Pastor Edmund Chan, 28/07/2012
Efficacious Leadership is “doing the right thing at the right time in the right way with the right motive to product the right result.
The effective leader does things right. The effective leader does things right. In Christian leadership, Pastor Edmund suggested efficacious leadership.
Leadership is the ability to discern what is major and what is minor. If we major on the minor, we will lost focus.
Leading from the inside out requires us to submit to God and to be engaged with God.
There are three defining marks of efficacious leadership. Leaders are concern in how they lead but God is concerned with how we live.
1. Championing the Vision While Personifying the Values.
a. Championing the Vision: Three kinds of Vision
Vision is important, without vision we cannot lead. Vision = the mission (the work we are to do). Values = the mandate (the way we are to walk.)
1. The Dynamic vision.
Every church and ministry has one singular dynamic vision, that is Jesus Christ. Everything is contingent of that.
2. The Distinctive vision.
Something God has raised the church / ministry for.
3. The Directional vision.
The vision must be clear. Keep articulating a vision doesn’t necessarily make it clear. Destination is where we are going. Direction is how to get there.
We cannot just say we decide to follow God, but we must know how to follow God.
b. Personifying the Values: Example explains Everything!
Pastor Edmund remembered the time he first met Doug Sparks. He went for dinner at his house and then he was invited to take a walk by Doug. During the walk, Doug shared to a neighbour and gave a tract to another. Pastor Edmund witnessed first hand, evangelism and divine appointment. During the walk, Doug also asked about about his quiet time. Pastor Edmund told him about Gen 12. Doug shared during the walk many scriptures from Gen to Rev about the covenant. Doug didn’t tell Pastor Edmund to evangelize and to memorize scriptures. He modelled it.
They way to mentor is not to tell, but to model and to show.
There must be 2 Ls in leadership. In front, is Learner, in the back Leader. Those following us see us as as leader, but we continue to learn from other. When we learn to personify the values, it makes all the difference.
2. Managing the Success While Mentoring the Successor.
Seven reasons why leadership succession fail. This is often neglected.
Managing the success is important. We must know why we succeed. Either we don’t know how it happened, i.e. accidental success or we let the success get into our hear.
Success is a grace of God, it is not earned nor deserved. It is a gift of God. The talent / gifting which brought success are from God.
Some are so intoxicated by the success they are not improving the success.
The two must go together – there can be no success without successors.
1. Leaders are too Busy.
a. The Ministry is Too Demanding.
We just don’t have time. People are around us from morning to evening. We have a perceived indispensability and the people has a learned helplessness.
b. Leaders are too busy to Think about Succession.
2. Leaders are too Insecure.
a. Their security or identity is tied to their ministry.
There is a national director of a large para-church organization retired and he discovered he is no longer as much in demand. His whole identify is tied to his position. His security is tied to his office.
We must grow larger than the chair we sit in and sit humbly on the chair. When you are larger than the chair we sit in, we are secured. We know that God put us on the chair. We don’t worry about who will take over the chair. “This is my CG.” “This is my church.” Don’t worry about that. Instead, we want to actively grow leaders to take it over from us.
The local church is too small. The kingdom of God is larger than any local church. It is a gain for the kingdom when we have new / younger leaders take over.
Are we invited because of where we are or who are are?
Keep growing so we can be secured.
b. Fear of xx.
3. Leaders are too Successful.
a. The thoughts of leaving their success of Position appalls them.
b. The missing link: the possible need of a Transitional pastor.
4. Leaders failed to develop a Strong but Humble team.
A team can be strong but not humble or humble but not strong. (A lecturer told a student his paper was good and original. What is good is not original and what is original is not good.)
Succession is like giving birth. We may not be able to find a convenient time. Somewhere down the line, we learn to let go.
a. Competitiveness of team members with successor.
b. Failure to Complement the successor’s weakness(es).
5. Leaders have Unrealistic expectations of their successor.
a. Expects successors to be Similar to them.
We are all different. All we need to do is to ensure the DNA is the same.
b. Confuse leadership DNA with leadership Style.
The leadership style will surely be different.
6. Leaders failed to lead their people to Support their successor.
a. People do not take Change and transitions easily.
We learn from our mistakes. We cannot shield others from their mistakes. We help them to learn from their mistakes. Pastor Edmund takes personal responsibility for the mistakes of his staff.
b. People tend to Compare the successor with the predecessor.
“all the wood behind the arrow” – the arrowhead is the part that impacts the target.
7. Leaders confuse Intent with Implementation.
a. No One can do it as well as them.
b. Failure to Profile their successor.
3. Expanding the Ministry While Enlarging the Soul.
a. The dark side of success: Running on Empty
b. Four ways to enlarge the soul:
1. Be Real.
We know the real situation. Don’t lie to ourselves.
2. Be Focused.
In everything, Christ is to be pre-eminent. Pastor Edmund said Christ was prominent but not pre-eminent. He was convicted and it brought brokenness and repentance.
Leading from the inside out is leading from the upside down.
3. Be Rested.
There is a sense of security / trust / restedness.
4. Be Humble.
Redefine EGO – Exalt God Only.
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