The Presbyter's Page
Electronic Edition – December 2002
Original articles published December 2002
Section 12 - LA
District UPCI
Donald Bryan - Presbyter
Notifications for the electronic editions of
The Presbyter's Page are never sent unsolicited. If you believe you have
received notice about this newsletter in error, or wish to be removed from our
mailing list, visit our web site at: http://www.pentecostalsonline.org/articles.html.
Near the top of that page, you will find a box
where you may unsubscribe simply by entering your e-mail address, highlighting
the "unsubscribe" button and clicking on the "Submit"
button.
Brother Donald Bryan may be contacted directly
at DBryanUPC@aol.com. You can
also contact us by writing to webmaster@pentecostalsonline.org.
Sermon Thought: "Don't Despise The Day of Small
Things"
Characteristics
of an Effective Leader
How Do You
Demonstrate Leadership?
Sermon Thought:
“Don’t
Despise The Day of Small Things”
For who hath
despised the day of small things?… (Zechariah 4:10)
Many pastors and leaders are concerned because there is a feeling, possibly even a common attitude, among the ministry that the size of their congregation is the measurement by which their success is gauged. Leaders of small membership churches also seem to feel that because they are not growing rapidly that something must be wrong with them personally and/or something is lacking in their leadership skills. There is not a large church in the world that started out as a large church. All large churches went through the very same stages your church is going through. The same applies in the business arena. Many of history’s great successes started out small, but didn’t give up. Consider this:
· During its first year of business, the Coca-Cola Company sold only 400 Cokes.
·
Chicken Soup for the Soul was turned down by 33
publishers. (But the 34th publisher
sold over seven million copies in twenty languages!)
·
Alex Haley got a rejection letter once a week for four
years as a budding writer. Alex was
ready to give up on the book Roots himself. After nine years on the project he felt inadequate to the task.
·
Winston Churchill was unable to gain admittance to the
prestigious Oxford or Cambridge universities because he “was weak in the
classics.”
A growing church is the result of doing right things at the right time. Given time, and following correct growth-producing procedures, your church will grow. Church growth is the result of the following techniques:
1. Perseverance. Don’t quit. Hang in there. Encourage yourself in the Lord.
2. Hard Work. Plan your work and work your plan. Do something everyday that will make your church grow.
3. Prayer. Where there is much prayer, there is much power. Where there is little prayer there is little power. Where there is no prayer, there is no power.
4. Evangelism. The purpose of the church is the “seeking and saving” of lost humanity. Everything the church is and does should be centered on evangelism.
5. Follow up. - Church Growth is Retention. The most important evangelism statistic to monitor in your church is “How many converts are you keeping?”
Too often pastors of small churches allow the devil to make them feel inadequate and that they will never have the ability to lead their church to growth. Remember, the devil is a liar and the father of all lies. His job is to make you feel like you cannot grow your church. Recently, I read an article written by a pastor of a small membership church. In the article, he shared five lessons he had learned.
1. I tried to do too much alone.
2. I was impatient for the harvest.
3. I allowed myself to get negative and focused on the failures.
4. I ignored prayer and the comfort and guidance of the Spirit.
5. I didn’t pay enough attention to visitation and follow-up.
While you are a small church, take full advantage of every opportunity to build the church on a right foundation. Build it on truth, righteousness, holiness and Biblical standards. Teach your people to worship, to love the Word of God, to build intimate relationship with the Lord and to appreciate the ministry. Lead them in giving to the work of God, in prayer and fasting. Don’t despise the day of small beginnings.
Characteristics of an
Effective Leader
1.
Positive Attitude. The ability to see people
and situations in a positive way.
2.
High energy level. Strength and stamina to work
hard and not wear down.
3.
Personal warmth. A manner that draws people to
them.
4.
Integrity. Trustworthy, good solid
character. Words and walk are
consistent “Walk the Talk.”
5.
Responsible. Always “comes through”, no
excuses. Job delegated = job done.
6.
Good Self-image. Feels good about self,
others and life.
7.
Mental Horsepower. The ability to keep learning
as the job expands.
8.
Leadership Ability. Has a high influence over
others.
9.
Following Ability. Willingness to submit, play
team ball and follow the leader. No
personal agenda.
10.
Absence of Personal Problems. Personal, family, and
business life are in order.
11.
People Skills. The ability to draw people and
develop them.
12.
Sense of Humor. Enjoys life, fails to take
self too seriously.
13.
Resilience. Ability to “bounce back”
when problems arise.
14.
Track Record. Has experience and
success. “Corn in the crib.”
15.
Great Desire. Hungers for growth and
personal development.
16.
Self-discipline. Willing to “pay the price”
and handle success. Self-motivated.
17.
Creative. Has the ability to see
solutions and fix problems. Sees beyond
the obvious.
18.
Flexibility. Not afraid of change, fluid,
flaws as the organization grows. Not
territorial.
19.
Sees the “Big Picture.” Able to look beyond personal
interest and see the total picture.
(Not influenced by possible promotion of self or family members.)
20.
Intuitive. Able to discern and sense a
situation without tangible data. “Gut
feeling.”
21.
Committed. Unshakable commitment to
principles. Not swayed by peer pressure
or popular opinion.
Even the strongest leaders can’t do everything.
People Limitations
·
I
cannot lead people longer than they’re willing to follow.
·
I
cannot lead people farther than they’re willing to go.
·
I
cannot lead people faster than they’re willing to change.
·
I
cannot lead people higher than they’re able to climb.
Personal Limitations
·
I
cannot lead people beyond my leadership skills.
·
I
cannot lead above my level of trust.
·
I
cannot lead people past my level of commitment.
·
I
cannot lead people around my undisciplined lifestyle.
·
I
cannot lead people without my willingness to serve.
- John
Maxwell
How Do You Demonstrate Leadership?
Fundamental principles underlie the thinking and conduct of all true leaders, and these principles are even sharply defined for leaders within the kingdom of God. From time to time those whom the Lord has chosen for leadership need to examine themselves in the mirror of thought-provoking maxims. These proverbs are designed to help Christian leaders move forward in administrative excellence.
·
Responsible
leaders do not make irresponsible statements.
·
A
godly leader speaks out of the presence of God.
·
A
humble leader never makes light of eternal truths, but esteems them with
reverence.
·
The
most valuable gift of leadership is a godly example.
·
A
wise leader resolves conflicts peacefully, not forcefully.
·
An
enduring leader withstands insult without anger.
·
A
wholesome leader is characterized by tolerance, which saves him from hasty
decisions in crisis, and retaliations in the face of contrariness.
·
The
good leader attempts to make friends, not enemies.
·
Dealing
harshly with opponents causes more aggravation and hostility. A polite leader uses gentleness and kindness.
·
A
leader who listens well to his subordinates manages them well.
·
The
greatness of a leader is in his humility before God, not in his eloquence before
man.
·
A
devoted leader gives himself totally to the ones he is leading, helping them to
develop their undiscovered potential.
·
A
patient leader remembers that people’s responses vary according to their
nature, temperament, and level of development.
·
A
mature leader shows highest respect for others, irrespective of race or rank.
·
A
wise leader guards himself against the pitfalls of success, self-assertiveness
and over-confidence.
·
Broken
promises quickly destroy confidence in leadership.
·
A
wise leader inspires and motivates rather than intimidating and manipulating.
·
A
weak leader retreats in the face of rising difficulties and loses the respect
of his followers.
·
Severe
trials open the door to new revelation.
·
The
path of leadership is always lonely.
·
The
greater the leader the greater his fall when he succumbs to temptations.
·
A
teachable leader eagerly probes for truth learned by others regardless of their
status.
·
A
relaxed leader relaxes his followers.
·
The
self-righteous leader lives in a cell made of blocks of deception, hypocrisy,
and lies.
·
A
stubborn leader is a menace who cannot be trusted by his colleagues.
Visit our on-line Christian Bookstore formed in association with
Amazon.com by clicking on the button below.
See some of the newest titles in Christian literature or in Christian
music. Interested in something
specific? You can conduct searches by
author, title or subject. Proceeds from
sales are used to support the Pentecostals Online web site.
Spread the Word!
If you enjoyed visiting our site,
Click
here to recommend us to your friends
We
welcome your comments and questions.
You can reach us by e-mail at: webmaster@pentecostalsonline.org