Subscribe to the NetworkWhat Does A Leader Do?
My life the past year has been a blur of busyness. There has been so much going on in my life and ministry that I have, numerous times, felt almost paralyzed by the “list” of responsibilities, opportunities, options, decisions etc. in front of me on any given day.
My number one love in ministry is simply leading my junior high team here at Saddleback. I have been in junior high ministry since 1988 and it is still my primary calling and the thing that brings me an incredible amount of fulfillment. But the truth is I just CAN’T (and shouldn’t!) do everything all the time…..even stuff I really like. Today, I took some time to remind myself of what I think my primary roles are; the stuff that the primary leader of a ministry really can’t ask others to do on his/her behalf. Here’s my list….feel free to add or delete in the comments section.
NURTURE MY SOUL: Taking care of my soul is my primary role.
CREATE THE CULTURE OF OUR MINISTRY: How does our ministry “feel”? How do we treat other team members? What are our values etc.?
POINT THE WAY: Where are we headed? What are our goals? What’s our purpose? What do we want to see accomplished in our midst?
SELL THE VISION: Once God gives me the direction we’re heading, pointing the way is only part of the leadership process. Not everybody will like where I’m pointing! That’s where selling the vision comes in.
EQUIP THE TROOPS: Others can help equip my team, but the primary load falls on me.
MAKE THE IMPORTANT DECISIONS: I can empower others to make lots of day to day decisions, but the biggies fall on me.
TAKE THE HEAT WHEN THINGS GO WRONG: My role as the leader is to protect others on my team as much as possible when something goes wrong.
PASS THE PRAISE WHEN THINGS GO RIGHT: When something goes right it’s my job to pass the praise and make sure others get the credit.
BEAT THE DRUM: Vision, purpose, where we are heading, etc. isn’t a one-time job, and nobody should be more passionate about it than the leader. My role is to constantly beat the various drums.
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Great post! This is one that’s worth printing and keeping.