Christian Leadership Unto Revival

(2 Chron. 34:1-3, 21, 29-33)

Three kinds of people in world: Those who make things happen. Those who watch things happen. Those who
wonder what happened. Which are you?

Christian Leaders are:

Not complacent (see last week’s lesson)

Humble, not lording over (2 Chron. 34:27, Luke 22:25)

John R. W. Stott says in his book The Cross of Christ that our world “(and even the church) is
full of Jameses and Johns, go-getters and status-seekers, hungry for honor and prestige,
measuring life by achievements, and everlastingly dreaming of success . . .”

Possess a servant heart (Matt. 20:26-27)

Martin Luther King, Jr. said that everyone can become great because anyone can serve. You don’t
have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You don’t have to know Plato and Aristotle. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity.
You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics. You only need a heart full
of grace. A soul generated by love.

Do what is right in the “eyes of Lord” (2 Chron. 34:2), understanding that only He has the “big
picture” view.

Reggie Jackson played briefly for the Baltimore Orioles. O’s Manager Earl Weaver had a
strict rule he expected his team to follow: He wouldn’t allow a player to try to steal a base
without first receiving the go-ahead sign from him. Of course, this was an affront to a
temperamental individual like Mr. October, Reggie Jackson. In one decisive game Reggie did
not receive the steal sign from Weaver, but he took off for second base regardless. The future
Hall of Famer slid in, barely beating the tag. As he brushed himself off, he smiled and glared
at Earl Weaver in the dugout, proud of his accomplishment. After the game was over, Weaver
pulled Jackson aside, "Reggie, I want you to know why I didn’t give you the steal sign. Our
best power hitter, next to you, is Lee May. May was at the plate when you were on first base.
When you stole second, that left first base open. So our opponents intentionally walked him.
The next batter hasn’t experienced much success against the opposing pitcher. That meant I
had to put in a pinch hitter. This left me with insufficient bench strength should the game go
into extra innings, which it did, and I think that is why we lost." Reggie Jackson wanted to
steal a base; Earl Weaver wanted to win a ball game.

Pray (1 Chron. 16:11, Luke 21:36, 22:40, 1 Thes. 5:17, 1 Tim. 2:1 & 8, Mark 14:38, Eph. 6:18-19),
seek God, on there own behalf, and on behalf of others (2 Chron. 34:3, 21)

Constantly purge their lives of that which interferes with their relationship with God (i.e. Sin) (2
Chron. 34:3, Joshua 7:11, Rom. 10:10, 1 John 1:8-10) and renew their commitment to God (2 Chron.
34:31), and encouraged others to do likewise (2 Chron. 34:32)

Effectively shared God’s Word, after study, meditation and prayer (2 Chron. 34:30, Titus 1:9)
 Recognize needs and commit to do something about them (Judges 5:6-7, Deborah).

Demonstrate faith in God (Judges 5)

Put Kingdom interests first (Matt. 6:33, Prov. 3:9-10, Mal. 3:10, 2 Cor. 9:6-8)

Teach others to observe the commandments of God and to demonstrate the love of Christ, by word
and example. (Matt. 5:19, 1 Pe. 5:2-3)

Uphold the fundamental Christian principals of justification by faith and salvation by the grace of
God (Rom. 5:1-2)

Promote the spiritual growth & maturity of all members of the congregation. (Eph. 4:11-16), leaving
no one out (2 Chron. 34:30)

Work to promote and preserve church harmony and brotherly love and affection in the congregation
by word and example (Rom. 12:10, Heb. 13:1)

Visit, pray with, and seek to comfort and encourage those in distress (Heb. 13:3)

Love, affirm, encourage and upbuild others. (Judges 4:6-9, Rom. 14:19, 1 Thes. 5:11, Eph. 4:29-32,
Phil. 2:1-2, Heb. 3:13)

Some of Christian leadership qualities identified in Acts 6:1-6, 1 Timothy 3:8-13 and Titus 1:5-9, well-
regarded, honest, above reproach, having integrity; not self-seeking or a lover of money; meek, gentle, kind,
self-controlled, not quick tempered; not violent, contentious or quarrelsome; forgiving, not a grudge holder;
sober, not addicted to wine or drugs; hospitable; a lover of goodness and righteousness; sensible; fair, just
and merciful; devout, holding fast to the Word of God; able to teach sound doctrine; a willing servant;
accountable to the Lord.

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
(Proverbs 29:2)

Four Leadership Styles

DIRECTOR - The authoritarian leader wants everyone to know that he is in complete charge of his
operations. He has a deep need to be in control of his people and their activities. He prefers people who are
dependent and who do not question his authority. He is interested in overcoming problems in his own way.
Often, he finds that his people are hurt by his focus on the tasks at hand. He loves to talk tasks, production,
and organization. He is more of a doer than an analyzer. He expects his orders to be carried out to the letter
or he demands to know the reasons for non-compliance. He has no problem with issuing letters of discipline
or punishment to maintain control over his "troops". He leads more by telling people what they cannot do,
than what they can do. This leader looks at his people as those with a sinful heart who cannot ultimately be
trusted. He feels that he needs to hold meetings to warn, correct, and chasten the unruly. Much of his
preaching and teaching is rule oriented with a large measure of Old Testament judgment mixed in. He tends
to rule by fear more than by faith. He expects people to listen to his orders as he is a direct representative of
God. He is often rigid, but tends to see results from those who are able to submit to his leadership.
FACILITATOR - This leader seeks to make relationships and tasks easier or seem less difficult. He works to
produce the greatest blend of positive relationships and goal achievements. He is skilled in smoothing over
conflicts in ways that brings out the best in people and their production. He is able to find the best of both the
purposes and the processes in most situations. He is specially equipped to look for proactive ways of
improving personal and corporate successes. He learns how to balance both the trust and the participation of
the majority of people. By integrating the needs of his people and their responsibilities, he leads through
consensus building leadership. He likes to see himself more as a playing coach than a managing director who
just gives orders. He sees potential in most individuals and situations because he is able to focus on the
essentials while overlooking the non-essentials. He is more interested in empowering his members by
building them up into all aspects in Christ than anything. He teaches, strengthens, and assists members in
maturity and confidence. He actively takes the initiative to find a favorable way to the majority to
accomplish the will of God. He is a master at helping people feel an important part of a significant
movement for the Lord.

ANALYZER - This leader is careful to think through every aspect of a situation before making a decision.
Shy by nature, this leader prefers to work out every detail of a plan, lesson, or sermon before delivering it.
Criticisms cut deeply into his mind, emotions, and will. He is often regarded more as a hermit since he
enjoys writing extensive notes before presenting his ideas. Careful to a fault, the analyzer is rarely willing to
do anything that would jeopardize his safety. Through the years, many of these leaders have found jobs
teaching in seminaries and Bible colleges. They tend to put too much emphasis on the letter of the law and
not enough on the spirit of love. Often these leaders are so careful to do things correctly that they seldom
accomplish a lot in their ministries. Fearful of rejection, they tend to not want to risk any experimentation.
Many times, the analytical are so hesitant to try new things, that they deprive their people of opportunities to
fulfill their potentials. Since they are critical of themselves they also tend to be overly harsh on others.
Unsure of themselves around people, they tend to prefer independent jobs rather than being forced to work in
cooperation with others. Fortunately, they are self-starters and able to sustain their work without a lot of
external stimulus. Often, this leader can be too self-deprecating so he lacks confidence. His greatest strength
is his sense of dependence on the Lord for everything. More analytical type leaders are found in the
scriptures and the ministry than any other type. However, he is usually more comfortable following than
leading others. He is allows people to do what they can do without interfering in their ministries. He needs
plenty of time alone with God to recharge his batteries. He can become a good teacher, but usually not a
good Pastor.

ENCOURAGER - This leader loves to encourage people to feel accepted, love, and understood. He is far
more effective in ministering relationally than through systematic teaching or preaching. He prefers to
emphasize the importance of interpersonal skills in administration. He feels that the majority of problems can
be worked out through cooperative dialogue and the wise use of intercessors. He never seems to tire of
meetings where he is a master at diplomatically working out complex issues. He has a sense of when to use
his relational skills in private or public ways. He needs people who can help him organize his affairs and
ministries because he is too busy thinking about the relational aspects. When conflicts seem too difficult, he
tends to become passively cooperative because he hates confrontations. He will go along with the goals of
the group, but he prefers to maintain good harmonious relationships. He is a master at being conciliatory
when faced with his own faults. His humble and sensitive manner makes him especially effective with the
majority of the women in his organization. Being so approachable, he is usually picked to be the intercessor
in major conflicts between two powerful leaders. He loves to quote the words of Jesus who taught, "Blessed
are the peacemakers for they are called sons of God." (Matt. 5:9) Low in his concern for accomplishments,
he is often considered an ineffective administrator. He usually smiles when people are around because he
would rather converse than work on projects. He would rather spend 10 hours talking with people than
spending 10 minutes working at writing out his sermon. He is especially effective at comforting the hurting
and inspiring people to greater service. Whenever you are experiencing conflicts, this is the best person to
mediate the peace.
 Notice that people can have various degrees of each leadership style. For example a person who is a
complete director in the way he leads will be a +10 on accomplishment of tasks while being a 0 in human
relations. He is so concerned about winning battles that he often causes offense to nearly everyone around
him. Still, he looks at life at as a series of battles that must be won, regardless of the people that must be
wounded in the process.

In contrast the encourager could be a +10 on human relationships, but be a 0 in successfully completing his
tasks. He is most concerned with keeping harmonious relationships in tact. He is often too concerned about
offending people that he has a hard time accomplishing the tasks that are set before him. Since harmonious
relationships rank high in his priorities, he has a hard time getting motivated to do more than the minimum in
his work. He has a great capacity to win friends and influence people, but he rarely takes advantage of this in
building the kingdom of God in either quantitative or qualitative ways.

The analyzer, on the other hand, moves between 0-5 in his human relational skills as well as his ability to
achieve objectives. He is in need of assistance in both human relational skills and goal accomplishments
because of his tendency to isolate himself from any risks. He has the richest ability to think through the
meanings, implications, and reasons behind the issues, but has a hard time winning friends and persevering
through hardships. He tends to get discouraged quicker than all other kinds of leaders. Many leaders have
learned that their most valuable deputies are analyzers. Without these people, many leaders are forced to
guide through a series of tragic trial and errors decisions.

However, the facilitator’s style of leadership has the greatest potential to maximize both human relationships
and task accomplishments. The facilitator has the capacity, know-how, and motivations to be able to bring
out the best in people for the greatest accomplishment of the overall will of God. Some facilitator are better
than others so some people mistake them for one of the other kinds of leaders until they are mature and
experienced. Tragically, some leaders who were formerly using the facilitator style of management have
sunk back into the other three styles on a permanent basis. While it may be prudent to resort to one of the
other styles of leadership during times of crisis, conflict, or instability, the facilitator style will tend to
produce the greatest long term results both in people relations and task accomplishments.

The director-chief style of leadership tends to predominate in most organizations. It seems that many leaders
have simply followed their cultural chieftaincy models of leadership thereby erecting "modern tribalistic
patterns in their churches, schools, and groups.