I got an email from Jerry today. Jerry’s a dear friend and fellow minister in Portland, OR. I’ve stayed in his home, walked his neighborhood with him and eaten his wife’s healthy, excellent food.
Jerry has an opportunity to travel to Southern Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe to help train pastors and their wives. His host wants him to talk about the character and servant heart of a leader. Jerry wondered if I had any ideas or would suggest any resources.
I did have some ideas and did suggest some resources...
YOU in Christ are the resource! Your strongest message is what God has done in and through YOU. What have YOU learned about character and a servant heart? How has God taught you this? (He's probably used affliction and difficulty.)
A GREAT book to help you reflect on what God has taught you is The Making of A Leader by J. Robert Clinton (NavPress 1988). While I was looking for a new "job" I had time to read it again. I reflected on my experience in serving Christ. An abundance of memories and lessons bubbled up!
I'd recommend you take a section of Scripture and use your exposition as the foundation for your talks. The Gospel of Mark (Jesus as the greatest example of character and servant leadership). Nehemiah. 2 Corinthians (Paul's example). Or something from the Pastoral Epistles... The good thing about this is that you will be modeling a reliance on Christ and the Scriptures.
You have a great opportunity here to teach a biblical view of the Christian life, namely, a daily reliance on Christ (not self). Our character and ministry (aka, our sanctification) flows out of our justification. We live the Christian life by faith in Christ and NOT merely by being good or trying harder (John 15).
Theologically our character comes from our union with Christ. God adopted us in Christ. We’re sanctified in Christ (God the Father transforms us into the image of His Son through the power of the Spirit as we meditate on His Word.) A major thrust of Paul's teaching is "indicative then imperative" or, in other words, "Be who God has made you in Christ." Colossians 3:1-4, 2 Peter 1:3-15, Galatians 5, etc.
What have you learned about the character and servant heart of a leader? Let me know and I’ll pass it on to my friend, Jerry. Who knows? Maybe a Botswanan pastor’s wife will benefit from what you’ve learned!
