The Trademark of God's Leaders - Nehemiah An Inspiring Visionary Leader

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

Today we continue our series on the leadership qualities of Nehemiah, the Old Testament leader who led the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.  

We continue the story in chapter 2 as we observe two more leadership characteristics. These are qualities that we want to imitate.    

We read this in verses 17 and 18. “Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.

* Nehemiah was a visionary leader.  He and those with him saw the reality of the wall in ruins.  Yet, unlike others, Nehemiah saw the potential, the possibility of a rebuilt wall.  Visionary leaders are able to see “into the future”, to envision what others cannot see AND to communicate the possibilities in a convincing way.  This leads us to a second leadership quality.

* Nehemiah was an inspiring leader. The wall had been in ruins since King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem 152 years before, when he knocked down the walls and burned the city’s gates. Nehemiah, appealed to the Jews’ sense of cultural identity and pride.  “Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace."  Nehemiah knew the right – the most effective – motivational appeal to those living in Jerusalem.  He was successful in this appeal; our text simply says, “So they began this good work.”  

I mentioned in our prior podcast that I believe that Nehemiah has the rather unique combination of visionary gifting as well as a strong ability to plan and organize.  I do not see this very often. More frequently the Lord uses a team of leaders with skills and giftings that complement one another.  

Personally, I am stronger in planning and weaker with visionary things.  (That said, I am more likely to recognize a visionary opportunity as being from the Lord because those ideas do not come “naturally” to me.)

In the context of our VCP ministry, vision and planning occur more often in this team context.  You see, Director Claude Douti and VCP Architect Dean Davis have visionary giftings, and we complement one another and work together to refine and implement vision.  

Nehemiah was an inspiring visionary leader. May we seek the Lord for this gifting. And may we work in teams with those who have complementary skills and giftings in order that God’s work and His Kingdom may be advanced.      

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