Leadership Lessons

Well done all who participated in this task! All of you found passages relevant to some aspect of leadership. I want to review these, point out a few things and then give you a brief assignment. If you did not read everyones responses to the last post, be sure you do before reading this post.

Several of you went straight to a primary source for instructions on leadership. Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are from a leader to a leader and much of it is direct instruction on leading in the church. Y’all would do well to read the Timothy epistles and Titus. Some of you noted that the references to marriage and parenthood are not as relevant but really they are. As young leaders, you need to be in good relationships in the family. This is the toughest place to live out your faith. I find it incredibly challenging!

Ephesians 5:22-33 is a challenging and controversial passage! Plenty of people don’t like what this says! I do think it relates to leadership, but simply in that the instruction is for the man is to be the spiritual leader of the home. Girls, if that is disturbing, look closely at how challenging are the instructions to the husband. Note the comparison to Christ and the church. Husbands are called to be servants to wives! The mystery he mentions is that Jesus would leave heaven on behalf of us (the church) to come die for us.

Acts 18:9-11 is a good reminder that God will protect and provide for his leaders. It also reminds us that the most important task for a leader is to teach the word of God.

In John 13:3-4, 12-17 we see Jesus turn the popular notion of leaders as rulers on it’s head. In other words, Jesus challenges leaders to do the very thing that most leaders would not touch.

1 Cor. 9:19-23 is a great passage on evangelism and how we need to reach out to people where they are at. The danger is that we need to not get caught up in the ways of those we are trying to reach. In other words, we don’t become drug users in order to share the gospel with drug users. Paul is talking in these verses about crossing socio-economic boundaries, not moral boundaries.

Hebrews 13:17 Leaders are also followers. Every leader has a leader whom they need to be obedient to. Glad this verse came up!

Matthew 20:25-28 Again, Jesus turns the expectations of leadership upside down and demands that leaders serve people, not the other way around.

Exodus 18:19-23 An excellent example of the fact that leaders need to delegate tasks. Moses was serving as the judge deciding in disputes between people and got overwhelmed by the amount of work that he was doing himself. God’s plan is the leadership is shared into manageable amounts. Too often leaders get caught in the trap of doing it all themselves. Rectors and youth ministers struggle with this all the time.

Now the assignment… Read the following passages:
1 Timothy 4
2 Timothy 2:14-26
2 Timothy 3:10 thru 4:5

In one word, what is the dominant task that Timothy is instructed to do?