Sunny Side Up!

The weather this morning is hot "as hell". Thus, I reminscence about the time, Caroline and myself had in Thailand. The land of a 'million' smiles for me...Can't wait to get back.
Munchies Resort @ Ko Samui - 1996

What makes a Good Leader

I have often wondered about what constitutes good christian leadership. Perhaps this article will help answer some burning questions we have about the attitude of some of them.....



The Gift of Faith in Leadership
(by Sr. Nancy Kellar, sc)

1. Faith in the Faithfulness Of God

"Let us hold unswervingly to our profession of faith for He who made the promise deserves our trust" (Heb 10:23).

A. Faith in His Promise to be with us in all circumstances.

The servant leader needs faith that God will be faithful to His promise to be with us to the end of time (Matt 28:20). In chapter 11 the author of Hebrews encourages us to faith in the promises of God with the example of the ancients. Abraham "by faith obeyed when he was called and went forth to the place he was to receive as a heritage" (Heb 10:9). Sarah received "the power to conceive because she believed the One who made the promise was faithful" (Heb 10:1

Faith in the promises releases the power of God to act in us. In Acts 26, when Paul was asked "Why are you on trial?", he could have said "I raised the dead, I healed the blind, I cast out demons". He simply said , "I am on trial because of my faith in the promises of God". He knew that the source of all the power of his ministry was because of his dependence on the power of God working through him.

Leadership is a frontline position and the frontlines of an army are wounded first. Leaders also need faith that God will protect them from the powers of darkness, "in all circumstances hold faith up before you as a shield; it will help you extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one" (Eph 6:17). We need the faith conviction that the Lord will heal the wounds of leadership making us better equipped to continue the work of service. Saint Peter instructs us that "you may have to suffer the distress of many trials so that your faith, which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire tried gold, may by its genuineness lead to praise, glory and honor when Christ Jesus appears" (1 Pet 1:7).

B. Faith in His Call to Leadership

As I have traveled teaching and ministering to leaders, I have found many leaders lack confidence that they have been called to leadership and even that leadership is essential to the work of ministry. Particularly in countries where there has been an abuse of leadership in the past there is a fear of leadership. Some fear leading lest they become too dominant or lest other think they are becoming too dominant.

We need to be convinced that leadership is as essential to the body of Christ as the skeleton is essential to the human body. Without the skeleton the body is shapeless and formless and loses it’s power. The same is true in the work of service in the ministry of the Gospel. Jesus called forth leaders and involved them in His work (Mk 1:11-20).

C. Faith in His empowerment for leadership

Leadership is a charismatic gift of the Spirit. "It is He who gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers the roles of service for the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph 4:11).

Where there is a need there is a call and where there is a call there is a gift of empowerment. If we lack faith that we are called to leadership, we will lack confidence that we are also gifted for leadership. We will begin to rely on our own efforts and human wisdom and not the power and wisdom of God.

Before Pentecost Peter never seemed to understand. He was cowardly and self-centered. After Pentecost he had the wisdom, the boldness, the tenderness, the courage to lead to the point of death. Only the empowerment with the gifts for leadership he received from the Spirit could have made such a change (Acts 2:37-46). We need to be confident that these gifts are available to all who have been called to leadership and claim them!



2. Faith In the Community Of Disciples

A. Faith that we need a community of disciples

Community is an essential part of the way God intends us to grow as Christians and as servant leaders. Jesus prayed "may they be one us so the world will know that you sent me" (Jn 17:21). Leaders need brothers and sisters to call and inspire them to holiness, to encourage them to go on when the ministry is difficult, to discern and prune them in the use of their gifts. Are we as leaders convinced of this?

B. Faith in the working together of the gifts of the body for leadership B. Faith in the working together of the gifts of the body for leadership Faith In the Community Of Disciples


A. Faith that we need a community of disciples
Community is an essential part of the way God intends us to grow as Christians and as servant leaders. Jesus prayed "may they be one us so the world will know that you sent me" (Jn 17:21). Leaders need brothers and sisters to call and inspire them to holiness, to encourage them to go on when the ministry is difficult, to discern and prune them in the use of their gifts. Are we as leaders convinced of this?

B. Faith in the working together of the gifts of the body for leadership
Servant leaders need to appreciate that leadership is a ministry that is meant to be shared by others in the body of Christ. "Now the body is not one member, it is many. God has set each member in the body in the place he wanted it to be" (1 Cor 12:12,19). We need that faith not only for ourselves; but also for the team of brothers and sisters with whom we minister. No one person is given all the gifts that the ministry of the Gospel needs. A team of leaders working together insures that all the gifts needed for service are present.

C. Faith in the support of the community
Lack of encouragement and affirmation is one of the greatest causes of discouragement in leaders. We need to have a faith conviction in the importance of encouraging each other in leadership.
Some years ago when I was a speaker at a conference for religious sisters at Steubenville University, I was led during one of the Masses, that we attended with the University faculty and students, to lead a prayer of reconciliation for all who had been hurt by sisters. The celebrant in turn asked the whole congregation to stand and applaud to show their gratitude for all the sisters who had taught and ministered to them over the years. The result was very moving. Many of the sisters cried and cried and it was so evident how much they needed that affirmation and how healing it was. The same is true for leaders.


3. Faith that Faith Grows In Service
A. Faith that service increases our faith
In his encyclical letter Mission of the Redeemer our Holy Father says: "Faith is strengthened when it is given to others" (Introduction, #2).
The Lord ministers to us as we minister to one another! The gifts of the Spirit, including the gift of leadership, are like the fruit on the vine. The fruit of the vine will whither and rot if it is not picked and given to the hungry. The same is true for the gifts of the Spirit. If we allow the Lord to use us, to minister to others the faith we have received, our faith will grow! Leadership is not a reward for holiness. It is a means to holiness! The more we feel in need of believing the Word of God the more we need to proclaim it. The more we need to believe in the power of God to heal, the more we need to let God use us to pray for healing for others. The more we need to be taught the more we need to let God use us to teach others, confident we will receive more in the giving!

B. Faith that He brings the increase
Our call is to plant the seed and to point the way. We as servant leaders need to grow in faith that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring the increase! Paul reminds us: "I planted the seed and Appolos watered it, but God made it grow" (1 Cor 4:7).
We follow a crucified Savior who died on the cross looking like his ministry was a total failure. Leaders often lose faith because their ministry seems to be bearing little fruit.
St. Therese of Lisieux who never left her cloister and died at twenty four is the patroness of the missions. She never saw the fruit of her mission; but she never lost confidence in the faithfulness of God.

C. Faith that others will grow as we call them into leadership
Many years ago now Fr. Jim Ferry, one of the early leaders of the Charismatic Renewal in the USA, called me forth to give my witness to a Church filled with people. He had the vision to see God had given me the gift and the faith to believe that I would respond to the grace of God. As servant leaders we need to have that kind of vision to discern the giftedness of others and the faith to call them into service.
Conclusion: We need faith in God, faith in ourselves and faith in and for one another!

Praise the Lord
Greg