Principles of Leadership - Be Available Part 1

 

This is Chuck Rapp with Multiply, a podcast to provide a word of encouragement for village church planters.

During 2022, my theme is “10 Principles of Spiritual Leadership”.  We have nearly reached the halfway point; principle #5 is “Be Available”. 

Today, I begin with this quote from Myron Rush in his book Management: A Biblical Approach.   “My job as a leader is to identify the needs of those I’m supposed to be leading and then tap their ideas on how those needs can best be met.”  This approach demonstrates a coaching style of leadership.  My personal experience over the years is that most people have a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses … their skills and their deficiencies.  Most of the time I don’t have to identify these for them.  Rather, they already know this, AND they have some awareness of where help is needed.  

As a leader / coach, through active listening and Spirit-directed questioning, I often gain insight into what they need from me as a leader.  Then, I seek to meet those developmental and situational needs. 

The Apostle Paul gave these instructions in Philippians 2:4-5 where we read in the Message version, “Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead.  Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage.  Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.  Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.  He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. [emphasis added]

Being available as a leader is a key characteristic of servant leadership.  Fallen, human nature tells us to “look out for ourselves”.  This is especially true – and a fault of – western culture.  Contrasted with this is the biblical model …  “Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”  This approach requires both intentionality and discipline; it becomes a mindset.  It’s a choice we make with our will, and the enablement to do so is provided by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. 

A leadership pitfall to be avoided is becoming too impressed with oneself, one’s importance, title or status.  In a podcast last year, I described this attitude as “being a legend in one’s own mind.”  Jesus set the servant leader example for us; Paul tells us that Jesus “didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status [as God]”.  

And neither should we.  Godly leaders serve others by being available to help them. 

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