The Legacy Of Spiritual Leadership

(I Shared this message during Philippine Missionary Fellowship,Inc. National Bi-Annual Conference in Cavite City, Philippines)

A STRONG ORGANIZATION FOUNDED BY GOD

Philippine Missionary Fellowship, Inc. is a mission-organization founded in 1957. It is now 46 years old. Members, workers, leaders and sponsors have come and go but the mission of the Lord is continuously growing and doing mightily in the sight of God. At present, there are 260 workers in the mission field and 500 churches were established in around 20 provinces nationwide. We can imagine how the Lord blessed PMF with leaders who ran the organization with success. I believed that PMF is truly a strong organization established not by the great men alone, but the Lord.

The lack of potential leaders is not founded in the Scriptures. This is merely a speculation. Some think that PMF has no potential leaders who can lead the organization the way it was led by the former leaders. While others think that they can never run the mission due to lack of leadership training and skills.

J. Oswald Sanders, in his book “Spiritual Leadership” told that 85% of spiritual leaders are made through the influence of others. They became effective leaders because of the training and experience they gained from the past and improve in the present. The body of Christ is made up of great leaders that are gifted in every area of the ministry. The Holy Spirit had given them so much talents and gifts that every one will become useful and contributor to the growth and success in the body of Christ. In reality, leadership crisis in a strong organization is the product of leadership who carries the leadership whenever they leave. They never lay any foundation to build great leaders for the future, nothing more and nothing less. A legacy of a leader, according to Maxwell, is “created only when a person puts his organization into the position to do great things without him.”

SIMPLE TIPS IN PRODUCING LEADERS

Choose Potential Leaders Around You

“Choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and Wisdom… They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit”(Acts 6:3,5).

Spirituality coupled with wisdom

Selection of kingdom leaders must not be influenced by worldly wisdom, wealth, or social status. The prime consideration is spirituality. Selecting leaders apart from spiritual qualifications always leads to unspiritual administration. Although spirituality gives wisdom for a leader but being spiritual alone is not enough. Wisdom given by God acquired through outpouring of the Holy Spirit or through education, according to Luke, is a pre-requisite for successful leadership. John R. Mott, a world leader in student circles, believed that “a leader is a man who knows the road, who can keep ahead, and who pulls others after him.” Spiritual leaders blend with natural and spiritual qualities. Even the natural qualities are supernatural gifts, since all good things come from God.

Personal Integrity

Paul spoke of his failures and success with openness that few of us are prepared to copy. Even before his conversion he served God sincerely (2 Tim. 1:3) and with great personal integrity. Later he wrote: “In Christ we speak before God with sincerity” (2 Cor. 2:17). This quality of leadership was part of God’s law for the Israelites (Deut. 18:13). God wants his people to show a transparent character, open and innocent of deception. A prominent businessman once replied to a question: “If I had to name the one most important quality of a top manager, I would say personal integrity.” Surely the spiritual leader must be sincere in promise, faithful in discharge of duty, upright in finances, loyal in service, and honest in speech.”

Just as in sports a coach needs a team of good players to win, an organization needs a team of good leaders to succeed.

Delegate “your” Responsibilities to Train Them

“The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2)

Another facet of leadership is the ability to recognize the special abilities and limitation of others, combined with capacity to fit each one into the job he or she will do the best. To succeed in getting things done through others is the highest type of leadership. D.E. Hoste said that “the capacity to appreciate gifts of widely varying kinds of workers, is the main quality for oversight in a mission such as ours.”

Thoughtful delegation will save the leader the frustrating experience of square pegs serving in round holes. Jethro told Moses in his advice, “you and these people who come to you will surely wear yourselves out. The work is too hard for you; you can not handle it alone.” (Exodus 18:18). Several things will be taken in this advice: Moses was able to concentrate on the biggest problems, the talents of many around him were discovered, those gifted men who could have become his critics were now allies facing common challenge. People’s problems were solved with efficiency and most of all Moses laid the ground works of effective leadership after his death. It is a big mistake for a good leader to assume more duties than he can discharge. Leaders must multiply themselves by developing younger leaders, giving them full play and adequate outlet for their abilities.