joel's philosophy of leadership

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PHILOSOPHY OFLEADERSHIP

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents...........................................................................................................................

Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 1

Weaknesses.................................................................................................................................. 1

Overdriven ......................................................................................................................... 1

Overly Optimistic of Peoples Ability ...................................................................................... 2

Strengths ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Connectivity ........................................................................................................................ 2

Shared Leadership .............................................................................................................. 3

Leadership Style ........................................................................................................................... 3

Purpose .............................................................................................................................. 3

Preaching ........................................................................................................................... 4

Proportion .......................................................................................................................... 4

Leadership Development ............................................................................................................... 4

Final Thoughts .............................................................................................................................. 5

Works Cited .................................................................................................................................. 6


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To write about the concepts and strategies of others without honest evaluation of myself as a

leader would be only part of the issues relating to my philosophy of ministry and how it relates to the

great commandment, the great commission and a great church. Every leader introduces, by natural

and spiritual endowment, a certain level of competence into the equation. Likewise, the lack of

giftedness in certain areas is equally important, as no human being is perfect and whole in terms of

leadership. Not an attempt at narcissism, this self-analysis is the recognition of the hard-wiring God

has created in me and, by extension, the necessity of other gifts to compliment the deficiencies that

present themselves.

As given in my philosophy of ministry, my mission statement is through the empowerment of

the Holy Spirit, equip the saints for ministry to the world and each other by intentional and strategic

discipleship motivated by love for Christ and His will. This provides the foundation for my leadership

style.

Weaknesses

It seems logical to present weaknesses first because these areas require constant

maintenance. Additionally, keeping your weaknesses at the forefront, if in healthy balance, keeps

you humble. My grace, Jesus said to Paul, is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in

weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Additionally, these weaknesses truly remind me of my own

humanity and need for grace.

Overdriven

If, as stated in my philosophy of ministry, the Super-Hired Holy-Man-Syndrome is a

dangerous virus1, then my overdriven nature is just as dangerous. It is not an issue of expecting

others to work themselves to illness, as a taskmaster would. Nor is it a lack of ability to delegate

responsibilities. Instead, when a project is assumed or a vision is cast, sometimes there are not

people equipped to immediately implement this project or vision. I tend to take these on myself

while training people. This self-imposed standard, if left unchecked, would result in burnout.

The best methodology I use to balance this is my wife. Patty is very quick to tell me when my

work has interfered with too much family time and I need to put it down. This balance not only

helps me prevent burn-out, it maintains the relationship at home, while also making me better able

to serve the church. Another methodology is accountability. As I hold others accountable to taking

1 Darrell W. Robinson, Total Church Life: How to be a First Century Church in a 21stCentury World. (Nashville, TN: Broadman& Holman Publishers, 1997), 84.


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People are not valuable

because of what they can do

for the church. They are

valuable because they are

made in the image of God

days off and not burning the candle at both ends, so they have the right to hold me accountable for

the same.

Overly Optimistic of Peoples Ability

I am an optimist. That optimism, while being a pleasant outlook on life, can make me myopic

to the inabilities or lack of preparedness of others. This serves as a problem for the individual on the

receiving end of this weakness as they may be thrust into a position before they are equipped with

the basic skills necessary to thrive in that position. I truly want to believe someone has enough

potential to succeed but in reality, this is not always true.

To counteract this tendency, I surround myself with people to help provide a balanced

perspective. These fellow leaders help prevent personal feelings toward someone from pushing them

into a ministry field without them being prepared. If they do agree the individual has potential, they

can keep me from accidentally throwing them to the lions before they are ready. A second

methodology employed is the use of checklists. These checklists allow the subjective to become

objective while also helping people see their progress of growth and preparedness.

Strengths

But, Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who

is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends (2 Corinthians 10:17-18). As stated in the

introduction to this section, the strengths listed here carry the same stipulation as the weaknesses: it

is an acknowledgement of the natural and spiritual skills the Lord Himself has orchestrated.

Connectivity

A dear brother in Christ recently commented, I know that you really care about menot what

I can do for you, not my talent or my money, but me. Another sister in Christ adds, You are a

shepherd. I deeply desire to know the flock under my care. Knowing the hurts, habits, hang-ups,

celebrations, joys, and reasons to celebrate are very important. People are not valuable because of

what they can do for the church. They are valuable because

they are made in the image of God, Jesus died for them, and

they have a uniqueness that has never been or ever will be

duplicated. This connectivity certainly comes with two edges:

a hug for those who are down and a warning for those

straying too close to the edge.


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This care and connectivity also extends to those outside the church. A man named Don has

become a friend. He is not a Christ follower, and knows that I am and yet there is a connection

between us. He knows I am not talking to him just because of his abilities nor am I talking to him so

I can add another notch for my soul quota (his words). Again, Jesus said By this all men will know

that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35).

Shared Leadership

A team can accomplish more with greater efficiency than an individual can. With shared

responsibility, there is greater effectiveness and ownership. Other members of the team are not

merely administrators, although some may have that giftedness and work better in those areas than

others, but all join in shepherding the church.2 This is not to say I remove myself from my

leadership responsibilities, but a team truly out-performs an individual in any situation. This is the

essence of how I lead.

I am described as a strong leader and my approach to leadership is to surround myself with

capable people and allow them to do what they do best. I simply do not need to be involved in every

decision of the church. Although I am aware of marketing campaigns (and may contribute to their

creation) or am aware of accounting practices, I certainly do not pretend to be an expert. The

capable leaders in these areas, while keeping me in the loop, should certainly be empowered to do

their jobs.

Leadership Style

Purpose

A church must have a purpose, Rainer contends, it cannot wander aimlessly and hope to

make a difference for kingdom.3 Too often, churches possess, at best, an amorphous methodology

to ministry and this haze leads to wasted energy and resources and, ultimately, ineffectiveness for

the Kingdom. An effective leader provides clarity and direction. Throughout my time in ministry,

God has blessed me with clarity of purpose. It is only by His grace and mercy that He has shown me

the way to go and given others the peace to follow. This clarity and direction begins in the study of

the Word.

2 Robinson, 59-60.

3 Thom Rainer, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,

2001), 65.


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Preaching

If Rainers research is correct and more than 90% of American pastors observe two hours of

preparation time for each message presented, it is no wonder why so many churches exist in

apathy.4 By contrast, I prepare for at least fifteen hours for each message presented. In addition to

preparation time, an additional four to five hours is spent recording, listening, editing, and

familiarizing myself with the message. The importance of time in the Word must not be

compromised. Andy Stanley is quoted as saying, Devoting a little of yourself to everything means

committing a great deal of yourself to nothing.5 A church must understand this importance (often

through being taught) and reinforces it through protecting and valuing that time. Leading through

the authority of the Word of God is the best method a pastor can employ. As such, this needs to be

his primary focus. The pulpit, which is where the teaching pastor should excel, carries a powerful

influence and one would find it difficult to produce a better method to equip the saints, share the

vision, empower the laity, feed the sheep, and lead the church.

Proportion

The tasks of administration of the church and issues of pastoral care, while being very

important, can consume every minute of every day for a Senior Pastor. God has designed another

way: proportional care. Administrative duties and care can be accomplished through the

aforementioned team approach to ministry. The senior pastor does not need to do all the care

ministry. Nor does he need to do all the counseling. As previously stated, his primary focus must be

on teaching the entire flock. Therefore, the other pastors must serve in these administrative and

shepherding roles as well. This also allows them to develop their skills that in turn, further serve the

Kingdom of God.

Leadership Development

The question has been around a long time: are leaders born or made? The answer is equally

as old: both. Some people grow up with their kindergarten classmates following their lead while

others never seem to be the leader. Some people walk into a room and somehow command it while

otherseven hosting itcan feel like outsiders. This is the natural part of leadership. This is the

part that God has created in certain people and on top of that their spiritual giftedness augments this

4 Ibid., 67.

5 Andy Stanley, 7 Practices of Effective Ministry(Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2004), 100.


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Works Cited

Rainer, Thom. Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them. GrandRapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.

Robinson, Darrell. Total Church-Life: How to Be a First Century Church in a 21stCentury World.Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 1997.

Stanley, Andy, et al. 7 Practices of Effective Ministry. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books,2004.

joel's philosophy of leadership

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