A charismatic, confident, skilled leader can be a great asset to a church. In the last post, we talked about the dangers of a confident and charismatic leader who doesn’t know how to equip and lead others. This post points out how a charismatic leader can be a great help.

A highly skilled, charismatic leader attracts people.

The truth is, a charismatic leader will naturally attract more followers than someone who is skilled and competent but quiet. People can see the charismatic leader and get caught up in the enthusiasm and passion this type of leader brings. That means recruiting volunteers and team members may be easier than for other leaders.

A highly skilled leader with a charismatic personality can use that to make inroads into new places.

A leader like this can often gain access to new places because of their confident, exciting nature. They are not afraid to make new friends or to reach out to potential partners, and when they do, they often bring so much excitement and passion that others are quick to want to work with this leader.

A highly skilled and confident leader can instill confidence in his followers and organization.

When the average volunteer in a church sees this type of person in action, they may become more confident in themselves and may be willing to try new things or use skills they are just learning because they can see how this leader does it. If he allows people to get close to him, he can lead by example, and his excitement and enthusiasm will rub off on others.

A highly skilled leader who learns how to equip others can multiply his efforts.

Unfortunately, often a charismatic leader, no matter how skilled, tends to leave others behind. Rather than equipping others, he attempts to do it all himself. After all, “if you want it done right, do it yourself”, or even “even if you want it done quickly, do it yourself”. What happens is that others around him, even if they are watching him, are not taught how to do what the leader does. Yet if the leader chooses to, he can equip others in the skills he is so proficient at, so that he doesn’t have to do it all himself and finds others who begin to learn and improve in the skills he is sharing with them.

A highly skilled leader who trains others can set a course that benefits the organization or church even when he is gone.

One of the dangers I have noticed with highly skilled, charismatic leaders is that when they leave the organization, everything falls apart because they did it all themselves. Everything fell on them. But the same leader can leave an equipped army of volunteers and other leaders if they are willing to slow down and deliberately train others to do what needs doing. If you are a charismatic and highly skilled leader, recognize that God gave you those gifts, not just to do the work of the church, but to help others become trained and equipped to do the work of the church. Use your personality and abilities to leave an ongoing legacy when you are gone.

Charismatic, confident, highly skilled leaders can make a great difference in the church if they will deliberately equip and train others to lead and volunteer alongside them.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe