Manifest Leadership 01 Why Should Anyone Follow You?

We talk a lot about leadership in the church, and we should. It is a vital part of being able to grow. Our lives actually depend on our ability to respond to leadership – from honouring our parents when we are young (and older), to honouring the leaders of the nation, to giving double honour to preachers and teachers. And then as we learn how to follow, we should then be stepping up into leadership – and because the lives of those we lead and influence depends so much on their response to leadership, those of us who are called to lead need to take that leadership role so absolutely seriously.

Leadership can be summed up in the word “influence”, John Maxwell says “leadership is influence”, influence is when you do something or say something that causes a desire in someone else to do something. A good teacher might influence you to learn, a good pastor might influence you to pray, to fast, to study the Word, a good father might influence you to be a good father. Good leaders create a desire in us to do things that make us better.

In the past, much of leadership has been done by what I call positional leadership. This still happens in business today, you do what the boss says because he is the boss, and it doesn’t matter about his character or example, or ability, or any relationship you have with them. But today, it’s a lot easier to find new jobs, and – relevant for us – it is a lot easier for people to also find new churches. The day in which you only work for one company and there is only one church in town is over. The world is a better place for it.

Today, to be a leader, you have to earn the right to influence people. In other words you have to answer the question: why should anyone follow you? Even if you are the boss, and have the title, you still need to answer this question, and the question expressed differently is what makes you someone worth following. You have to prove yourself. When you join the military, before you get rank (which is influence) you have to prove yourself. In most companies it is the same. In churches, it should be the same too. When your children are born, just being their mum and dad is enough to influence them, but as they mature, you need to develop your capacity to influence to help them as adults!

Claude Winninger said that letters after your name are like a tail at the end of a pig, it doesn’t change the taste of the bacon. Reading this blog will not give you letters after your name, but I believe that these posts will change the flavour of your bacon! They will help you prove yourself, develop good relationships, lead successful teams and help people reach their potential. I believe that I have over the years proven that I can build teams, proven that I am a good (though far from perfect) example of Christian discipleship and that I can help you develop as a leader.

Now if I break this down and give you steps, some people might accuse me of being impersonal – but you can follow steps and still love people! Breaking down the task of leadership and developing your ability to influence is not impersonal, it helps you help people! Just decide right now that you will treat people like people, not like objects and you can follow some steps and still grow!

One of my favourite book series is Sharpe (I also love the TV programmes with Sean Bean in as well loosely based on the books). Sharpe is all about leadership, it is about a soldier that was given the rank of leader but it took time for that leadership role to be ratified in the heart of his soldiers. He had to prove himself as a soldier, as a strategist, as a leader. He had to prove that he had his men’s best interest at heart!

He had to prove himself, he had to develop relationships, he had to build a team, and he had to raise up more leaders.

At the end of the book series, even after Sharpe leaves the army, his men are still loyal to him – it transcended his rank and position. It became part of his life. It became reality. That is manifest leadership. I believe that for you to become a leader and influence others, you must do the same as Sharpe:

• Prove yourself. I am a Christian leader. What proves me? Acting Christian. The gifts on my life prove something, when I preach well, equip well, flow in the gifts, that proves something, but really Christian leadership is proved by Christian character – forgiving those who wrong you, turning the other cheek, humility, kindness, how you treat others who cannot do anything for you. Not being driven by the platform or the spotlight. I believe at the first step leadership is proven by what I call the 3 Cs – character, capability and compatibility. You need godly character to be a Christian leader – you need to love and respect others, not gossip, not slander, not be high minded, you need to be sexually pure, and holy. The best list of this character is found in 1 Timothy 3. Capability means the ability to do whatever job it is. You need to be able to do the job. That is the easiest one to make up if it is lacking, by the way. Finally, compatibility means you can work with the others in the same place. Can you submit to the leaders with joy, can you enjoy being in the team, would you be there if you didn’t have to be. All of that is compatibility, and it really matters.
• Develop relationships. You cannot lead people who you do not build relationships with. You have to learn relational skills.
• Building a Team. All leaders are marked by their ability to build a team. When they start a task, others gravitate to them and want to help them, whether that task is street evangelism, making teas and coffees for the church, ushering. What I love is when someone starts a task, and I see others drawn to them to help that task – that’s a sign of someone who has the character and ability to lead. The first time I noted someone’s leadership quality who is now a pastor was when they started putting out chairs, other people just wanted to help do that to be around them and be more like them.
• Raise Leaders. Everything God creates gives fruit that is the same kind. Apple trees give apples. Orange trees give oranges. Giraffes have baby giraffes and dogs have baby dogs. Everything reproduces to kind. I believe that if someone has been a pastor for more than a few years, let’s say the best part of a decade, then around them should be pastors they have raised up. Sheep give birth to sheep, but shepherds have shepherds! Whatever task you are doing, before long you should have others doing what you do and multiply yourself. That is the pinnacle and the core task of leadership – to multiply yourself.

But for this kind of leadership to work, it has to be manifest leadership. You have to earn the right to influence others day by day by day. That right cannot be bought once and for all, it is only for hire, and the rent is due over and over and over again.

As a leader, you never arrive. But the people you are leading never arrive either. That’s actually good news because it means tomorrow there is something and somewhere better! We keep advancing, learning and growing. There is no such thing as static leadership. Leadership is always a walk – no journey, no leading.

Do not ever take the task of leadership lightly, do not take the fact that you influence people lightly. We just planted our 11th church. Every time we plant a new church, and we grow, I kneel before the Lord and ask Him to help me take the task of leadership seriously and do it well. The more people I influence, the more I want to lead them – not for my glory or benefit, but for theirs. I want them to walk in their dreams, I want them to develop a life of abundance.

A lot of harm is done by people who just want to feel important, and social media has not helped. People want social influence – they want likes and clicks, and they want to be noticed. They struggle to love themselves, and build their identity in their influence not in Christ, and so they become leaders but not influencing people for good! This is serious stuff, and we need to take it seriously.

Being a leader is a holy invitation from God Himself, whether it is the boss at work, the dad, the mum, the pastor, the elder, the deacon, the worship leader, the policeman, the teacher, the youth leader. Take it seriously. Good leadership influences people for the better, it can change communities, it can heal nations, it can change the world. But before we break down how to manifest leadership and bring yourself to a place where people choose to follow you, you have to realize influencing others is a huge responsibility, and take it seriously.

I will say more about this in the weeks to come, but right now – spend some time praying that you will use your influence well and for the kingdom. To influence people to love not hate, to help not hinder, to build the church not tear it down.

Selah!