“Some Important Leadership Principles”

Monday, July 09, 2018

There are a number of essentials when it comes to having a growing church. One of the most important factors is having a sense of direction that comes from a leadership in tune with God’s word and the needs of a lost world. I want to discuss three vital principles about the needs of a church that will grow and prosper in a hostile world.

These leadership principles must be present in a church that wants to grow. God’s plan is that leadership be provided in a local church by scripturally qualified shepherds who lead and guide the people toward heaven. Many churches do not have elders who can lead the church in that way, but even if there are no “official” leaders, someone must keep the church on track in following God’s will. If there are no elders, someone must point the church in the right direction. Often, this task falls to the preacher, so here are some things I hope will help.

1)  Forward thinking

Far too many churches worship their past and continue to cling to outdated ideas and methods to try to reach the lost. Just because a Bible correspondence course had 400 students and the church baptized 50 of them back in the 1960’s doesn’t necessarily mean it will still work today. (I am not against using correspondence studies; if they are up to date in appearance and challenging in content, they can still work. But we often use old fashioned looking stuff today to save money in a world where we can do much better with little expense.)

Paul said, in Philippians 3:12-14, that he was going to press on in his service to God, without being bound by his past. (Whether you think he meant his past failures or his past successes doesn’t matter; he was going to keep moving forward from that point onward.)

Decisions need to be made involving Bible classes, budgets, buildings, etc. that should be geared toward helping people make it to heaven. We should not simply be interested in keeping house or just holding our own (while we wait until we have elders).

Two questions should drive our decision making process. First, is it scriptural? Second, will it help people go to heaven?

2)  Focus on really important matters

In Matthew 6:33, the Savior reminds us not to think too much or to worry about the things of this world, material possessions. Rather He says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (physical needs, rh) shall be added to you.”

The Lord is not saying that we don’t need to take care of ourselves physically, but He is emphasizing that we must learn to put first things first. Some things are just more important to God than other things and we should learn which is which and have those same priorities.

I don’t know who said it first, but a lot of people have repeated it and I think it certainly has value for us today. “The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing.” Doesn’t that make sense?

There are some really important goals we need to accomplish. We need to help people to become Christians. We need to help new Christians to grow spiritually. We need to help the weak to grow stronger. We need to help the fallen to return.

In the final analysis, it is all about souls and saving them to the glory of God.

The devil will make certain that there will be many distractions, anything that can derail us or cause us to procrastinate in doing the right thing.

• Some people will get sick physically.
• Someone will hurt your feelings.
• Not everyone will do the right thing.
• You will study the Bible with people who do not obey.
• Some Christians will just quit.
• Temptations will grow stronger and more frequent.

But in the midst of all of these difficulties, the ship must stay the course. That’s really the point of Luke 9:57-62. It shows us how important serving Christ is and we must never give up.

3)  A deep sense of dependence on God

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

We are dependent on Him for everything we do. He is the One who save souls (1 Corinthians 3:6); we are simply seed spreaders. He is the one who builds up Christians (Philippians 1:6); we are merely the vessels He works with and through.

We must emphasize prayer to God in all we do as we pray for ourselves and for others.

If we try to do things by our own strength, in our own way, for our glory, with human ideas, we will fail.

It is not about us. It is all about Him. It is all for Him.

Conclusion

Those who lead in a local church need to remember these principles in the decisions they make.

God’s plan is for elders and deacons and every church needs to work to have that scriptural organization. Even then, the shepherds should continue to use these divine principles to guide us to heaven.

Until then, these ideals and values can be used to help the church prosper and please God.

--Roger Hillis

RogerLeeHillis@gmail.com

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