Is Christian Leadership Consensus or Conviction Based?
Recently the Straits Times ran an opinion article on the differences between the First and Third Generation leaders in Singapore. While the current generation may be described as “Consensus” Leaders, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew says leaders need to be driven by “Conviction.” The Times went on to contrast the two approaches.
Conviction leadership is appealing because it builds on the strengths of the leader – someone who sees farther and plans more wisely than the rest of us. All of us would like to follow a leader like that, whom we can trust and admire! And we would like to think we can be like that through the gifting and filling of the Holy Spirit. However, more often than not, the people who rise to leadership are not better than everyone else, neither in their skills and wisdom, nor in their motivations. This model is susceptible to the abuse of power, and it also creates weaker followers who learn to become dependent on the leader rather than thinking and acting for themselves. Consequently, they do not have a deep sense of ownership for their own contribution.
Consensus leadership is certainly attractive in today’s world where people are better educated, and have constant access to the same data and resources as leaders do. We all have our own opinions and like to share them. Consensus leaders can build upon the wisdom and talent of the whole group, and arrive at better decisions and create more group ownership. However, the group can devolve into polarization and indecisiveness if members want to get their own way and will not yield to the decisions of the leader(s). Also, very skilled leaders can manipulate the consensus style to still end up at the conviction outcome – getting the leader’s way – but perhaps with more buy-in.
The New Testament approach actually blends aspects of both these styles. I call it Consecrated Leadership. Jesus said church leaders are to serve, not to control, their followers. Paul said church leaders are given spiritual authority to build up, not to tear down, their followers.
Consecrated Leaders wait on the Lord to impart vision and values for their ministry. They take responsibility to steward, not to control, the gifts of their followers. They want followers to become mature and hear from God themselves, not become dependent on the leader.
Consecrated followers honor their leaders and engage in the mission, and take responsibility for their own growth and contribution. They are able to give constructive suggestions to the leader, since everyone is concerned about doing the Lord’s will and doing it the best they can, not concerned with getting their own way.
To become a more Consecrated Leader, I suggest:
1. Taking more time alone with God to let him give you vision for what he wants to accomplish through you and your followers. Perhaps one day of prayer a month, and longer periodic retreats.
2. Find a mentor and/or a group of peer mentors who can give you honest feedback about your own leadership style and shortcomings, and ways to grow.
3. Make the development of your followers your primary aim over the accomplishment of the task you have for them. Find ways to give them training and incremental increases in responsibility, so that they grow through doing ministry.
Then you will be in the company of the best leaders in history, the ones who said “Follow my example.”
[By James Creasman]
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February 2011
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5 HABITS OF AN EFFECTIVE LEADER
For some people, the beginning of a new year is a time to reflect and assess their lives, and to make goals for the coming year. (Here is a helpful tool for “Reflections and Resolutions” which my wife uses, and may be helpful to you.) Regardless of when you do it, all of us benefit from periodic evaluation of our growth and our direction in life. When you do it, what are the criteria you use for judging where you are at and where you are going?
I’d like to suggest the following five areas for setting goals for your own growth this year. In his study of more than 4,000 Biblical, historical, and contemporary Christian leaders, Dr. J. Robert Clinton found common areas that led to leaders continuing to grow and finishing well, or plateauing/failing and finishing poorly. Here are the five common areas that led to leaders finishing well:
1. Effective believers maintain a learning posture throughout their entire lives.They never stop learning. Whether informally (reading, personal growth, projects, personal research), non-formally (workshops, seminars, conferences) or sometimes through formal training (continuing education, degree programs).
2. Effective leaders experience repeated times of renewal. Effective, godly servants develop intimacy with God which, in turn, overflows into all of their life and ministry.
3. Effective leaders have a dynamic statement of personal calling. They allow God to continually shape their unique and ultimate contribution. A believer’s calling typically emerges in late 30s and the ability to articulate it the 40s and 50s.
4. Effective leaders increasingly perceive their life in terms of a big-picture, lifetime perspective. They manifest a growing awareness of their sense of destiny.
5. Effective leaders recognize mentoring as a priority. They are committed to being mentored and mentoring others whom God brings their way.
Why not take a few minutes and do a simple self-evaluation of how you are doing in these five areas? In which area are you strongest (and could help others), and in which do you most want to grow? What are some specific actions you could take to grow in that habit? When and where could you put those into practice? (for example, the last Monday of each month spend a day of prayer in Botanical Garden.)
These “Five Habits of Effectiveness” form the core of our mentoring curricula. If you would like to join others in working on your growth in these areas, check out our mentoring networks , or materials, or events this year. God bless you with a great year of fruitfulness and effectiveness for God’s Kingdom!
-James Creasman
AN INTERVIEW WITH AARON LEE, A PARTICIPANT OF FOCUSED LIVING
1. Which program did you attend and how did you enjoy the experience?
In August 2010, at the invitation of our friends James and Kimberly Creasman, my wife Namiko and I commenced fortnightly “Focused Living” (FL) meetings with the Creasmans (our FL facilitators and mentors) and 2 other couples (all in our 30s). Our FL journey gave us the framework to be involved in one another’s lives and to discover what God has in store for us, individually and as families. At each meet-up we study and discuss the FL resources, but we quickly found that it is not just a “programme”. It has come to be a relationship combining the best parts of friendship, community, accountability and learning.
2. Was the program up to your expectations and which part did you like best?
It was timely how it brought us both to a conviction (and assurance) that He has a plan for us,individually and as a family. We only realised it later, but our coming together was so timely that it could only have been the Lord behind it. It was the high point of 2010 for us. The FL resource gave me specific tools to discover, part by part, God’s unfolding plan for me and how He shapes me using the agency of people and circumstances. It is rapidly opening up my imagination for the future, creating excitement and renewing a sense of purpose towards my relationships, work and ministry. I can testify that it has been a tremendous help to us as we navigated through some major life decisions in 2010.
3. Do you think others can also benefit from this program and why?
Absolutely, yes! Everyone can benefit from having a wise and caring mentor walk with you for a season, not necessarily (and not only) to teach you. FL equips you with the tools to reflect on what is happening to you here and now. It helps you hear His call to intimacy and intentional living, and then you get a renewed awakening in your spirit to follow that call. Be warned– this journey can change your life!
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Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs by Bill Hybels 
Great leaders are masterful at identifying and articulating their values (as well as their vision). Bill Hybels is without a doubt one of the most influential Christian leaders of the past 30 years, championing the “seeker-sensitive” model of church. In these 76 short chapters, he brilliantly describes the values that drive him and his ministry. Reading this book will prompt you to identify what values guide you and will challenge you to learn how to communicate them in a compelling way.