BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

LOVE  LOVE LOVE

One of the common pitfalls of leadership is focus.  As driven people, when we are given an area of responsibility or authority we all naturally start planning, setting goals, and moving forward.  The problem is that we have set our focus on the wrong thing.  Let’s look at a target.  There is a bulls-eye that signifies perfection, or in our case success.  So, as leaders we have the tendency to make the project, event, or goal the center of that target.

The Bible says this about our focus; 1 Corinthians 13:2b “and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing…”  I have seen great visions fail, great purpose driven churches fold, great anointed men of God fade, all for the sake of the wrong focus.  As believers, christianity has encouraged a mentality that says that our focus should be self (a “me” mentality), and our source – people.  We have been wrong… As I look around our country, I see churches that are marketing for people and providing a place of “glimpses” of God.  The church was designed to be a disciple-making, people-loving factory with the purpose of spreading the love of God like fire.  Love is contagious and powerful.  Think about what LOVE has done for you…  Love is strong enough that it only takes one demonstration of His love to change a person into an acting love agent.  Love itself has power, because God is LOVE.

So back to our target analogy.  If we are acting in the “LOVE of God” then our churches should reflect it in focus and source.  God should be…

Find a Team

Matthew 4: 18 -  Jesus was walking.  Why is this significant?  Well, he wasn’t in front of the synagogue trying to recruit the religious leaders of the day to be part of His small group.  He wasn’t in front of the church telling everyone that if we don’t have enough volunteers in children’s ministry that we will need to start having a family integrated church.  He was walking, being led by the spirit, drawn to some men working to catch fish.  I can appreciate the analogies of catching men instead of fish, but seriously He was looking for men who knew how to work, and how to learn.

Jesus took who he could find. Again, the principle that John Maxwell introduces in his book Developing the Leader Within is true, while leaders may be born, they still have to be taught.  Anyone can be a leader…

Point .. the WHO isn’t as important as the WHO is leading the WHO

Practical 1:  Look at who you already have (don’t look past – look at)

When I took over the worship department we had 3 musicians… just three.  A drummer, a bass player, and an electric guitarist.  With music being such

I was given an opportunity to do a workshop at Jesse Duplantis’ Visionary Leadership Conference.  I will be posting the steps I taught over the next few days.  I personally believe that every ministry area has the potential of becoming the most effective and productive area within the church.  It all hinges on the leadership style of the individual.  Are you building your team?

STEP 1:

Get VISION by filling up
(After Christ was called he got filled up)

Who are we kidding by thinking that we have the answers for the world, or for the church if we don’t have the consistent walk with God that allows

Many years I have thought of love in relation to God always in two ways. My understanding of God loving me (the wonderful world of salvation) and my love towards others. There has been an approach to understanding it in the sense of “learning” how to love – I have been wrong… very wrong.
My previous pastor said one time – you don’t really know what you are made of until you are thrown against a wall. And at that point whatever comes out is what you were really made of. I look at several times that I have been thrown against the wall. The one that first popped in my head was when I found out my future wife (this is in 1998) was diagnosed with Leukemia. I had no idea how to handle that news – new to understanding faith at a REALLY believing level. There was one thing I did understand, who to run to. So I did what every respecting young man would do… went driving. So I grabbed my acoustic guitar, loaded up my truck with a few drinks