11 Leadership Lessons

Last night I had a leadership training night with some of my youth leadership team. We were very lucky to be able to have Phill Brake senior minister of Compass Church share with our team.

He along with his associate Michael Salisbury shared some fantastic insights from their 15+ years of friendship and ministry together. Last night they shared about things they wish someone had told them at the start of their leadership journey. Here is just a few of the dot point notes I took from last night I found very helpful:

Don’t discount the role you can play in a young persons life.Have Fun!

You’ve gotta enjoy the ministry your doing.

Know what are your drainers & replenishes.

Be true to yourself

You reproduce after who you really are, not who you present to be.

Be servant hearted… But remember, God will do what he wanted, either with us or despite us.

You choose your attitude! You can choose how you are going respond to.

The grass is not always greener on the other side…

Believe Big, even if the last time ‘failed’. The size of your God, will determine the size of what you believe God can do!

Be accountable. Find out Godly mentors, for different areas. You’ll need to go find them.

I fast & I pray, I listen & obey.

I’m so thankful to Phill’s friendship and ministry over the years. I hope these quick 11 points help grow you in your life and leadership.

Your Life Matters.

10 Commitments Leaders Must Make

1)     I will move slowly

Proverbs 14:15-16 says “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.”

Don’t be reckless, but wise…

2)     I will regularly check my motives and evaluate my heart

Proverbs 20:8-12 tells us “A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes^. Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord.Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.”

3)     I will steer clear of the numbers’ game

Matthew 18:12 challenges us “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?”

4)     I will not criticize the past

Philippians 3:13 says “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.”

5)     I will avoid the comparison trap

Galatians 6:4 instructs us to “let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.”

6)     I will focus on priorities

In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus shows us his priorities. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

7)     I will pace myself

A Challenge for many of us, especially me. But Hebrews 10:36 says “for you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

8)     I will serve

Matthew 20:26-28 explains true leadership. “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,  even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

9)     I will be a learner

Proverbs 4:5 puts in quite bluntly “Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.” Also in Proverbs 13:20 “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Leaders are learners.

10)   I will pursue contentment

Easier said than done, but the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 4:11 “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”

Go well, live well… Your Life Matters.

13 Best Reminders

Several months ago I had the privilege of spending a day with a number of Youth & Young from a number of baptist churches right throughout the state of Victoria. During the day we were able to hear from Mark Sayers & Sarah Deutscher of Uber. I and many others there found our time incredibly challenging and insightful.

I wanted to share with you a few of the insights they shared with us as I’ve found them very helpful and challenging.

Proactive Call: If you don’t define your call other will.

Embrace Morality: Authority & Integrity are inextricably linked.

Deep & Wide: Before your ministry grows, your character must deepen.

No to Status Quo: Any Step into your calling is a rejection of the status quo.

Kill Your Will: Your greatest adversary is yourself.

Protect The Vision: Without boundaries the unread embed will, will sabotage.

Beware the Past: Unless dealt with, your past will undermine God’s future.

Faith Not Famine: No to a theology of lack, yes to a practice of hunger.

Find the Oasis: Shalom is a posture not a place.

Abide Don’t Strive: It’s not by your effort, but by his Grace.

Trust: Faith over reason.

Enter The storm: Leaders walk into the breech and hold hands with chaos.

Sabbath: Awaken the parts that need to be awoken. Rest the parts that need rest.

Uber have their annual conference in several weeks which both Sarah and Mark will be speaking at. I encourage you to get along. I will be going.

Live well in 2013. Your life matters 😉

18 months out

6 Months ago I made one of the biggest decisions of my life. My decision was responding to a compulsion, a drawing, some would even say ‘a Calling’ to return to pastoring and leading in a local church.

Pastoring is not unfamiliar territory for me, although the better part of the past 2 years I spent working at LightFM I’d previously worked in Pastoral roles at Careforce Church (soon to be Discovery) and also in planting Activate Church

In my 2 years out of the eyes of many, there are some things I learned and reflected on that I have Covenanted with God and myself to ensure I do (or in some cases don’t do) for the people I know have the privilege of Pastoring.

1) Be more in love with Jesus than the work of ministry.

2) Don’t forget the needs of your wife and family! They need you too 🙂

3) Don’t disparage your predecessor (publicly or privately.)

4) Don’t make changes too quick – And when you do give the change time to change!

5) Don’t project your perceived problems of your previous church onto your new one.

6) Don’t expect or even dare compare your new congregation to a previous one.

7) Spend more quality time with people. They won’t give a rip about how ‘hot’ your preaching is if they can’t genuinely see you care about them.

8) Enjoy yourself… If Jesus enjoyed himself then surely so can you!

9) Be Yourself, not some poor imitation of your favourite conference speaker!

10) Take Advice – you will never know everything about everything!

11) Don’t bore people with long winded talks that are more about you wanting to share a story, your latest revelation or insight rather than you being of benefit to serving, inspire and encourage others.

12) Don’t worry about or even think on what kind of legacy you’ll leave on people. Rather be more concerned with loving people & helping them live for & love Jesus more. Aka get your eyes onto loving people more than how you want people to love you! This is about Jesus, not you.

So that’s what I’m asking God’s strength & grace to help me live out. What about for you in your life? Regardless of your career, faith belief or personality what are some things you’ve learnt in life that you’ve started to live out? Comment and share your wisdom!