The Difference Between a Shepherd and a Leader

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The Difference Between a Shepherd and a Leader

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

I love helping churches and leaders get unstuck and make vision real. In fact out of all the stuff I get to do with churches and leaders one of the things I enjoy the most is Leadership Coaching. Recently I had the incredible opportunity to spend a day coaching a group of Pastors and Church Leaders from Australia (unfortunately their cool accent didn’t rub off). One of the topics we spent time digging into was the difference between shepherding and leading in relation to why some churches are stuck while others move forward. Here are couple of thoughts from the conversation.

Leaders Lead and Shepherds Shepherd

This may sound naively obvious, but leaders and shepherds have different gifts and skill-sets. The Scriptures define leadership as a spiritual gift (Romans 12:8). Shepherding is an analogy that Jesus used along with various writers of the New Testament to describe to an agrarian culture what spiritual leadership looks and acts like.

People are Led by Leaders and Cared for by Shepherds

People follow leaders because the very essence of a leader is to lead. They’re going somewhere and people are inspired to go with them. On the other hand, people often feel endeared to shepherds because shepherds know their name, know what’s going on in their lives and provide more intimate care to their flock.

Shepherds have their Eyes on the Flock while Leaders have their Eyes on the Hill

Shepherds and leaders naturally think about and fix their gaze on different things. Shepherds are consumed with the state of the flock while leaders naturally drift towards the future and where they’re taking people.

Some of the best Church Leaders not only have a leadership gift, but also have the heart of a shepherd. Church Leaders who don’t naturally have the heart of a shepherd would do well and benefit by surrounding themselves with others on the team who do.

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6 Children’s Ministry Trends

Sunday, October 27, 2013

I was recently at a Vision Arizona Network meeting where two very successful Children’s Ministry Directors were interviewed about recent trends in Children’s Ministry. Brett Humprhey from Sun Valley Community Church and Michell Loyd who serves at Harvest Community Church shared some great thoughts that I wanted to pass along to you. And for those of you who were wondering, Vision Arizona is Church Planting Network that I’m a part of. Thinking about planting a church in Arizona? You should check these guys out!

#1 Partnering with Parents: What happens in the home is more important that what happens at church. Children’s Ministries are doing a better job of partnering with parents and providing resources like family dinner time talk sheets, family devotions, and video tips to help parents continue the conversation from the weekend throughout the week.

#2 Department Integration: Churches are beginning to break down department silos and think more holistically about birth through graduation. This includes everything from curriculum, events, the way ministries approach volunteering, and more.

#3 Handoffs: In life transition points have a high potential to be make or break moments. Children’s Ministries are catching onto this and becoming more intentional with settings up children and their families for success as they transition from Children’s to Student Ministries.

#4 Security: Safety is becoming a major issue in Children’s Ministries. Once a rarity things like secure check-in and check-out processes, background checks for volunteers, security teams and secure Children’s facilities are becoming the norm.

#5 Volunteers: There is always a need when you are trying to care for and minister to children. But many Children’s Ministries are beginning to approach volunteering differently. They’re beginning to realize that “join me” is always better than “you should.” They’re building sub lists just like the local school system. They’re realizing that people want to be a part of fun winning teams. They’re spending more time setting volunteers up to succeed. And they know that (just like in the workplace) people are more likely to stay engaged over the long haul if they have a friend they’re volunteering with. Need help with volunteers? Don’t miss this FREE online seminar featuring nationally leading pastors that will help get more volunteers!

#6 Lead Pastor: Winning Children’s Ministries have Lead Pastors who don’t treat the Children’s as a “separate ministry” but rather ensures that the same mission, vision, and values are in place in the Children’s Ministry as they are in the rest of the church. These Pastors provide clarity for direction, honest feedback and coaching, they lean into their Children’s Ministry Staff as a resource and advocate publicly for the ministry.

Posted in Leadership

Why Leadership is Not Power

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Have you ever thought to yourself, “If I were in charge, things would be different, things would be better”? Because, after all whoever is in charge has the most power right? They’re the ones who get to make the big boy decisions right?

What makes a leader is not power, but the ability to empower others.

Is the most powerful person in the room really the best leader in the room? Or could it be, that the better leader is the person who gives away the most power?

You win the hearts of people when you help them grow personally.

Lording over people and barking out orders never endears people to a leader. It was Peter Drucker who is credited with saying, “The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask.” Click here to learn more about this leadership tension. Helping people grow as a leader means giving them authority to make decisions, practice with leadership situations and socraticly coach them to move in the right direction. It’s true. You get more when you give. Even in the economy of leadership.

“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear extra long tassels on their robes. And how they love to sit at the head of the table at banquets and in the most prominent seats in the synagogue! They enjoy the attention they get on the streets, and enjoy being called ‘Rabbi.’” Matthew 23:5-7

A majority of leaders are interested in keeping their position and acquiring more power. The Pharisees were interested in power and position. So much so that many had even sided with Rome. As a leader are you more interested in acquiring power or giving power away to others? Are you more interested in attaining more power, or providing the shoulders for others to stand on?

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10 Indispensable Practices of the 2-Minute Leader

Sunday, October 20, 2013

One of the biggest challenges Christian leaders face is how to create a leadership culture in their churches. It’s something that a lot of Pastors talk about it. It’s something that a lot of conference speakers speak about. But honestly very few people are actually doing it. And it’s because most Pastors lack the tools and actionable plan to make this dream a reality.

That is why I’m excited about my friend Brian Dodd’s new book and accompanying study guide 10 Indispensable Practices Of The 2-Minute Leader. Brian has over 25 years of experience in church leadership and his site Brian Dodd On Leadership is one of the most popular Christian blogs for Church Leaders.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Brian about his new book. Here are some of the highlights and thoughts that stood out to me from the conversation:

“Most churches have no plan to develop leaders and are asking how to build a leadership culture in their churches.”
“Strategic thinking allows you to align your priorities and manage your greatest leadership tensions.”
“For a leader, working hard is critical, but thinking hard is crucial.”
“God never calls Christian Leaders to an easy task.”
“Most leaders quit right before the harvest.”
“Don’t give up on the dream that God has put in your heart.”
“This book is full of simple (not easy) steps that readers can take every day to grow as a leader.”

The statement that scared me to death was his leading thought. That, “most churches have no plan to develop leaders.” In speaking with Brian, what I appreciate the most is his heart to help see the local church win and in particular provide Pastors and Church Leaders an effective tool to help them build a healthy Leadership Culture.

This book and accompanying study guide is a great tool for Pastors and Church Leaders to use in building community with leaders and disciple them effectively.

Brian has made it possible for me to help get this resource in the hands of as many church leaders as possible. The book has been affordably priced and when you order 10 hard copies or more, he’s throwing in a FREE study guide for each book along with FREE shipping. So click 10 Indispensable Practices Of The 2-Minute Leader and get your copies today!

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Why Leaders Don’t Protect People From Pain

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The best leaders I’ve been around don’t protect those they’re leading from pain. Rather, they understand the art of allowing the people they’re leading to experience the appropriate amount of pain. They know that pain can be their ally in motivating people to move in the right direction.

1. Prepare People for Pain

It’s not a matter of if…but when. Pain is an unavoidable part of life and leadership. Leaders prepare people to face it appropriately.

2. Consequences can be Painful

Failure is painful…and it should be. Otherwise we’d become comfortable and static in our failure. Sometimes leaders need to allow their teams to feel the consequences of poor decisions.

3. Pain can be an Indicator

Pay attention to pain, because it may be telling you that something is wrong.

4. Pain Forces Change

Change doesn’t happen until the pain of staying where you are becomes greater than the pain of moving to where you need to go.

5. Pain isn’t the Enemy

The problem isn’t pain, but how you respond to it. Pain has the potential to be your greatest season of growth.

6. Don’t Rescue People from Pain

If you rescue your team from pain you’re creating a false sense of reality for them to operate in. Worse, you’re building a codependent relationship and you’re going to have to rescue them again because they’re not going to learn from it the first time around.

Posted in Leadership