Three Positions of Leadership – Behind

A Word of Encouragement for Village Church Planters

Three Positions of Leadership – Behind

This is Chuck Rapp with a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.  In my past three messages, I have shared about leadership.  We began with servant leadership as this must be our motivation and foundation as we lead.  We can lead as servants because we are secure in our own relationship with Christ. 

This is my final message in a series I call “3 Positions of Leadership”.  Previously we spoke about being an “in front” leader.  This is the leader who points the way, communicates the vision and motivates people to join the effort.  Last time I share about the leader who walks “beside” his / her followers, mentoring them.    As you walk alongside those whom you mentor, I encourage you to share your life experiences with them, both the good and pleasant ones and also the difficult and challenging times.  Share what you learned through both of those circumstances.
The final “position” of leadership is often the most overlooked in my culture.  This is the leader who comes “behind” a follower to pick them up when they have fallen.  

The Message paraphrase of the Bible states in Romans 15:1-2 “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’”

Did you hear that?  As leaders, we should not “just do what is most convenient for us.”  This is the essence of servant leadership.  
Galatians 6:1-2 tells us “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.”

As leaders, there are times that people will fail the Lord and us.  Rather than simply discarding them, we are to restore them instead.  We are to pause what we are doing and help them back onto the right path.  This does not mean that we overlook their failure; we acknowledge it, but we use our strength to gently and humbly help them return to right fellowship with Christ and others. 

This has been a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.