4 Reasons I’m a Better Leader Than I “Should Be”

I am often asked leadership and/or pastoral leadership questions. Usually it is either preceded by or followed with some type of compliment regarding my leadership. Now, while I am very appreciative of compliments (I’m not sure of anyone who isn’t) I must be very transparent in saying that my ability to lead well extends light-years beyond my own individual or natural talents/gifts as a leader. God has placed me within the perfect environment, and surrounded me with the perfect compliments of people for me to become what he has created me to be (FYI He wants to do this for you too). So, I’d like to take a moment and highlight the 4 reasons I can lead better:

An amazing family of creative, expressive, and talented individuals. Yes, I know that everyone, even the idiots on those award shows who’ve been divorced 5 times, thanks their families, but allow me to explain. God has blessed me with a perfect wife as a compliment to my strengths and my weaknesses. She speaks truth to me when I allow my reality to become distorted and is my biggest encourager and cheerleader when things don’t go as planned. Her role in my ability to lead cannot be overstated! I have also been blessed with two amazing daughters who keep me grounded and fresh. They could not be more alike and more different at the same time and with their combined perspective and quick wit they keep dear old dad on his toes. These three ladies are such an incredible inspiration to me, and I am so thankful that God chose me to be their dad and husband!
An unbelievable staff that grows me and with me. One of the principles of leadership is, “speed of the leader, speed of the team.” Which translates into: as my team continues to grow, so must I, or else I risk stifling their leadership potential. Over the years God has continued to bless us with high capacity people who have stepped in and done an excellent job in their area of ministry. It’s not always been easy, as many of them are transferring from the secular workplace to ministry, but it’s always been worth it.
A phenomenal church that gave me the gift of allowing me to be me. For the first 10 years of ministry I was in churches that wanted me to fit into their mold of what they thought I should be. For the past 8 years Friendship Church has taken a very different approach, they (you) have allowed me to be who God created me to be. This has allowed me to truly grow into the roles and responsibilities that I excel at and find others who will do the same. I believe this is part of the reason we have seen God do so much at Friendship, everyone is “playing” the part they were designed to play!
An awesome team of leaders. For the first several years at Friendship I led the youth group, organized the children’s ministry, trained all of the small groups and chose their curriculum, sheesh, I even lead the music for a while! There are certainly times in ministry where you must carry a heavier load, until you can find someone else who can do it better! God has blessed us with a great team of Ministry Leaders and Directors who have taken those areas and allowed them to blossom. God has also given us a great team of Elders who lead with me and help make the tough decisions so that we continue moving in the right direction.

The bottom line is leadership, at least good leadership, doesn’t happen in a vacuum! It takes a team of people both seen and unseen to help you reach and expand your leadership potential. Who’s your team?