Me and my youth-group went to a Christian youth conference in Bradford called Rocknations. It was held at an amazing Church called Abundant Life Church.
There were amazing preaches from Carl Lentz, Steve and Charlotte Gambill, and Dave and Abs Niblock which all surprisingly related to exactly what is going on in my life at this very moment. It was almost as if the preaches were directed at me. Whilst all the preaches really spoke to me, there was one seminar in particular which make me think about how I need to change. It was the first leadership seminar with Dave Niblock and was titled 'Leadership Uncovered'.
1 Timothy Ch3 v 1-10
This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
How easy is that? Any leader in the church, from a Senior Pastor to a Youth Pastor to a Facilities Team Manager can just look to the Bible, flip over to 1 Timothy and get some great advice! But in reality, it's not so simple.
Tip 1 on how to be the best leader you can:
In a way, everyone is a leader. Your family needs to be led well, and not necessarily by just the adults of the household, but the children too! So if your Dad is being selfish or your Mum is being arrogant, do not be afraid to tell them! (But make sure you say it nicely, by making it into constructive criticism!).
If you cannot control your family, you cannot control your Church. If your children dress with their boobs hanging out, or they wear clothes that have evil text or images how can you expect any different from the people serving in the area in which you are leading? If your son is outright rude, and ignores your discipline's, how can you expect any different with the group you are leading? So before trying to reach the next level of leadership within the area that you are serving in, make sure you sort out your family first!
Tip 2:
Focus on others and not yourself! Remember that you don't have to be a lonely leader. Many leaders fail by focusing entirely on themselves and not on other people who they are leading. They end up lonely, as they spend so much time, alone, trying to change who they are, so that they can be the best leader they can, that they get depressed. This is a true fact. I think Dave Niblock said it was something crazy like 50% of leaders fail at this early, what seems the easiest, hurdle. So remember to focus on others, and you may not get it easy, and the next level of leadership may not be reached as quickly as you want it, but remember that leadership is on God's agenda, not ours.
Tip 3:
Leadership is about faithfulness, not faithful wants. It's not about having the faith that God will change everything that you are in order to make you the better leader, but it is about having faith that no matter what happens, it is for the best. Maybe you've tried being a leader in many areas and every time you have failed. This is God saying to you,
"I don't want you to be a leader! You don't belong in this area of ministry!"
"I don't want you to be a leader! You don't belong in this area of ministry!"
Maybe God is saying that although you are not made to be a physical leader, but you are made to influence people's lifestyles and be a leader to them in a personal way. You could be the worst ever leader known to mankind, whilst still being the best mentor in the Church. You could be terrible at music and memorising chord sequences and lyrics, but at the same time, you could be the best best on the tech team at the lighting or the sound or the photography. Maybe God hasn't built you to be a leader on a stage, but behind the scenes instead. Do not let this bring you down. I can't stress to you enough how important every single role is, whether it's picking up litter, or leading the Church. And don't get me wrong, I've heard people say that so much, but it is true. You are just as important as the next man.
Reward each and every tiny little step.
Model it --> Challenge it --> Acknowledge it --> Reward it.
Tip 3:
A short one, but: Learn from mistakes; your own as well as others'. Most importantly, do not be embarrassed my your mistakes, as through making that mistake someone else may have learnt from your mistake before actually making themselves!
Tip 4:
Another short one but: Leadership should be fun! But it should not be purely serious talk. You can still have fun whilst being responsible!
Tip 5:
Leadership is about following an imperfect leader. This is the final step, and you must understand that you are imperfect yourself. But don't be down because of this because God used imperfect people. Which is kind of lucky, because if He didn't we'd all be useless. The one perfect man was called Jesus. Who died on a cross so that we could be used even though we are imperfect. This means absolutely everyone is used by God, no matter how much you hate your life, or feel that you are useless, God see's you as important. Jesus didn't die for a bunch of people. He died for you. He died for each and every individual who will ever walk on the face of the Earth for the rest of time. He was thinking about you whilst he died. How amazing is that? That Jesus would have the compassion to go to the cross so that you could be saved. I know I'm stressing the 'you' a lot here, but it is so important to realise this.
People need to realise that we were not built to stand in line; to wait for years and years in a queue. We cannot get held back, we must celebrate every single step we take. If you encountered God at Church, then celebrate it. If you brought a friend to Church, celebrate it. Reward yourself, for every single thing that you do that is good.
The most important steps, however, are the ones that nobody see's. Such as picking up the litter after the Youth-Group has met, when everyone else has gone home. Such as turning up to Church early to hoover the stage. Things such as these without telling people, without bragging about how 'Holy' you are. Believe me, I've seen that many times before.
You should never compare yourself to other people, for sometimes it takes a whole life to achieve your dream. Who says you can't be 80 and lead a Church of thousands? Who says you can't be 10 and lead hundreds of people to Christ? Anything is possible with God, so have patience and faith, and you will achieve your purpose in life.
