On Leading Well

Year: 2008

  • Movements: What’s the Secret?

    I have observed that almost any discussion on genuine spiritual movements eventually surfaces the question: “So, what’s the secret?” People lean in, notebooks shift, texting thumbs pause.

    Not that I can say with certainty, but I can offer personal observation after hundreds of conversations with leaders of a few dozen countries over the past 20 years. For example:

    • The Canadian campus ministry saw a 50% increase in staff and student interns (from 120 to 180) last year. When I asked Mike, the director, what he attributed it to, he humbly shrugged his shoulders. Later, in another conversation, he casually referred to his personal habit of praying and fasting for 40 days each year.
    • Koreans serving in East Asia consistently saw spiritual movements grow in spite of having very limited financial resources, having to learn two new languages (Chinese and English), and enjoying very limited status in their host culture. In desperation, most teams spent every day of their first semester awakening before dawn to take 2×2 prayer walks around the campus coupled with frequent periods of extended fasting.
    • In April, staff and interns at Ohio University lead a very healthy, growing student-led movement. They devote one-half day per week in praying for the campus and the world.

    These represent just a few examples. I could go on and on and on. Scripture also records that almost every great leader who left an indelible mark for God’s Kingdom spent extended time in prayer and fasting. Moses, Daniel, David, Paul, Jesus, the leaders at Antioch, and many more.

    When faced with seemingly insurmountable barriers we might consider Jesus’ advice to his men: Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it [a demon] out?” And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:19-21)

    Question: What role does prayer and fasting play in my movement-launching strategy?

  • Mott’s Vital Objective

    Last week Ann and I hosted a long-time friend in the journey for dinner and languishing conversation. Holly Sheldon brought with her two gifts, both first-edition books written by missions statesman John R. Mott. I have been captivated by some of Mott’s observations and inquiries on the state of Christianity among college students in 1923. His answers mirror the same conversations I find myself in week after week, seeking to help others differentiate between Christian ministry activity and Christ-centered movements of God. If you’ve found yourself asking those questions, read on.

    I have searched in vain for a purchasable or downloadable copy of Mott’s Confronting Young Men with the Living Christ. Here’s a morsel:
    “If I might share with you my dearest wish it is that by the time I come to my old age I may have so brought all thoughts into obedience to His marvellous captivity, that whenever my mind comes out of unconsciousness into consciousness it will revert naturally and inevitably to Jesus Christ.
    “Along the pathway of the realization of this vital objective, the confronting of men and boys with the Living Christ, has come to the largest and most enduring fruit…. Expressed otherwise, it may be stated with confidence that this has been the secret of the [Young Mens Christian] Association’s most far-reaching, most deeply penetrating, and most transforming influence in the lives of men and of nations.

    “Mine, as you know, has been a traveling life. It has taken men first and last to possibly fifty different countries, to virtually every one where the Association is planted, and to most of them again and again. There is a certain advantage in having the opportunity to pass from land to land and to revisit at intervals the same fields. It enables one to observe contrasts and trace tendencies. With this as a background let me ask one or two questions.

    “Why is it that when I visit one country the Association reminds me of nature in springtime, with life bursting from the ground; whereas in another country, possibly an adjoining one, I receive no such impression of vitality? It may be that in the latter case the Association has larger numbers, greater financial resources, and a more elaborate organization, but it is not yielding so great a spiritual fruitage. What is the explanation? In the former case, the leaders… are seeking to fix the attention of men and boys upon Christ Himself and to influence them to follow Him; in the latter case the leaders have lost their perspective and have become absorbed with means rather than the vital end.” Emphasis mine.

    Question for aspiring leaders: Toward what vital objective are we leading others?

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  • Blogference Wrap: Do What We Know

    Kudos to Brian Barela for putting legs on a fantastic idea – the Blog-ference. Well done, Brian. Thanks for inviting me into the conversation. I’ve learned a lot – for free. I’ve been impressed with DJ’s discussions on contextualization, Brian Virtue’s thoughts on servant leadership, and Shane’s crazy ideas for people in the mission. I appreciate everyone who took time to read and comment on my thoughts. Thank you for the gift of focused attention.

    To close the week, I am considering Jesus’ last 6 hours with his men, the night before he was arrested and taken away. The apostle John allots 5 chapters out of 21 to these special moments. After Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, he wrapped a bow around three years of life-on-life discipleship by his actions, sharing his heart, and praying for his men to change the world.

    “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17).

    This verse has been a guidepost for me during the past 10 years of my spiritual leadership. No matter what scope of responsibility we’ve been given, leading and serving other people gets complicated. There is always another idea to run up the flag pole, more demographics to research, more needs that I can meet, more teammates to consult, more trends to analyze. Jesus cuts through it all: Do What You Know.

    I can think of no better four-word summary of what change leadership is all about. Change begins with me. If I know it, own it, and act on it, by God’s grace and power, change happens and I am blessed.

    The world is waiting for each generation to show the Way. May we all lead well by loving well. Selah.

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