Follow the Leader

384 Pages·2010·1.79 MB·English

Biblical Leadership Series
“Follow the Leader”
Dr. J. L. Williams
Follow the Leader
Copyright © 2010 by Dr. J.L. Williams
Published by:

Evangel Publishing House,
Private Bag 28963 - 00200
NAIROBI. KENYA
[email protected]
ISBN 13: 978-9-966202-01-7
ISBN 10: 9966-20-201-3
All Rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning or other – except for brief
quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The New
International Version. ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible
Society. All italics, bold print, etc., are for the author’s emphasis.
Printed in United States
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ............................................................................ 5
General Leadership Characteristics
20 Principles of Leadership:

1. Purposeful ...................................................................................... 25
2. Prophetic ........................................................................................ 49
3. People-oriented ............................................................................. 63
4. Predictable ...................................................................................... 77
5. Positive ............................................................................................ 85
6. Passionate ....................................................................................... 103
7. Perfectionist ................................................................................... 125
8. Perceptive ....................................................................................... 139
9. Problem-solvers ............................................................................ 147
10. Promoters ..................................................................................... 167
11. Pace-Setters ................................................................................. 181
12. Precipitators ................................................................................. 189
13. Planners ........................................................................................ 203
14. Pragmatic ..................................................................................... 219
15. Punctual ........................................................................................ 227
16. Persistent ...................................................................................... 247
17. Patient ........................................................................................... 269
18. Partners ......................................................................................... 279
19. Powerful ......................................................................................... 311
20. Prayerful ....................................................................................... 325
Postscript ...................................................................................... 337
References .................................................................................... 339
Bibliography ................................................................................. 383
3
4
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Every leader knows well that authentic leadership is a team eff ort. No
worthy leader leads alone. The role of leadership is to activate as many
people as possible in the pursuit of the vision or goal. Any goal or vision
that can be achieved by one person by himself or herself is not very worthy
or challenging. Worthy visions and worthwhile goals are so BIG that
they require many people working together to achieve them. Therefore,
leadership worthy of the title is a corporate activity – not an individual
one.
Certainly the writing of this book has been a team eff ort. Even though the
primary reading and writing has been from my own life and experiences
– the transcription of those notes and events has been made possible by
my staff. So I want to give due credit where credit is due!
First, I want to express my deep appreciation to the early members
of the “New Directions” musical teams who were my initial training
ground in the basics of discipleship and mentoring. It was through the
dynamic of those hundreds of relationships with high school and college
students that I learned the priority of people in God’s plan for leadership
development. The relationships that Patt and I developed with those first
teenagers confirmed to us that God builds leaders through individuals
– not through institutions. God showed us through those wonderful
relationships that His plan has always been people – not programs. Over 45
years later we continue to rejoice in the “abiding fruit” (Jn. 15:16) that has
come from those early days of ministry and mentoring. Today, scores of
those young people that we “learned on” are leaders in their own right.
Many have gained a significance and influence that far exceeds our own –
which is “pay day” for every parent or leader!
Secondly, I thank God for the hundreds of National pastors around the
world who have sat through leadership seminars I have taught in their
various countries. It was their persistence in asking me for my “teaching
notes” that gradually provoked me into writing this book. So, it has been
my desire to enhance their lives and leadership for the Kingdom of God
that has motivated me to carve out the time in my schedule to expand my
notes into manuscript form. I joyfully invest the principles of this book
in their ministries!
5
Thirdly, I want to thank my wife, Patt, for the untold hours she has allowed
me to “work late” and “get up early” to sit at my computer writing! As is
the case with almost every author’s wife, she has been a “writer’s widow”
during the many long days and late nights of isolation and separation
while I have completed this book. Just like in parenting, she has sacrificed
far more than I have!
Finally, I want to thank my staff who graciously “covered for me”
while I hibernated in my study between trips writing and rewriting this
manuscript. Several of my Executive Secretaries and assistants have
read...re-read...typed...proofed and re-proofed this book scores of times.
So as you read this book, say a prayer of thanksgiving to God for my
support team who went far above and beyond the call of duty to get this
book into your hands.
My final prayer is that you will read this book carefully and prayerfully
– and then lead for God’s glory! As you study these practical principles, I
pray that you will be freshly motivated to play “follow the leader” the rest
of your life – walking closely and carefully in the steps of the Lord Jesus!
He is the greatest leader of history – and is worthy of following in every
area of your life and leadership!
For His Kingdom & Glory,
J.L.
Dr. J.L. Williams
JL, Patt, & Friends
Founder: New Directions International
Board Member: Impact of Hope International
Professor-at-Large: Carolina Evangelical Divinity School
P.O. Box 4066
Glen Raven, NC 27216
Mobile: [phone]
Home: 336.226.2178
http://www.jlwilliams.org
6
INTRODUCTION
Whether you’re talking about a church or a business, a hospital or a university,
a nation or an athletic team, nothing rises above its leadership – nothing.
So whenever and wherever there is a successful enterprise, whether it’s
a prosperous business, a winning team, a growing church,
you will find a competent leader who has made it so.
It didn’t just happen. He made it happen.1
(Paul Powell, Getting The Lead Out of Leadership)
Growing up almost every child played the popular game known as “Follow
the Leader.” It was a favorite childhood game where one child was the
leader and the other children followed. In the process, all of the followers
had to imitate the leader, and do everything he or she did – whether
hopping on one foot…rolling over…standing on your head…jumping
a log…walking a wall…climbing a tree…or flying like an airplane. The
challenge for the leader was to keep all of his playmates interested in
what he was doing – so that they would continue to follow his leadership
and stay close behind him. If his leadership was too dull and boring, the
other children would lose interest and stop following. If his leadership
was too daring and dangerous, many would also not follow. In either
case, a new leader would emerge for the others to follow.
A successful childhood leader had to find a good balance between challenge
and comfort…risk and reality…suspense and safety…adventure and ability…
spontaneity and predictability. As we were growing up, some of us were
more naturally inclined toward leading. Others of us preferred following.
Most all of us as children did some of both. However, all of us started out
7
in life as followers - children who followed the leadership of our parents.
As young children, our first following instincts were directed exclusively
toward them. We wanted to always be at our parent’s side, or follow close
behind them – gripping their hand, or holding to their leg for security!
As we grew, we ventured further and further from our parent’s side.
The more we individuated, the more we gradually divided our following
between our parents and our older brothers or sisters. When we became
teenagers, we preferred to follow our friends. But over the years as we
grew and matured, some of us found that we preferred the challenge of
leading – while others of us liked the security of following others.
However, the game of “Follow the Leader” does not end with childhood. It
is a lifelong activity. Most all of us are followers by nature. If we had a
bad leadership experience as a child, we will be insecure and timid about
accepting a leadership position as adults. If we had a bad experience
following someone as a child or teenager, we will have a problem trusting
leaders and other authority figures in our adult life.
To be a good leader or a good follower – and life is a balance of both –
we need to understand both leadership and followership. Neither can be
understood apart from the other. Leadership is meaningless without
followers; and following necessitates leaders. In this study we are going
to primarily focus on leadership. We will study the subject of following
secondarily within the context of leadership. Let’s continue the game of
“Follow the Leader” as we go through this study…
WORLD LEADERSHIP CRISIS
Simply put, our world today is facing a great crisis of leadership! Whether
on a local, regional, national or international scale, people are literally
dying for a lack of good leadership! Whether in America, Asia, Africa,
Australia, or Antarctica, the problem is always the same – leadership! Even
though our world faces many economic, educational, environmental, and
ethnic problems – the real problem is one of leadership. These many socio-
economic-political problems are just the fruit of the problem. The
real root of the problem is one of leadership – either poor leadership…
prideful leadership…passive leadership…or perverted leadership. A good
example of this is a statement by an African diplomat. In the midst of
a refugee crisis and famine brought on by tribal warfare, he lamented:
“Africa is starving for leadership more than she is starving for food!”
8
It is this kind of leadership crisis that will ultimately create the political-
economic-ethnic vacuum that will open the way for the final antichrist of
history. This false political-spiritual leader will deceive the masses of
the world. The Bible warns that the “…spirit of antichrist…is coming
and even now is already in the world” (I Jn. 2:18-22; 4:3; II Jn. 7).
The primary way we can identify the “spirit of antichrist” is that it
is opposed to the ultimate authority of the Incarnate Christ – the Lord
Jesus! This is the spirit that rejects the historic Christ as God Incarnate
(Mtt. 24:5, 11, 24; II Thess. 2:5-12; Rev. 13:14; 20:7). At almost every
level of leadership in the world today, there is a growing hostility toward
the Lordship of Christ. World leaders may pay Jesus Christ lip service as
a great moral example – but they will never surrender their temporal
authority to His ultimate authority. They will not submit their thrones
to His throne! Whether on a personal or political level, the spirit of
antichrist will tolerate no rival to its total supremacy. Their name must
eclipse all other names – including that “…Name that is above every
name…the Name of Jesus” (Phil. 2:9-10). Their power must have
no limits, and their glory must outshine all. This is the tyranny of the
reign of ego in every heart! It is the enthronement of self that is the very
essence of sin. It is also the source of untold political intrigue…abuse of
power…continuous warfare…ethnic cleansing…and environmental plunder
the world over! It annually results in the disruption of nations…the
displacement of people…the starvation of masses…the disease of
multitudes…and murder of untold millions of people. This reign of
self reduces people to slaves…refugees…victims. It ultimately leads to
personal…emotional…mental…spiritual…relational…economic…
and environmental death! Truly, submitting to the wrong leadership –
whether personally or politically – has devastating consequences!
Richard Phillips, in his excellent book, The Heart of an Executive, said this
about the tragedy of false leaders:
It is painful to observe…men and women placed in the executive’s
chair – a seat of possibility, meaning and importance – only
to squander it all over tawdry ambition and shortsighted gain.
How hard it is to see the servant’s place taken by a charlatan…
The counterfeit leader is reprehensible in the extreme, just as
burdensome to the heart of God as he is to the backs of men.2
Jesus expressed this universal need for leadership when He said that
mankind are like “...sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Jesus was
9
stating this truth, because He clearly understood that people are basically
followers rather than leaders. Simply put, this social truth means that if
people do not have a good shepherd to follow, they are very vulnerable to the
deceits and deceptions of a false leader. Without a “Good Shepherd” to
follow, people will be led astray by hirelings...false prophets...charlatans…
deceivers…counterfeits…demigods…mega-lomaniacs. In the absence of true
and trustworthy leadership, people will follow:
Religious false prophets
Political false prophets
Educational false prophets
Economic false prophets
Social false prophets
Like the story of the “Pied Piper,” the primary instrument of leadership
may be music – which is easily seen through the youth culture, so
influenced by music and musicians. Or the instrument of leadership
may be sports…entertainment…education…science…politics…economics…or
religion. Almost any ability or position can provide a person the platform
of leadership.
CHURCH LEADERSHIP CRISIS
Just as there is a leadership vacuum in the other realms of society, many
churches are also experiencing a leadership crisis. Regardless of whether the
institution is sacred or secular, when there are major problems there is
almost always a crisis at the top. That means that many denominations,
mission agencies, para-church organizations, and national churches
are facing leadership crisis at the highest levels. From the pope…to
cardinals…to bishops…to elders…to deacons…to local pastors, many
segments of the people of God are languishing for a lack of godly
visionary leadership. The church does not need:
Better plans - but better leaders!
Not better methods - but better leaders!
Not better programs - but better leaders!
Not better organization - but better leaders!
Not better facilities - but better leaders!
Not better financing - but better leaders!
However, in the midst of this ecclesiastical leadership crisis, the church
10