leadership

The Protecting Role of the Leader

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Few leadership books address the protecting role of a leader. Yet, if you are a leader, you a responsibility to protect those who are following you from distractions that will stop them from following you or moving toward your vision. Business leaders, too, must ensure that they are aware of outside forces that might derail those under their leadership from pursuing their purpose and vision. This might happen in various ways, such as someone speaking negatively about you and the goal you are pursuing or the distractions of life that keep your team from being fully focused on the task at hand.

Church leaders – pastors and elders – need to understand their protective role too. Even as they are looking to help people grow in their knowledge of and love for God, they need to be aware of the influences that can undermine their leadership. Let’s consider a few influences that a church leader may need to protect their congregation from.

False teaching

Much of the church leader’s role teaching. The church needs to be taught about who God is, how to love and obey Him, and how to communicate with Him in prayer. Leaders use the Bible as their main teaching tool and the basis for all they believe.

False teaching is ideas and teachings that conflict with scripture. If a church is begins to follow false teachings, church leadership should steer them back to the truth of scripture. Church leaders need to recognize when someone within the church is misleading people and needs to be corrected or even removed.

False teaching can also creep in from the world. Our culture influences us all as we live in it. In the same way the early church lived within a culture that often opposed Jesus’ teachings, there are some things being taught and accepted in our culture that are in direct opposition to God and His Word. For example, it is not okay to end a pregnancy just because it is seen as an inconvenience. God is clear that all life is precious and He is the only one who can determine the end of someone’s life. Similarly, euthanasia is becoming common in Canada, where you can choose to end your life medically, for a number of reasons. Again, life is precious and only God can determine the end of someone’s life. Church leaders need to remind their church of what God teaches in the Bible so they can recognize when what they hear or see does not match up to God’s Word.

Attempts to derail the vision

The church exists to help people love God and love others. To do this, many churches have an agreed-upon vision that guides them. They have spent time praying and talking together and gaining an understanding of the needs of their community. As a result, they have come up with a vision that is their response to the needs around them. It is important for churches to adhere to this vision. For example, if you are a church that believes your main role is to reach out to the poor in your community, then protect your church from those who are pushing for you to do more to reach the professionals in your town. No matter what your vision is, there will be some who do not agree or fully buy in. There may also be some who deliberately try to derail that vision and cause confusion in your midst. You need to protect your congregation from that confusing voice. Questions and debate have their place, but you want to make sure that people have a clear understanding where you are going and why.

Busy people

Churches often fall into the habit of making people busy in the church with all kinds of activities. Church leadership needs to recognize when some of the good things going on need to be removed. Leadership needs to protect people from busyness that prevents them from being able to participate in pursuing the church’s vision.

There are times church leaders need to make some very difficult decisions about what ministries need to be cut so people have time to do what is more important.

Satan

Of course, the one who truly wants to mess with the church, with the followers of Jesus who make up that church, is the evil one – Satan. He has messed with people right from the time of Adam and Eve until now, trying to confuse us and doing all he can to make us wander away and deny God. Church leaders need to protect their people from Satan’s attacks. They need to regularly pray a covering over their church. They need to remind people that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of the unsee world. Even when people are doing wrong and causing disruption in the church, it is Satan who is behind their actions.

Church leaders, you have a role of protecting your people, even as you lead them. Be aware of what is going on and when you need to confront or speak up about where people are being misled. Ask God for wisdom and discernment in the process so you can recognize when danger arises and how to combat it.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Am I Qualified for Church Leadership?

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Leadership within the church is similar to leadership anywhere, because it is leading people. Yet it is quite unique in that you are asked to lead people on a lifelong journey toward Christ. This is not about building a business, though some business ideas can work in a church as it grows. This is not about pushing your personal brand or a personal vision that your employees all work toward. Instead, church leadership is first about God, and secondly, about people. It is about God’s vision for the world and His specific vision for your church in the part of the world where you are located. God’s vision is about drawing all people to Himself. It is about helping others to come to know God and pursue holy living.

When you are first elected to your position on a leadership board at your church, you may wonder if you really belong there. 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:6–9 are two examples of scripture that identify the qualifications of an elder. Basically, these say that an elder must show evidence of a relationship with God through faith in Jesus and filling of the Holy Spirit, as well as evidence of being a leader already, specifically in your own home.

None of us is perfectly Holy. None of us is exactly like God or as good as God. We are humans, saved by grace, and pursuing a relationship with Jesus that helps us become more like Him every day. But none of us can say to those following us, those in the rest of the church: “If you do exactly what I do, or live exactly like me, then you will be good.” All of us have faults. All of us are attacked or influenced by Satan and his various means of tempting us. It is important that we realize we are not perfect. This will help us have more patience when working with others who are also not perfect.

There is a big difference between those who are walking toward Christ and those who are walking away from Christ. There are some people who will declare they are Christians and may have prayed a prayer at some point in their life, but who are regularly and continually walking away from Jesus. These are people who are living with a certain sin and have found a way to live with it and be okay with it. And they want others to agree that it isn’t really that bad. There are most likely some in your church, but hopefully not on your leadership board.

There are some Christians who are clearly walking toward Christ. They are trying to become more like Jesus every day. They spend time with him in prayer and talk with him and listen to him regularly. These are people who recognize how sinful they still are, but who keep getting back up after each stumble in sin, ready to pursue Christ again. These are the people who love Jesus and want others to come to love Him as well. Does this sound like you? Then I would think you may very well be a candidate for leadership in the church.

We must recognize we are not perfect, and yet we are pursuing Christ. What else might make someone a good candidate for leadership? This might sound wrong, but often good leaders are ones who have not sought it out. They haven’t been campaigning the nominating committee or tried to show they knew better than the existing leaders. These are the ones who recognize how far they come short from the holiness of God. These are the Christians who recognize they have so much to learn. But these humble and gracious individuals are great for the board because they will never lord it over anyone. Some boards love the power and take advantage of people because of their position. A leader who is hesitant and not clamoring for attention will probably be a much kinder leader.

A leader in the church should also believe that God has asked them to serve in this position. While not a personal attribute that qualifies a person, there should be no doubt in a church leader’s mind that they are there because God wants them there. This may be affirmed by God speaking in whatever way He speaks to that person: highlighting a verse in Scripture, or a voice, or an impression, or even just the belief that God is guiding the membership as they elected that person to this position.

Sure, it might be nice to have some leaders who have Bible education, or who have experience, or who have natural charisma that draws people to them, those are not necessarily what makes a leader in the church. First, Love God with your whole heart and serve him, second, love people with a humble heart, and third, trust that God has placed you where you are. While there could be many other qualities we may look for in a church leader, these are key.

Are you a church leader? Lead with humble service before God, with the best in mind for the rest of the church, and with a deep faith that God will enable you to do your best where He has placed you.

Serve well, and keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

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I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

LEADING WITH A LIMP – by Dan B. Allender, PhD.

Allender states this as his core assumption for the book: “To the degree you face and name and deal with your failures as a leader, to that same extent you will create an environment conducive to growing and retaining productive and committed colleagues.” If you try to hide your failures as a leader, you will need to be more controlling of others around you. He says that in God’s leadership model, “He calls us to brokenness, not performance; to relationships, not commotion; to grace, not success.” While leaders often feel compelled to show they know everything and are definitely the right people for the job, they would be better off admitting their weaknesses since  everybody else can see them anyway, and work more on a good relationship with people than just trying to get the most out of them for the task at hand. Allender offers this great quote as he talks about the difficulty of being a leader and casting vision. “One can speak of vision and mission, calling and opportunity until the cows come home, but when the day ends, most people want nothing more demanding than some television and a few uncomplicated laughs.” He speaks honestly of the hard work of being a leader while giving hope from God’s perspective. A great leadership book that makes one think.

Finish Well

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The start of a new job if often full of excitement and energy and ideas.

However, near the end of the job, it can be quite different. Whether you decided to hand in your resignation letter or you come to the end of a contract like me, it can be hard to finish with the same excitement.

I am coming to the end of a contract with a church right now. And I am trying to figure out what has to be done in the last two months here. I want to finish well, and not just coast across the finish line. I have been asking myself, “What can I do in these last two months that will help set the church up for a great future?” With that question in mind, I have determined what needs to be in my plans for the next few weeks.

Regular Duties

While I know that I will be leaving this position soon, that is not an excuse to quit doing the regular duties that I have been assigned. For me, I have to continue to preach and be available for caring for people right to the end of my time in this position. It doesn’t matter how close to the end I am, I need to serve them with the same commitment I did earlier.

People

I want to make sure that any people responsibilities I have are fulfilled. This includes letting people know or reminding them that I will be leaving soon. This is especially important when it comes to people who will be taking on tasks that I have maintained. Working with them before I leave and giving them a few pointers of what worked well will set them up for success.

Projects

One of my projects right now is to help the church set up their Search Committee and create and share a job posting for a full time Lead Pastor. As I finish up my contract as a transition pastor, I am helping the Search Committee with the process of posting the position and starting the hiring process.

My situation is quite specific, but for those who are resigning or retiring you may similarly want to help your organization as they find someone to fill your role.

Team Duties

Often, we are part of a team or a group of people who share responsibilities. For example, I work with the Elders Board at my church. As I near the end of my contract, I will continue to lead the team well, helping them to flesh out the vision we worked on together. I will help them prepare for the arrival of a new pastor so that his start will be planned out and he will have the best chance of success going forward.

Take time to finish your job well. Leave in such a way so that people think of you fondly as they remember you later. Don’t burn bridges – you may end up working with these people again some day. I served one church as a Transition pastor that I had served over 20 years ago as their lead pastor. Finish well to keep doors open down the road.

And finish well as a person of good character. Continue to do what needs to be done even though you know you are leaving soon. Don’t just mail it in. Do what you are expected to do to fulfill your job right to the end.

It’s fun to start new positions, but make sure you leave well at the end too.

Keep looking up.

Andy Wiebe

The Inadequate Leader

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If anyone is following you, then you are a leader.

Some of us are natural leaders. Our personality and character attracted others who willingly followed us even as a child.

Some of us are reluctant leaders. We have been pushed into positions that we were not looking for. Maybe we were just a little more qualified than others, or the only one who said yes. But all of us are “inadequate leaders”.

Inadequate leaders are those who recognize that they don’t have all the answers, or all the skills needed for their position.

Many leaders lack experience. You only get experience by doing something. That means there is always a first time, a time when you have no experience, but you lead anyway. You may have experience in similar situations or in a similar role with less responsibility, but all of us at some point will be moving beyond the experience we have. If you never get to that place, then you are never growing as a leader. Maybe you are okay with that, but you still had to do something for the first time to even get to the level you are at.

If you lack experience, that means you may be inadequate for the task. So, what can you do? If you are an analytical person, you can try to come up with a perfect way to move even if you haven’t been in that situation before. You could ask for advice from others who have experience where you are lacking. Invite them to speak into your situation, and even though their experience isn’t yours, find some ideas to try in your own case. Gather your team and invite them to collaborate with you to find the right way ahead, and build on the experience you – and those around you – already have.

What if you realize you don’t have the skills you need to lead? Not only do you not have the experience to lead in this situation, you also lack the skills needed. There may be some ways to learn and develop those skills. Education is always an option. Find a seminar or a book or a class that will train you in this new skill. Again, as in the situation of lacking experience, invite someone who has the skills to train you. Ask for time with them to talk through how the skill works and spend time observing and learning from their example. Another option may be to bring in someone on a short-term contract or invite someone to join your team who can fill in the areas you lack. There may be times you step away from a situation to allow someone more suited to lead.

You may feel like an inadequate leader because you are responsible for more than you can accomplish in the time you have. First, make sure you are not carrying responsibilities that are not yours and hand them off to the appropriate people on your team. Second, find someone to work with you. May leaders have strong assistants who may be good leaders in their own right, but who love supporting you in your leadership role. You need someone who will respond to delegation, and who gets to know you well enough to do things the way you would if you had the time.

Sometimes we feel inadequate because of what people say to us or about us. There are times to listen to others and times to recognize if they are an authority in your life or not. No one can please everyone all the time. Be clear on what your role is, your job description, the vision you are pursuing, and don’t be distracted by those who want to speak into your life but truly have no right to.

Every leader will feel inadequate at times. If not, then you are no longer growing, and if you are no longer growing, you are quite possibly falling behind. Others will come along who will bypass your leadership because they are continuing to grow and learn and develop. While we cheer on those who are excelling next to us, we want to continue to be the best that we can be. The value of recognizing when and where we are inadequate is that we recognize where we need to grow to continue to lead well.

If you are an inadequate leader, that’s okay. Just look for ways to grow.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Moms – and Other Mentors In Our Life

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Whoever you are as a person – who you are right now – you didn’t get to become this person completely on your own. There were people along the way that helped you become you, who shaped you intentionally and accidentally.

One of the great shapers of our life is often our Mother. The one who gave birth to us is usually the one who cares for us from birth to adulthood. While not all are fortunate to be raised by their mother, mothers impact who we are and who we become. Moms are there to help us learn the skills of life. From learning to walk to how to care for our hygiene. They, usually in tandem with your father, prepare you for adulthood. Many do it with great care and direction.

My mom was a “stay-at-home” mom, so she was always there. She was there when I woke up in the morning. She got breakfast ready and packed our lunches for school. She was there after school waiting to hear how the day went. And along the way I learned things like sharing and looking both ways before crossing the street. My siblings and I are most likely not even aware of all she taught us.

Many of us have others who played significant roles in our life. For example, maybe there was a teacher who took time to explain the math question until you finally got it, or the one who encouraged your creativity as you learned to draw. Or maybe you remember a camp counselor who listened to you and encouraged you as you were hurting. For me, there was a man in the church, a friend of my Dad’s, who I never spent much time with but whom I looked up to. I watched how he handled life, his business and his involvement in the church.

Some of us became leaders because someone encouraged us. I remember my brother being told at a young age, “you are a leader. Be careful where you lead people.” Other kids just naturally followed him, and did what he did. I was much more a follower. Some of us became musicians because a band teacher affirmed our musical abilities and encouraged us to do well with that.

I am a pastor because the president of my bible college, Reuben Kvill, encouraged me to consider a pastoral internship. I was not interested in being a pastor, but he encouraged me in that direction. It was during my internship that God affirmed that calling in me to become a pastor. Mr. Kvill took a personal interest in me and spoke words of encouragement to me. This had profound impact.

Another significant man in my life was Phil. Phil was a full-time missionary. He had served overseas and was now reaching out to the Hindu community in Edmonton. He taught an Evangelism Explosion class, where the curriculum taught us how to share our faith, but also included “field” practice where we went out with another more experienced person to share our faith and invite people to come to know Jesus. The casual conversations along with the formal classes instilled in me a desire to reach people for Jesus that has impacted all the years since.

We all have people who have helped us along the way. Some of us have a few, others have many, but we need to recognize that we did not become who we are on our own. We each have had help to become who we are and develop some of the skills we have.

Will you do the same? Will you look for people whom you can pass your knowledge and information on to? It may be in a formal setting like my Explosion Evangelism class. It may be in meaningful conversations where you encourage and affirm what is good in the other person’s life. You can suggest they consider a new opportunity in their life. Take time to slow down and notice the people around you. And then, when you can, speak into their lives in the way that your mom and other mentors did for you.

I want to finish with one final recognition. A large part of who I am is because of God in my life. There are times when I have felt God speaking or impressing something on my heart that caused me to shift direction in my career. God has encouraged and affirmed me even when many around me did not. I thank God for the people He has put in my path to help shape me.

Let’s thank God for the people who have helped us, and then look for whom to help next.

Keep Looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Confronting Carefully

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Like most leaders, I am in a position in which I must occasionally have conversations with people that I would much rather avoid. I had to confront someone recently. I had to address a problem that had come up. This is never an easy conversation to have and one that could easily go wrong. A conversation like this should not be rushed into quickly, but prepared for carefully.

Here are a few things I have learned over the years about how to confront carefully.

Engage the Person Respectfully.

No matter what the issue is, or how terribly they may have messed up, when you meet with the person be respectful of them as a person.

This is not a time to make them feel inadequate, but a time to be clear on what they are doing wrong and how it can be fixed. Ideally, the goal is to fix the situation even as you maintain a good relationship.

Confront Prayerfully.

One of the ways to make sure that you are being careful is to ask God to guide your conversation. Ask God into the conversation. Ask God for wisdom. Ask Him for the ability to listen and truly hear the other person to make sure you are not making assumptions as you confront. Pray about this beforehand, and during, and even after so that neither you nor the person you spoke with will misconstrue things that came up in the conversation.

Clarify the Issue.

It helps to clarify the problem. Make sure you know what it is that you are addressing. This is not about some vague feeling something is wrong, or doing something because someone else is pressuring you. If you are going to confront someone, you must be clear on what the issue is. Clarify the issue in your mind, and then be clear when you address it in your conversation. If you need to, write down a few key points, or even the main statement you want to make so you don’t waffle in the middle of the conversation and back off the issue to the point the person has no idea what you are addressing. You want to make sure you address the issue correctly.

Determine a Solution.

If you are addressing someone about a problem, it is essential that you have an idea of how to fix the problem. Simply pointing out a problem doesn’t solve the problem. Once you are clear about the issue, then become clear on one or more ways of addressing it. If the issue demands one specific response – for example, “be on time”, then be clear that is the response required. If the issue allows for a number of solutions, identify a few options that the other person may choose from. Make sure that the solution matches the problem.

Arrange the Meeting.

Where you meet will determine the atmosphere, and even the conversation. If there is a specific problem about a role at work, then meet in your office, or the board room. If there is an issue with someone you know well, and you want to be less confrontational, you might do it over a coffee, or a meal. Remember that when and where you have the meeting will play into how the confrontation will go. It might be good to give the person a heads up about what you will be addressing.

Listen as you Converse.

As you point out the problem, listen to the response from the other person. You want to make sure, first, that you are correct in your own understanding of what they did wrong, but also listen to make sure they understand what you are telling them.

Be clear and precise on the problem. Allow them an opportunity to defend their actions or clarify why they did what they did. Present the solutions as you see them, and then invite a response to see if they understand and whether they will respond as you need them to.

Know Your Next Steps Ahead of Time.

When you confront, you need to be clear on what you will do based on how they respond. If they agree with you and accept a solution to try, then you have made good progress. If they deny everything you are saying and try to blame others, you need to know if you will give them another chance or if it is time to part ways. If you are willing to move ahead together, you may want to set up follow up meeting with them soon after to see if issues have been resolved or not.

Confront carefully. You want to be clear what you the problem is and what the solution can be. You also want to be clear that you are focusing on the work the person is doing or how they are relating to the rest of the team, without putting them down personally.

Yes, we do need to confront occasionally. Hopefully we do it well. We want to honour the person and honour Christ even as we have the tough conversations.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

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I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

GETTING NAKED – by Patrick Lencioni

Getting Naked: a Business Fable, by Patrick Lencioni is exactly that. It is a well written story of a businessman sent to check out a smaller company that has just been acquired by the company he works for. He expects that, because it is a small company, it will not have anything to teach him. He is surprised by the things he discovers. He learns that they have a much better way of handling clients and doing their work than what he is used to. Lencioni concludes the book with a few key points that are already clearly shown at work in the story. A great book on how to benefit from being vulnerable in business.

Develop the Leadership Character of Discipline

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Discipline is something you develop in yourself by deliberate and consistent decisions. It is not something a person automatically has but is a characteristic that must be learned and developed. Discipline is what helps maintain what is good in life and build on it to improve even more. It is developed by regularly choosing to make the necessary decisions and take the correct actions. A disciplined person may live by a rule or system of rules governing their conduct or activity. As you live by these good choices, you become a disciplined person.

A disciplined leader gets more done.

Many people put in the expected hours at work. Some get much more done in those hours than others. One reason is that the disciplined person knows how to keep breaks short and focus back on the task at hand.

A disciplined person starts on time, but also ends on time. Whether it is the start of your day or running a meeting, a disciplined person is prepared, ready to start when it is time, and focused enough to accomplish what is needed in the necessary time.

A disciplined leader develops good habits.

Self-discipline is the ability to control your behavior in a way that leads you to be more productive or have better habits. Systems or rituals can help you organize the activities you regularly do into an orderly fashion that eliminates time spent deciding what to do next or how to do it. These rituals can be as simple as cleaning off your desk before going home at night so it is not cluttered when you return in the morning. A ritual could include taking 10 minutes to plan the next day so you are ready when you arrive in the office the next day.

Systems are the habits that are packaged together, like a series of procedures.  An example may be a system for tracking meeting decisions and action items. This might include transferring all dates discussed in the meeting onto their calendar, and adding your responsibilities to your to-do list, and adding time to work on these items to your daily schedule. In this way, within minutes of your meeting, you have all the pertinent information on the right calendars and to -do lists.

A disciplined leader excels at self-management.

A disciplined person is a self-starter. They don’t need someone else to regularly check in to remind them of the next job to do. They know how to determine what needs to be done and what can wait. They know where to go to get answers or expertise they don’t have. A disciplined person sets their own direction for the day rather than waiting for the supervisor to give them their jobs. A disciplined leader manages their time in such a way that everything gets done and they still have time to dream and plan for the future.

A disciplined leader keeps going when things get tough.

Being a leader is not always easy. Pushback can come from many angles, including some of your own staff or even those you serve. Financial issues can become a big concern when money isn’t coming in as expected. A time crunch can also be tough, when the amount that needs to be done seems to be greater than the time available. Things can get tough too, when a leader feel like they are leading beyond their limits. In all the different ways that things can get tough, the disciplined leader will never give up. They will push through. They may arrange for deadline extensions or make some financial adjustments. They may get outside help, whether personal coaching, or more staff, to push ahead when they feel they are in new territory and unsure how to proceed.

Discipline is a valuable characteristic of anybody, but especially a leader. This characteristic will help a leader get through many situations when an undisciplined person may give up or just panic and do a poor job. Work at becoming a disciplined leader, one good decision, one good habit, after another. If you want to lead well, develop the character of discipline.

If you are looking to become more disciplined, checkout next week’s post on how to develop discipline as a leader.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Boor Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

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I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

NECESSARY ENDINGS – by Dr. Henry Cloud

In Necessary Endings: The employees, businesses, and relationships that all of us have to give up in order to move forward, Dr. Henry Cloud explains why good endings are needed for good beginnings. He uses a number of great examples to show how appropriate endings at the right time can be very positive for you personally and for the organization you are part of or leading. Some endings are forced on us, and some are ones we choose, in either case we can determine how we will use that ending as an opportunity for something new. When you end something, you have room for that next thing that can be even better than what you just ended. A very helpful book!