Leaders of Big Groups are Dangerous

Remember what the great missionary Samuel Morris said about developing leaders:

“The greatest leaders are not those who win the most followers. Such leaders are often dangerous to the institution. They become mob leaders, demagogues and dictators. The greatest leadership is that which creates other leaders. Christianity depends for its preservation upon the capacity to pass on the torch of leadership from one generation to another.”

Steve Sonderman offers some good insights into how you can be developing leaders rather than a dangerous leader at this website

Perception and Reality

watch here then read below

When have you made decisions or based your actions upon your perception, just to find out what you thought was true, wasn't actually true? I know I have focused my attention upon a person whom I thought was opposing me, just to find out that this particular person was not my enemy, but Satan was using him. Scripture says that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.

There have been other times when I polled a small population and assumed their conclusions represented the larger group. When I created an action plan based upon the opinions of the few then received a pushback from the larger group, I learned that my perceptions are not always reality.

The players in the video above actively receive input, interpret the input they receive and create an action plan. But their action plan does not achieve the intended results because their perceptions are not reality.

Counselors know that often the "presenting problem" is not the real reason the client is in their office. To bring about real change requires discerning the real problem.

Teaching that Transforms

I recently ran across an interesting article that is several years old, but is relevant to any individual involved in Christian Education or Spiritual formation. I only included Dr. Hendrick's main points. If you want to read his explanations you'll have to click on the link at the bottom of this post.

Teaching that Transforms
What makes Christian education distinct from its secular counterpart.
by Howard Hendricks

This article was originally written for all Christian educators, both inside the church and out. It has been adapted to focus on small-group teachers and facilitators.

As a Christian educator, my goal is not to lecture, or even to lecture with excellence. My goal is to teach in such a way that students both learn and employ their knowledge. Teachers should view themselves as nothing less than disciplers. The knowledge we communicate affects more than the minds of our hearers; it should change lives.

In particular, I want to see the members of my group develop five qualities as a result of my teaching.

• Deepening Commitment to Christ
• Growing in Character
• Showing Competence to Live Out the Faith
• Creative in Ministry
• Effective Communicators

Teaching that Transforms | Building Small Groups

Super Star in a Team Sport.

I don't want to presume to speak for the attitudes or motives of another person. My perceptions may be totally wrong, but since I live in Wisconsin and am at least a casual football fan I must share an observation about Brett Favre's trade to the Jets.

I don't doubt that Favre can still outplay most quarterbacks in the league. But Football is meant to be a team sport. Most coaches will say that a winning team requires skill in offense, defense and special teams. A quarterback will never be better than the offensive line that protects him. A running back will never rush for 1000 yards if teammates do not perform well.

The Wisconsin news media repeatedly reported that Aaron Rodgers had earned the respect of the rest of the team and they were eager to follow his leadership. He had developed the trust and loyalty in the locker room that could translate into an effective team on the field. (One sportscaster even reported that Favre did not dress with the rest of the team in the 07-08 season).

As a fan of the KC Chiefs I watched as Joe Montana and Marcus Allen gave their last few years to a team other than the one where they are most remembered. Even with superstars like the these, the team was never a serious contender for the SuperBowl.

I guess is comes back to a line from the movie Drumline, "You used to like the sound of the line more than the sound of your own drum."

The cause of Christ is more important than the popularity of one believer. Body needs to take preference over individual members.

Never Underestimate the Importance of a Good Party

I just found a good article that highlights the social needs of people that can be met through a small Group. The bullet list below are the section headings of the article. If they pique your interest I encourage you to check out the link below for more details.

• God Loves a Good Party
• Never underestimate the importance of a good party.
• Deepening Relationships
• Discipleship Opportunities
• Retaining Visitors and New Members
  

There is practically no limit to what you can do for fun as a group. You can have a group picnic, go to a baseball game, have a married couples' date night, go camping, have a cookout, go bowling, play volleyball, go out to eat at a nice restaurant, play board games, and so much more. Just make sure you invite as many unchurched people and unconnected church members as possible.

Never Underestimate the Importance of a Good Party | Building Small Groups

Make Time to Renew

A blogger whom I respect and often quote on this blog writes the following about finding the balance between activity and passivity.

When we run too fast, we easily lose perspective. When we are lazy we give up spiritual influence. The trick is to live with intentionality, pay attention to the important things – the big rocks and build in opportunities for refreshment.

If you need more reasons to schedule renewal into your schedule read the rest of his thoughts at the link below.

Leading From the Sandbox: Emotional, spiritual and physical refreshment

Next Generation Leaders

Does this sound familiar? You have a very talented and skillful leader of a ministry. He/she leads that ministry with great effectiveness for several years until (s)he gets worn out and requests a break. Because the ministry has a reputation for effectiveness, it is difficult to recruit new leaders because they fear the task is too daunting.

If the Leadership replacement cycle had begun a year or two earlier, the ministry will be less likely to skip a beat, the retiring leader will have less anxiety about handing over the baton, and the new leader will have greater confidence to take risks.

Read below to gain the perspective of an emerging leader in a global missions organization.

One primary reason is that there is a misconception of what the next generation of leaders is looking for. They are not looking for power, control, leading alone, having the sole voice at the table, or taking away credit and credibility from those who have worked so hard before us.

Someone in a meeting used the following metaphor: It is time to hand over the keys to the next generation of leaders and get out of the way. I pushed back on this metaphor. I agreed that, as a representative of this next generation, I would like the opportunity to have the keys, but I don’t want that current leader out of the car. I want them in the passenger seat right next to me mentoring and coaching (not controlling or micromanaging), allowing me to make a wrong turn at times for the purpose of learning and refining.

Leading From the Sandbox: Raising up the next generation of leaders

Numbness of Frequency

A few people asked me at the beginning of the Summer why we discontinue Small Groups for 3 months. The Blog post below highlights one of the problems we are trying to address with our Summer hiatus.

Now that Groups will be starting in about a month we don't have to fear the Numbness of Frequency. I encourage you to  get out the phonebook and call those who participated in your group last year to begin building excitement for the Joyfulness of New Beginnings.

When we consistently communicate the same thing in the same way, it falls on deaf ears. I call it the Numbness of Frequency, and we see it at play in many different arenas. For example:

• When you send the same e-newsletter on the same day at the same time with the same layout. – Numbness of Frequency
• When, as a speaker, you continually use the same approach to say the same thing again and again. – Numbness of Frequency
• When you cannot wait for Krispy Kreme to come to your town… A month later after the store opens, you do not want to see another confections delight. – Numbness of Frequency
• When you keep the same information in your lobby in the same location saying the same thing week after week. – Numbness of Frequency
• When a key volunteer loses their passion for something they were so excited about doing. – Numbness of Frequency

The principle is simple. When exposed to the same stimulus on a routine basis, most of the time, we become numb to it.

Guest Blog - Sam Roberts - LifeChurch.tv : swerve