Leaders

Over the past twenty years, I have studied, written, and taught about spiritual warfare. Based on that work, here are some warfare reminders for church leaders.

Speaking negatively about your wife to others shouts that you are a poor leader in your marriage. The Proverbs 31 Husband recognizes his wife’s accomplishments and broadcasts his admiration to the world. No one wonders what he thinks – he freely shares his opinion.

I admit it. I have a tendency to be a loner. I like my personal space and my private time. I recognize, though, that my tendencies aren’t always the best for a pastor. Here are my reflections on others like me.

Perhaps now – before more checklists clutter the counter and the year-end madness begins – would be a good time to do a little marital spring-cleaning. Because it is easy to forget if marriage is not on the checklist.

Marriage often changes the nature of relationships between friends. It is important for men to be proactive in making their marriage the top priority by respectfully scheduling time with their buddies that does not interfere with quality time with their spouses.

My prayers are usually quite self-centered. But one time, whilst assisting on an Organizational Development job, I believe God uniquely used my intercessory prayer to contribute to his redemptive work in the life of an organization.

Everyone gets down sometimes and feels like they aren’t valued and that they don’t matter. The thing is, you DO matter. You ARE valued. Very much so!

In some ways, dating has misled us men on this point. Courtship conversations were romantic, spontaneous, exciting, and everything you said was interesting to her. You just knew she was the right girl because she made you feel so “listened to.” Marriage inevitably changes the relationship dynamic, and it is wise to adapt to a different communication strategy based on listening.

Just because someone has experience living cross culturally does not mean they understand the concepts of cultural intelligence and cross cultural values. More importantly, it doesn’t mean they can apply their understanding to coaching, and to coaching unfamiliar cultures!

As we work with children—whether in a Christian setting or a secular setting—our job is to bring them to Him so that He can touch their lives. We must lean on Him to know how to do just that. As we engage with each child, we need to be open to God’s nudging as the opportunities pop up.

A rope bridge is probably one of the most precarious tools to use while crossing a gorge or river because you trust your life to the rope’s strength. Solomon compared humans to a single-strand rope. Weakness is a human characteristic, and the Bible tells us that alone, one is weak, and two walking together are not easily overcome, but a three-stranded cord is hard to break (Ecc. 4:12). Dionna points out there are some weaknesses that God allows in order to help us become stronger in Him.

Churches need to take many factors into consideration when hiring more staff. The decision is not based simply on congregation size. Leaders must consider the context of the need for new staff, paying attention to this list of reasons not to hire more people.