According to an online
survey I did as part of reading Tom Rath’s book Strength Finders, I am apparently an
'Achiever', apart from other things. I am told by the Gallup Poll author that people like me look
for significance in doing things. 'Achievers
need success'. At this point my wife and I are very different. She is so much more sorted than me. She likes
to be. I like to do!
It is easy for leaders to mark success with
the obvious metrics such as Sunday attendance, number of small groups, paid staff or converts a year, but we all know
the Kingdom throws everything on its head and the world’s values are not our
values.
I remember hearing one
pastor say when you haven’t got numbers you don’t talk about them, when you do
you tell everyone (humbly, of course!) I have since met guys who run churches
of over 1,000-6,000 people who would rather eat a monkey brain sandwich than
talk about their stats.
So what does success
look like for those leading in a church? Here are six thoughts that I have adapted from
American theologian pastor and all round good egg, Peter Scazzero:
1. Walk in Integrity - with God,
self, and others. This is reflected in a sense of peace, rest and a life filled
with communion with Him.
2. Experience a joyful
marriage where we serve our children and others out of a cup that
overflows.
3. Provide leadership in
short, mid and long range issues that is thoughtful, prudent, intentional and
patient.
4. Ensure leadership is
unified around a common vision with common values. Each leader then leads
from within out of their own unique inner journey.
5. Lead in such a way
that the organism of the church works well together (in our case that
would include our core leaders and then to everyone else in our church
6. Mentoring the next
generation of leaders, transitioning power away from ourselves
towards others who will take our own church forward into God’s purposes
beyond us.
Well, it is a start. And certainly isn’t the end of the
subject!
ASD
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