Don't seek to be somebody; seek to serve somebody. Don't just teach people; touch people.

Nothing can be more hurtful to the service, than the neglect of discipline; for that discipline, more than numbers, gives one army the superiority over another. - George Washington

Oh how this is true in our service to the Lord!

Demonstrated credentials are more important than academic credentials.

The greater danger for many people is not that their aim is too high and they miss it, but that it is too low and they hit it.

5 C's Among Fellow Servant Leaders

Chemistry
-Every church has a personality, and chemistry is when the personality of the staff is the same as the personality of the church.
-Let’s face it, sometimes personalities simply clash.
-Correct what you can!

-Set aside personal agendas.
-By God's grace, stay focused and allow yourself to go forward with the team for God's glory.
Character
-Be dependable.
-Be early—not just on time.
-Get a jumpstart on your ministry work.
Competence
-Can your pastor count on you?
-Can your fellow servants count on you?

-Are you striving to do your best?
Confidentiality
-Trust
-Discretion (know when to ____; know when not to _____)
-Tight-lipped (confidentiality concerning problems)
-Loyalty (to Christ, to the church, to the team)
Christ-likeness
-If we act like Christ, that will put everything in its place!

The Toughest Person to Lead

Leading Yourself
How to lead self
The toughest person to lead is self, but is there a way to better our leadership of self? The following steps on how to lead self are simple, yet very important. If we do not grasp and practice a disciplined leadership over self, then we will never be able to grasp successful leadership over others.

First, learn followership. Fulton J. Sheen remarked, “Civilization is always in danger when those who have never learned to obey are given the right to command.” Only a leader, who has followed well, knows how to lead others well. If you are working under a pastor, follow the calling God has given to him. If you are pastoring, follow the Heavenly Father’s prodding. We all are to follow, and if we expect members of the church to one day follow our example, we must learn how to first practice followership. Has there been a time recently when you were asked to follow, but you hesitated or thought of an excuse of why you could not? Remember that God teaches us lessons He wants us to teach others. Learn followership.

Second develop self-discipline. When we are foolish, we want to conquer the world. When we are wise, we want to conquer ourselves. This begins when we do what we should, no matter how we feel about it. Working in a ministry we enjoy is a gift from God, but certain areas of ministry may not be very enjoyable. No matter our ‘feelings’ we ought to do the Lord’s work, because it is the Lord’s work. British essayist John Foster said: “A man without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself. He belongs to whatever can make a captive of him.” May we not be Christians made captive by our oun personal schedules or demands, but may we be made captive by the presence of God. And, may we continue to develop a self-discipline that keeps us in His presence doing His work His way.

Third, practice patience. Few worthwhile things in life come quickly. James said, “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Patience is a virtue that requires work. Impatiently, we may tend to look at the finish line ahead, and go full throttle towards that finish line. A good leader understands that the point of leadership is not to cross the finish line first, but to take people across the finish line with you. Just as James challenged, allow patience to have her perfect work in your life as you minister to others.

Fourth, seek accountability. People who lead themselves well know a secret: they cannot trust themselves. Too many good Christians have fallen from God’s calling because they put too much trust in their own ability without exercising accountability. Jeremiah 17:9 warns that, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” If we choose to have a lack of accountability in our personal life, this choice will certainly lead to problems in our public and ministry life. Sadly, many statistics prove this to be true. Determine now to increase your accountability to others. Observe the following stages you will face the more you choose to be accountable.

• You do not want advice.
• You do not object to advice.
• You welcome advice.
• You actively seek advice.
• You often follow the advice given to you.

Leading yourself well means that you hold yourself to a higher standard of accountability than others do. Now, if you are thinking, that’s not fair, then you may be in the wrong vocation. Leadership is a trust, not a right. God has called us to be leaders of His people, but before we can lead a group of volunteers at the church, we must first learn to lead ourselves. When the leader doesn’t inspect himself, the people don’t respect him.

"I'm looking for a lot of men with an infinite capacity for not knowing what can't be done." (Henry Ford)

Be an Extension of Your Pastor

You can be an extension of your pastor. Extend means to stretch or open to full length; to make longer, broader, or wider: to continue; to prolong; to put forth or hold out, as the hand; to exert to full capacity; to offer something.

You can be an extension of your pastor as you:

Exemplify a yielded spirit. Carry out his philosophy in the ministry and seek to do things the way he would want them done.

Examine your heart. Psalm 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.” Stay thoroughly right in your relationship with your pastor

Trust his discernment. He might know more about the situation and cannot share details with you.

Encourage those around you. He cannot be everywhere, but you can be his extension. For instance, when you’re making a hospital visit, remind the person that Pastor is praying for them. I can help extend my pastor's ministry by helping him so he can use his time to do those things God has called him to do! At church, be positive and appreciative of your co-workers.

Never limit your pastor's vision. Ask yourself, how would he want it done? How would he want this classroom to look? Don't have tunnel vision and not look around you to see the visitors and the needs. Don't talk to your four friends and forget to look for those who need to be liked and belong and are accepted. I dare you to sit in a different spot in your Sunday School class this week or in church!

Have a servant's heart. Be supportive of your pastor in the ministry. Help him serve the Lord.

Have approved initiative. Make sure you have your pastor’s permission to be sure what you’re doing is in line with his vision, then take the initiative to carry out ministry. Proverbs 6:6-8, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.” I admire people who work hard whether “the boss” is looking or not. Stay busy!

Overlook. (Allow him to make a mistake now and then!)

Never say no. Have a can-do attitude. Some project might seem overwhelming at first. Break it down into workable sections. Have a heart for your ministry.

Capture the heart of your pastor—loving and building people and sharing Christ.

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.

Recruit character. Train skill.

Disciples That Stick

A Pastor's Relationship with His Servant Leaders
The Philippine Islands are a main source for expensive pearls including “The Pearl of Allah,” which was proclaimed to be the world’s largest pearl at the time it was discovered. The Muslims in the Sulu Archipelago have made their living as pearl divers for centuries. The life of a pearl diver is exciting. Very early in the morning, long before day break, boats make their way out to sea. When the sun comes up, the teams of divers go down to the bottom of the ocean to pick out the oysters containing pearls.

The men tie a rope to their waist and fasten a bucket full of rocks to the rope to help them reach the bottom quickly which is important since they don’t use oxygen tanks. The best divers are said to be able to stay under water for six minutes. I did not think that was possible until I read in the Guinness Book of Records that in 1959 a man named Robert Foster from San Rafael, California, stayed under water for 13 minutes and 42 seconds! (Of course he was dead when they pulled him out but he did get his name in the Guinness Book! Just joking about being dead.)
A pastor’s faithful coworkers are like those priceless pearls. Their ministry will depend much on the way they relate to each other.

The famous saying, “Everything rises and falls on leadership,” is never truer than on the New Testament church. The leaders a pastor trains to be his close coworkers in the ministry will most likely make or break his ministry. That is why Jesus spent most of His ministry training a few men who would carry on what He started.

First Samuel 18:1 says, “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” The Bible says that Jonathan loved David as his own soul. These two were probably closer than most of their own family members. Pastors need to be as close to their coworkers as Jonathan and David were to each other.

I am using the term “coworker” although I am referring only to those coworkers whom a pastor is training and leading. I am not speaking about other pastors, but converts and others from in the ministry. This article deals with how to work with those a pastor has already chosen to train.

Help Coworkers See the Value of Staying in the Same Place for a Long Time
A pastor must surround himself with some good men who will stay with him for a lifetime if that be the Lord’s will. If you think of the men of God who have influenced others greatly you will most likely discover two things: (1) that they have stayed in one place for a long time, and (2) they have trained some good men who have stayed with them for a long time.

When a team makes long-term commitments in their hearts, the whole becomes much greater than the individual parts combined. Long-term commitments help the entire team.

The pastor will do more if he can train some men to be trusted coworkers. This means that the pastor must be committed himself. The ministry the Lord has entrusted to me would be very different without the coworkers who have committed to a long-term partnership. If the Lord gives a pastor a team of coworkers who will assist him for many years, not only will they help each other, but the pastor will also make a great impact on the people the Lord has called him to serve.

Leaders envision a future and invest in the present.

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.

The "Acts 6 Leadership" Model

In Acts 6 there are six principles that qualify a person for spiritual leadership:

1. The principle of proving - men who have a proven testimony in the church

2. The Principle of credibility - men of honest report and integrity

3. The Principle of spirituality - men "full of the Holy Ghost"

4. The Principle of wisdom - men full of God's wisdom

5. The Principle of humble service - men willing to assume a servant's role in the church

6. The Principle of active faith - men faithfully involved in the church body

Godly leadership is made up of distinct qualities not found in secular management books or seminars. Leadership development is not about finding prominent people or about appointing leaders to be prominent. It is about discerning spiritual qualities and developing those qualities for the service of Christ. One author wrote, "Never confuse prominence with significance. If you think because you are not prominent that your ministry is not significant, you are wrong."

Leading Others to Excellence

Making Sure Your Ministry Does Everything with Excellence
Excellence may become the forgotten attribute in our casual-obsessed culture. We seem to be mired in a mundane malaise of mediocrity.
Jesus did everything He did with excellence. The water He turned to wine was hailed as the best juice. In Mark chapter seven the people who witnessed Jesus perform miracles exclaimed, “He doth all things well.” When He fed the multitudes the Bible records that all were fed and all were filled. His sinless life is the highest example of His supreme excellence.
The human standard of personal excellence for anyone is to simply do one’s very best. Our best is always good enough for God no matter how bad it is or how small it is; yet, less than our best is never good enough for God no matter how good it is or how big it is.
We appreciate a “spirit of excellence” when we witness it in other people or organizations. Perhaps we have wondered why our ministry, or our home, or our business does not have a spirit of excellence. We forget the wisdom of Dr. Lee Roberson’s familiar quote, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” If we are to have excellence in our ministries, homes, and businesses it will come through deliberate and thorough leadership.
Consider these steps in leading others to excellence.
1. Lead Others to Excellence by Being Lead of the Holy Spirit
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13
There is no real success outside the will of God. Leaders must constantly be submitting themselves to the leadership of the Holy Spirit who guides them “into all truth.” Practically speaking that means He guides them to all excellence.
2. Lead Others to Excellence by Setting an Excellent Example
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. Philippians 4:9
Very few followers set for themselves a higher standard than the leader sets for himself. A consistent demonstration of excellence will inspire followers to raise their efforts.
3. Lead Others to Excellence by Investing in Excellent Preparation
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. Luke 14:28-32
When we fail to prepare, the result is always less than our best—no matter how well the effort may have turned out. Thorough preparation would have made the effort better. If it could have been better it was not our best. No one ever did his best by accident.
4. Lead Others to Excellence by Developing Excellent Organization
Consider the record of the feeding of the five thousand. Christ led His disciples in structure, in order, and in delegation. First, He assessed what they had: the five loaves and two fish. Then He gave instructions to seat the multitudes in groups. He then delegated the distribution of the food to His disciples. The massive group was fully served. The job was completed by retaining the “left-overs” of which there was a specific accounting.
5. Lead Others to Excellence by Giving an Excellent Effort Yourself
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Colossians 3:17
Followers respect and respond to an excellent effort from leadership even if the result is less than spectacular. Everyone appreciates the leader who honestly does his best.
6. Lead Others to Excellence by Completing the Task with Excellent Follow-through
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:13-14
Finishing the job well demonstrates that the value, priority, and enthusiasm placed in the task prior to the start was genuine and not an emotional ploy.
7. Lead Others to Excellence by Extending Excellent Appreciation
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another. Romans 12:10
Sincere expressions of thanks and gratitude for the excellent work of others are always appropriate. They are also necessary to keep followers encouraged.
Remember that what Jesus did, He did with excellence.

About Acts 6 Leadership

Acts chapter 6 describes the process by which the New Testament Church identified, selected, and involved spiritual leaders.
The purpose of "Acts 6 Leadership" is to equip and encourage the present and future servant leaders of Flat Rock Missionary Baptist Church by sharing my heart and vision for church ministry.
"Acts 6 Leadership" will include outlines, articles, quotes, etc., some original with me, some not, for the purpose mentioned above.
Enjoy!