning about God and His
Word first before moving into a position of
leadership.
- He
must be well spoken of by people outside the church. This
means that a good leader is someone who is recognized as a person of
good character outside of church. This doesn't necessarily mean that
they are really popular or well-liked by everyone but simply that they
have a good reputation, even among those people who aren't Christians.
Are You Right For The Job?
So how does someone know if they are right for a leadership
position? Well,
The Doctor will let you in on a little secret- good leaders
are people who
are already doing the things that identify them as
leaders before they
are ever given a title! A good leader "sees" needs that other
people don't and then gets involved in meeting those needs. In other
words, a
person with good leadership qualities sees things that should be done
(or
should be done better) and then prayerfully gets involved.
In reality, leadership positions are less about titles and
labels and more
about simply doing those things that God has for you to do. Listen, if
you are
the one who sees a need in some area then perhaps you
are the one that
God desires to step up and take the lead in that situation, whatever it
is. Why
not ask God for His direction and then talk to your Pastor, Youth
Pastor or
other church leader about it?
next:
"I'm a 15 year old youth leader- help!!!"
The
Doctor is not a real
doctor but he plays one on the Internet. E-Mail prescriptions are also
available on an individual basis.
Except as indicated, all Scriptural references taken from The
Living Bible, © 1971, Tyndale House Publishers Back
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