- Maintain absolute integrity by humbling yourself before God every day and practicing honesty without compromise in all circumstances.
- Know your church planting and leadership “stuff”. Do not depend on your natural charisma or relational “charm” or highly dominant leadership horsepower to advance the ministry. Great leaders never stop learning, exhibit a teachable spirit, and understand the immense value of teamwork. In addition, doing these things also leads to reproduction of disciples and leaders.
- With 25 words or less, articulate a compelling, passionate, picturesque vision for this new church that God has embedded in your soul. Howard Putnam, former Southwest Airlines CEO, said: “When you have a vision and someone comes to you with some idea, you can hold it up to the vision and ask: ‘Does it fit? Does it fly? If not, we’ll pass.’”
- Exhibit uncommon commitment to the core values, mission, and people of your church planting venture. The ROI on loyalty is huge. However, never let loyalty cause you to step back from “speaking the truth in love” when discipline, correction, or re-direction is needed.
- Expect positive results from the ministry efforts. Remember that hidden within every obstacle lay an equally positive, Christ-exalting opportunity.
- Take very good care of the people you lead. Team members who are loved, nurtured, and empowered will tend to buy-in to the vision and readily bring others along to embrace it.
- Honor Christ by being a servant leader. A so-called leader who is primarily interested in self will only be out for a lonely walk.
- Do not shy away from leading on the frontlines. Peter Ueberroth agreed to lead the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. During the Games, he led the way by wearing the uniform and sharing the job of a different Olympic venue worker each day. I understand that a planter has more important discipleship and relationship related investments to make after a weekend service, but planters who demonstrate they are more than willing to help with the mundane, yet indispensable, tasks such as set-up and tear-down lead by example and build credibility.
Eight Keys To New Church Leadership Greatness
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