By Shawn Lovejoy: Every leader wants to build great teams, develop more leaders and make an impact.

As you can tell if you search “leadership” on Amazon or any podcast platform…there are endless amounts of best practices or new hacks to try and lead more effectively.

While I believe there is a ton of great content and wisdom out there, I also believe the foundational requirements of what it means to lead people can be found in the best selling book of all time: The Bible!

One of the most historically and biblically impactful leaders was King David. About midway through the Bible, in Psalm 78, the writer describes King David’s reputation as a leader:

“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” Psalm 78:72

In one sentence, the writer uses David’s example to highlight the four foundational requirements of leadership.

Care

“And David Shepherded them…”

Shepherds were common in society during Biblical times, meaning the Bible references them many times to highlight leadership. Great shepherds watch over and protect the sheep. Great shepherds care about what happens to the sheep.

Great leaders care about the people they lead. Great leaders are close to people, not hidden in a back office separated from the those they lead.

Similarly to shepherds, great leaders recognize that they must love those they lead.

Great leaders lead with love and care.

Integrity

“…with integrity of heart.”

Great leaders lead with integrity. Great leaders are the same backstage as they are on the big stage.

Great leaders ask people to follow them because of who they are, not just because of what they say.

Great leaders focus on what’s on the inside, not just what’s on the outside.

Great leaders can be trusted.

Great leaders lead with integrity.

Skill

“…with skillful hands he led them.”

Great leaders lead with skill.

They practice. They prepare. They outwork everyone else.

Great leaders master their craft. Great leaders are disciplined.

They seek counsel and make wise decisions over time, and in doing so, they earn the right to lead.

Great leaders are always learning and always growing. Great leaders read. Great leaders study. Great leaders have mentors and coaches.

Great leaders recognize that the toughest person to lead is themselves.

Great leaders lead with skill!

Courage

“…he led them.”

Great leaders lead with courage.

They are out in front of the battle taking the hits with everyone else.

Great leaders are willing to do the tough thing…the scary thing.

Great leaders are willing to have courage conversations and make courageous calls. Great leaders are willing to speak the truth in love. Most organizations don’t grow because they’ve chosen not to. They have chosen to refuse to have the conversations and make the calls they know they need to make, to grow!

Great leaders aren’t cowards. They are courageous.

Do you want to be a great leader? Care, Integrity, Skill, and Courage is the way.

By the way, my calling and skill is in coaching leaders to places of healthy growth.

I would love to help you become the leader God wants you to be!

We understand that leadership requires an unrelenting courage…and 2021 has made this more evident than ever before.

Join us on  March 18th and March 25th for a first of it’s kind live online event, CourageToLead LIVE.

Unlike your typical pre-recorded, virtual conference; at CourageToLead LIVE you will join online with a live studio audience and 14 world-class, faith-based leaders from both the marketplace and ministry to be inspired, empowered and have your questions answered in live-time.

These two days of practical, faith-based insight from top-tier speakers will strengthen your commitment to leadership growth and organizational health.

Each one-day leadership experience is tailor-made for marketplace and ministry leadership teams like yours, and your entire team can join for FREE!

Reserve your seat today for the live online leadership experience for faith-based leaders at CourageToLead LIVE.

reserve your spot at couragetolead live

Source: The Four Foundational Requirements of Leadership

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By Impact Discipleship Ministries: Not all disciple makers are created equal. Each have different giftings and skill sets. Giftedness and ability are not always things you can control, but there are some things every leader can work towards.

In 2 Timothy 2:3-8, Paul gives Timothy three descriptions of traits that make a good disciple maker. In verse three, Paul uses the example of a good soldier. Good soldiers do not lose focus and get involved with civilian affairs. They stay committed to the task at hand and finish what they start.

I’ve known lots of disciples who dropped out of groups before they had finished, but I have also known a few leaders that quit as well. A good discipleship leader is someone who stays focused and does not get distracted from the task at hand.

Don’t take shortcuts.

A second example that Paul gives to Timothy is that of an athlete that competes according to the rules. Paul says an athlete does not receive the crown if he or she cheats or takes short cuts in competition. A winning athlete plays by the book and follows the rules.

Good disciple makers are disciple makers who do what is right even if it is hard. Good disciple makers don’t cheat and make compromises on things that are important. No one wants a disciple maker who is looking for the easy way to do things. A disciple maker who has integrity is a disciple maker who leads well.

This blog is from our partner Impact Discipleship Ministries. Sign up here to get updates sent to your inbox about ministries like theirs so you can grow as a disciple maker.

The third example Paul gives Timothy is the hard working farmer. Hard working farmers have patience. They understand that the harvest takes time and that a lot of work is required before the fruit is produced. Hard working farmers are patient and willing to wait to see the fruit of their labors.

Be patient.

Good disciple makers are like farmers: they are patient and willing to wait for disciples to be made and multiplied. They understand that the process cannot be rushed. Spiritual growth and maturity takes time! Good disciple makers are willing to do the hard work even when they have not yet seen the fruit.

The images of a soldier, athlete, and farmer are great illustrations and descriptions of the traits that a good disciple maker possesses. A disciple maker that is not easily distracted, takes the right path, and stays patient is the kind of disciple you want to be.

By Impact Discipleship Ministries

Impact Discipleship Ministries exists to help you be and build disciples. For resources or training for disciple making, check out their website or contact them through impactdisciples.com.

The post 3 Traits of a Good Disciple Maker appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: 3 Traits of a Good Disciple Maker

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by Carey Nieuwhof: I love productivity. I love accomplishment even more.

In fact, I even have a course that will help you accomplish far more in less time.

But the longer I live and lead, the more I realize that you can accomplish all the tasks you set out to accomplish in a day or even over the course of your life, and still completely miss the point.

The news is littered with stories of leaders who were at the top of their game skill wise, but who aren’t in leadership anymore, not because they weren’t smart, not because they weren’t skilled (some were arguably the best in their field), but because their character didn’t match their competency.

Here’s the truth for all of us: Competency gets you in the room. Character keeps you in the room.

Here are four reasons the best leaders move beyond their t0-do lists.

Competency gets you in the room. Character keeps you in the room.Click To Tweet

1. Your Real Capacity Isn’t Determined By Your Skill

Think about it: you have to have some level of competency to get hired. And competency is a huge asset, which is why so many driven people get a college degree, read books, take additional courses, listen to podcasts, attend conferences, find mentors and hire coaches. It’s awesome to grow your skill set, and that keeps you sharp.

But over time, the thing that keeps you in the room is your character.  All of us can think of highly gifted and skilled atheletes, politicians, business leaders and pastors whose character led to either a moral lapse that disqualified them from leadership, or who were just so difficult that nobody wanted to work with them anymore.

Which is why your character, not your competency, utlimately determines your capacity.

You character, not your competency, ultimately determines your capacity. Click To Tweet

2. Nobody Will Ever Pay You To Work On the Most Important Things

So what’s the problem? It’s easy to agree with everything written in this post so far and say to yourself of course that makes sense. 

But…here’s the challenge when it comes to your career.

Nobody is going to ever pay you to work on your character. They’ll just fire you if you don’t. 

The same is also true in your life. Think about it.

Nobody is ever going to pay you to work on your character. They’ll just leave you if you don’t. 

The truth isn’t pretty, but this is how divorce happens, how families fall apart, how kids end up disliking their parents and parents end up resenting their kids. It’s how you find yourself without many friends.

I know…I’ll stop now.

But you get the point, right?

The only way to really work on your character is to decide you’re responsible for developing it.

Nobody is going to ever pay you to work on your character. They’ll just fire you if you don’t. Click To Tweet

3. Your Family Isn’t Impressed By Your Latest Results

If you’re like me, you’re driven by results. That isn’t always good, but often for leaders, it’s true.

But here’s what’s more deeply true: your family doesn’t care about your latest quarter or how many times your talks were downloaded. 

I’ve done my share of funerals over the years, and I promise you no son ever pulls out his father’s resume at his dad’s funeral. When it comes to the people closest to you, your character is your legacy.

Your family may not care about your latest results, but they will remember whether you made time for them, or whether you didn’t. They’ll remember who you really were when no one else was watching. They’ll remember how they felt around you, and whether you were kind, patient and loving.

No son ever pulls out his father’s resume at his dad’s funeral. When it comes to the people closest to you, your character is your legacy. Click To Tweet

4. The People Closest To You Should Be the People Most Grateful For You

Those of us in leadership face an interesting dilemma. It is more than possible to get people who barely know you to really like you.

Social media makes that even easier. It’s never been more possible to draw a crowd or even become a mini-celebrity with a fan base.

But too often leaders will substitute the adoration of a distant crowd for the love of the people closest to them.

But what does it matter if some Instagram follower in Calfornia thinks you’re amazing if your wife and kids think you’re a jerk?

What does it matter if some Instagram follower in Calfornia thinks you’re amazing if your wife and kids think you’re a jerk? Click To Tweet

Way too many people convince themselves that public adoration is more important than private integrity.

As my own audience has grown far beyond anything I dreamed it would, I’ve doubled down on this resolve: I want to live in a way that the people closest to become the people most grateful for me.

The goal isn’t that they’ll be thankful for me. The goal is that I would live in a way (with the kind of character) that makes that possible.

It is far to easy to try to impress people who don’t know you and will never meet you at the expense of an inner circle who does know you but no longer likes you because of who you’ve become.

Way too many people convince themselves that public adoration is more important than private integrity. Live in a way that the people closest to you to become the people most grateful for youClick To Tweet

So…How?

So the real question is, how do you do this?

How do you make sure your life doesn’t get swallowed by so many to-dos that you forget who to be?

The answer (at least for me): work twice as hard on your character as you do on your competency. 

Your competency leaves the first impression, but your character leaves a lasting impression.

I’ve created a new (free) resource that can help you develop your character.

Work twice as hard on your character as you do on your competency. Your competency leaves the first impression, but your character leaves a lasting impression. Click To Tweet

5 Habits I Use To Build Better Character

I have a new short video series where I share five habits that have helped me work on my character, covering everything from my morning routine to how to avoid moral compromise on the road when you’re away from your family and the people you care about.

These 5 habits designed to help you build better character will help shape your legacy.

The 5 habits are:

An Intentional Morning/Evening Routine
Scheduled Rest
Password Sharing
Monitoring Your Public Talk
Rules for the Road

I would love to send you these 5 videos (for free).

You can sign up to receive them here!

The post Why The Smartest Leaders Move Way Beyond Their To-Do List To Tackle This appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: Why The Smartest Leaders Move Way Beyond Their To-Do List To Tackle This

The post Why The Smartest Leaders Move Way Beyond Their To-Do List To Tackle This appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: 7 Big Tips for Funding Your Ministry Vision This Year

The post 7 Big Tips for Funding Your Ministry Vision This Year appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: This isn’t 1998 or even 2008, but too many leaders lead like it is.

And as a result, they can’t figure out why their team isn’t motivated, why they have a high turnover and why younger leaders don’t really want to work for them…or are always looking for a better opportunity.

Things have changed significantly in the workplace over the last decade or two, and too many bosses and organizations are still leading using old methods.

Here are 5 trends in team leadership every leader should be aware of because, well, things are changing, fast.

1. Your Title Means…Nothing

If you check the business section of newspapers in major cities (there are still newspapers, and increasingly, that’s a good thing), you’ll still see announcements that so and so became Executive Vice President of marketing at XCo, or that someone became Regional Director of Sales at YCo.

In a church context, you got an email letting you know that a seminary colleague became district supervisor or president of a seminary.

Guess what? Nobody cares.

Not anymore.

…

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Source: 5 Trends in Team Leadership No Leader Can Afford To Ignore in 2018

The post 5 Trends in Team Leadership No Leader Can Afford To Ignore in 2018 appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Character has always been important, but it seems like it’s never been as important as it is now.

There have been far too many stories of church leaders, business leaders, politicians, athletes and other public figures whose private walk has not measured up to their public talk and whose integrity has been far less than expected or needed.

Especially if you’re a Christian leader, there should never be a gap between your private walk and public talk.

The people who know you the best should admire you the most, not be covering up for you or dismayed at what they know.

If you’re a Christian leader, there should never be a gap between your private walk and public talk.Click To Tweet

The problem, of course, is that that’s hard for us sinners. I’m not perfect. You’re not perfect. I’ve made plenty of mistakes.

But the longer I live, the more I’m realizing character is everything.

Competency may get you in the room. But character keeps you in the room. Above all, character endures. It’s what your family and friends remember about you (for better or for worse), and ultimately it gives you the moral authority to lead. Especially today, character matters most.

So how do you guard your character…in a day-in-day-out manner?

Here are 5 character rules every leader might want to follow:

The post 5 [New] Character Rules Every Leader Should Follow appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: 5 [New] Character Rules Every Leader Should Follow

The post 5 [New] Character Rules Every Leader Should Follow appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Carey Nieuwhof: Every week you host services at your church hoping to reach more people, which is admirable and appropriate.

The problem is that the culture is changing and never bothered to ask you permission.

In many ways, preachers are using a method that’s been around for centuries…if not millennia…which on the one hand is wonderful. The challenge is that culture is changing so rapidly, fewer and fewer people are hearing the message every year. At least that’s the case in many, if not most churches.

If you think that the cultural change is over, fasten your seat belts. It’s not showing any sign of decelerating any time soon.

Here are 7 things that are changing right now.

Wise leaders will see the change and respond. As we’ve said before, leaders who see the future can seize the future.

The problem for most preachers is that the culture is changing and never bothered to ask you…Click To Tweet

1. People Aren’t Automatically Coming to The Message Anymore

It’s almost singularly true that throughout human history to date, the only way to get the message was for people to assemble to hear it.

Just think about Jesus’ day: the crowds assembled to hear him. And in every century since then, that’s how it worked…

The post Declining Attendance and 7 Preaching Shifts That Are Happening Right Now appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: Declining Attendance and 7 Preaching Shifts That Are Happening Right Now

The post Declining Attendance and 7 Preaching Shifts That Are Happening Right Now appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by Rich Birch: It’s hard to believe it but it’s true. We live in a post-Bill Hybels era. Over the last few months, watching from the sidelines has been heart wrenching to say the least. The resignation of the entire elder’s board, Heather Larson and Steve Carter this week does seem like the start of a new beginning for the church. Even though Bill hasn’t acknowledged what really happened, it’s evident that he stepped way out of line and hurt people in the process.

It’s hard to overstate the influence that Bill Hybels and the people of Willow Creek Community Church have had on the evangelical church world. As a result, much of what we view as “normal” within a broad spectrum of this segment of the Christian world traces its roots back to this leadership community. Just a few ways that this group pioneered what we currently do include:

Communicating in a way that can be easily understood by unchurched people.
Bringing clarity in mission and vision to drive our churches toward deeper effectiveness.
Small group ministry to help connect more people.
Gift-based serving focused on helping lead from how God has uniquely created them.
Employing modern music in weekend programming.
Establishing church marketing as a normative way to relate to the community.
Elevating the role of women in leadership.
Putting the focus on raising generous givers to fuel the mission of the church.
Reinforcing leadership development as a core function of church leadership.
Using kids’ ministry as a strategic tool to grow the church.
Implementing multisite church as a way to improve a church’s ability to serve the community.
Identifying practical acts of rendering service to our communities locally and globally as the essence of what we do.
… just to name a few.

On a personal level, I remember sitting in the Lakeside Auditorium as a young leader and crying during a “normal weekend” service at Willow and being astonished as I realized how effective church could be in reaching the community. Over the years, Bill’s voice has served to reinforce the irrefutable importance of reaching people far from God in my life…

Source: 5 Church Leaders You Should Follow in the Post-Hybels Era – unSeminary

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by Ralph Moore: Every new business needs to differentiate itself from all others. Else, why the need for a new business? Church planting necessitates differentiation.

These days, being different may open otherwise hostile hearts and minds. We face a rising generation more interested in healing hurts and sustaining resources than they are in traditional spiritual matters. We must wed evangelism to missional efforts if we expect to gain a hearing.

Differentiation Pitfalls

Sadly, our need to differentiate can result in our trying to “be different for the sake of being different.” Not much point in that as it can lead to silliness at best and hurtful mistakes at the worse. You should have both a theology and a cultural reason for everything that sets you apart from the guy down the street.

The other pitfall is that occasionally overpowering urge to simply ‘knock-off’ the ministry of some admired leader? BTW, does a copycat truly differentiate? Is there anything godly about that behavior? This one can spell real trouble.

Spiritual Integrity and Differentiation

When I say trouble, I mean trouble of a spiritual nature. Paul wrote about this kind of action to the fledgling church at Corinth, “…Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? 4 When one of you says, ‘I am a follower of Paul,’ and another says, ‘I follow Apollos,’ aren’t you acting just like people of the world?”

According to the apostle, cookie cutter Christianity (magnified when it occurs in a leader) is worldly behavior. And, he says it is a pathway cut out by a sinful nature.

What exactly is he getting at? And, how does that apply to a church planter?

Whenever we copy someone else we are practicing a form of humanism rather than listening to the creative voice of the Holy Spirit.

Differentiation, Innovation and Needs Met

Far better to present problems and opportunities to your core team and then prayerfully seek a new way of doing things than to copy someone else’s revelation. God is creative and he will give you new and creative ways of doing things that actually fit in your community if you give him half a chance.

One Meaningful Exception

The only exception to this “Do Not Copy” rule would be to clone your mentor for the first few months out the gate. Doing so helps remind you of where you came from and who you are—it gives you a guiding star for making well-reasoned changes that will certainly differentiate you from your mentor over time.

People around us are spiritually hungry. Many are antagonistic toward church as they’ve known it. Some are hurt. Offer something fresh and you’ll touch many lives.

What makes you different?

How does your church stand apart from others? Please share unique opportunities that lead to productive communication with the culture around you…

This blog was written by Ralph Moore and published here with permission. To view the original post, click here.

Ralph Moore is a church planter and disciple maker. He planted Hope Chapel Hermosa Beach in California, Anchor Church in Hawaii, and Hope Chapel in Honolulu. He help start the Hope Chapel movement, which began with just 12 people, the ‘movement’ mushroomed to more than 2,200 churches worldwide. See his books here, download his sermons here, and visit his website here.

Source: Church Planting and Differentiation

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