Learning to Lead in Formal and Informal Settings (I Cor 9:19-27)
Some leaders are comfortable in formal settings but are awkward informally relating to people. Jonathan Edwards, the former President of Princeton Seminary was dismissed as the Pastor of his local church for that very reason. Parishioners became disillusioned with Edwards because of his unwillingness to visit them in their homes and engage in small talk. The great theologian preferred to spend lengthy times in his study preparing sermons, writing theological textbooks and spending time alone with God. Even today, people chafe at hard-edged leaders who are cold in their interpersonal relationships. However, people tend to only temporarily follow frothy Pastors who fail to exhibit consistent leadership in distressing times.
Illustration: A Christian Leader
Cal Thomas found himself called a “Christian leader” by a leading Christian magazine and he wondered what that meant. More speaking engagements? Perhaps an appearance on a Christian talk show? “It would certainly give me the right to start putting Scripture references under my signed name in books I have written. I would surely sign more Bibles, which I find a curious practice since I didn’t write that Book.”
Thomas wonders if we have reversed things. God’s strength is made perfect in weakness.
“In a church I once attended, there was a man of tremendous faith. His wife is an alcoholic, His daughter has psychological problems. He was often poor in health. Yet, week after week, he never complained. He always smiled and asked me how I was doing. He faithfully brought to church a young blind man who had no transportation. He always sat with the blind man, helping him sing the hymns by saying the words into his ear. That man was a ‘Christian leader’ if ever there was one.”
1. The Holy Spirit transforms us into Christ image enabling us to effectively lead in formal and informal situations. Paul wrote, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Cor. 3:18) Ask the Lord to help you be willing to let the Spirit of God teach you everything about becoming an effective leader in formal and informal ministries.
Illustration: Are You a Leader?
S. I. McMillen, in his book None of These Diseases, tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, “Are you a leader?” Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, “No,” and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college:
“Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower.”
S. I. McMillen, None of These Diseases.
2. The Holy Spirit knows how to balance each leader’s weakness with His corresponding strengths. The Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9) Ask the Lord to help complement whatever leadership weakness you might have with His sufficient strength, enabling and skill.
Illustration: Definitions of Leadership
Leadership is influence, the ability of one person to influence others. One man can lead others only to the extent that he can influence them. This fact is supported by definitions of leadership by men who have themselves wielded great influence.
Lord Montgomery defines it in these terms: “Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose, and the character which inspires confidence.”
Dr. John R. Mott, a world leader in student circles, gave as his definition: “A leader is a man who knows the road, who can keep ahead, and who can pull others after him.”
President Truman’s definition is: “A leader is a person who has the ability to get others to do what they don’t want to do, and like it.”...
Lord Montgomery enunciated seven ingredients necessary in a leader in war, each of which is appropriate to the spiritual warfare:
(1) He should be able to sit back and avoid getting immersed in detail.
(2) He must not be petty.
(3) He must not be pompous.
(4) He must be a good picker of men.
(5) He should trust those under him, and let them get on with their job without interference.
(6) He must have the power of clear decision.
(7) He should inspire confidence.
Dr. John R. Mott moved in student circles and his tests covered different territory:
(1) Does he do little things well?
(2) Has he learned the meaning of priorities?
(3) How does he use his leisure?
(4) Has he intensity?
(5) Has he learned to take advantage of momentum?
(6) Has he the power of growth?
(7) What is his attitude to discouragements?
(8) How does he face impossible situations?
(9) What are his weakest points?
J. O. Sanders in Spiritual Leadership, pp. 19-24
3. The Holy Spirit knows how to help leaders switch gears from formal to informal leadership styles for maximum results. Paul wrote, "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." (I Cor. 9:22) Ask the Lord to help you switch gears from formal to informal or from informal to formal leadership styles to maximize the ministry impact
4. The Holy Spirit knows which audiences are most responsive to formal and which people groups are most receptive to informal leadership styles. Paul wrote, "To those under the law I became like one under the law... To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law)." (I Cor. 9:21) Ask the Lord to help you to gain greater wisdom in knowing which audiences are most responsive to either formal or informal leadership styles.
5. The Holy Spirit discerns which occasions it is best to use formal and which situations it is best to apply informal leadership approaches. Paul wrote, "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord." (Rom. 14:5,6) Ask the Lord to give you greater discernment to choose when and where to use formal or informal leadership approaches to your ministries.
6. The Holy Spirit sovereignly leads certain leaders to use more formal or informal leadership styles depending on the greatest needs of the people. Jesus said to Zacchaeus, "Hurry and come down for I must stay at your house." (Luke 19:5) Ask the Lord to sovereignly direct you to use a formal or informal leadership approach depending on the greatest needs of the people you are ministering to.
7. The Holy Spirit directs us emotionally, mentally and spiritually to either a formal or informal approach according to the principles of Christ’s leadership. Jesus said to his disciples, "Have the people sit down. Then he took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted." (John 6:10,11) Ask the Lord to direct you emotionally, mentally and spiritually to either a formal or informal approach according to Christ’s principles of leadership.
8. The Holy Spirit uses examples of a variety of Godly leaders to show us when it more appropriate to use a formal or informal leadership style. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith." (Heb. 13:7) Ask the Lord to help you learn and follow the examples of a variety of Godly leaders who demonstrate skill in switching from a formal to informal style of leadership in their ministries.
Illustration: Quotes
Dwight Eisenhower described leadership as “The act of getting somebody else to do what you want done because he wants to do it.”
Give your decision, never your reasons; your decisions may be right, your reasons are sure to be wrong. - Lord Mansfield
When it is not necessary to make a decision, it is necessary not to make a decision. - Lucius, Second Lord Falkland
Leadership is the ability to hide your panic from others. - Quoted in MSC Newsletter
Look over your shoulder now and then to be sure someone’s following you. - Virginia State Treasurer, Henry Gilmer
Effective leadership is the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of predetermined objectives. - Ted Engstrom
When a general gets too far ahead of his troops, he’s often mistaken for the enemy. - Anon
Leadership is the discipline of deliberately exerting special influence within a group to move it towards goals of beneficial permanence that fulfills the group’s real needs. - Dr. John Haggai, Lead On!
Experts know what should be done; leaders know what should be done and how to get people to do it. - Quoted in C. Barber, Nehemiah and the Dynamics of Leadership, p. 72.
You can judge leaders by the size of the problems they tackle—people nearly always pick a problem their own size, and ignore or leave to others the bigger or smaller ones. - Anthony Jay, in Bits and Pieces, Sept., 1989
Effective leadership is the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of predetermined objectives. - Ted Engstrom, in Erwin Lutzer, Pastor to Pastor, p. 117.
A leader who keeps his ear to the ground allows his rear end to become a target. - Angie Papadakis
You cannot paint the “Mona Lisa” by assigning one dab each to a thousand painters. - William F. Buckley, Jr.
Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Anon
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. - John Maxwell
A leader is a person with a magnet in his heart and a compass in his head. - Vance Havner
Leadership in the local church should be determined by spirituality, not notoriety. - Tony Evans
The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn. - David Russell
It is small wonder where the shepherds hesitate and stumble, that the sheep draw back affrighted. - Scott Nearing.
The captain of a floundering ship does little good by criticizing the crew to the passengers.
In order to give the illusion of authority, one must make immediate changes. - loose paraphrase of Douglas McArthur
The trouble with being a leader today is that you can’t be sure whether people are following you or chasing you.
One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.
Some sources unknown
9. The Holy Spirit instructs us to communicate most effectively in a formal or informal leadership approach. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy." (Heb. 12:14)
Illustration: Nobody Listens
General John Galvin, Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and Commander-in-Chief of U.S. European Command, was asked what was it like to be in charge of so many and various forces.
His reply: “I often feel like the director of a cemetery. I have a lot of people under me, but nobody listens.”
Source unknown
Application: Ask the Lord to instruct you to communicate in a formal or informal leadership style in order to maximize your contribution toward the qualitative and quantitative growth of Christ’s kingdom.
10. The Holy Spirit helps you learn both from experiences or informal learning styles and from formal learning situations. Paul wrote, "I have learned how to be content in any and every situation." (Phil. 4:12)
Application: Ask the Lord to help you continually learn from both your experiences as well as from formal learning situations so you can continue to grow in all aspects into Christ and His ministry skills.
11. The Holy Spirit guides you to use demonstrations, case studies or stories for informal teaching as well as directing you to use principles, theories and ideals for formal instruction occasions. Paul wrote, "Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom." (I Cor. 2:22) Ask God to guide and direct you to either you stories or principles depending on the most preferred learning style of your audience.
12. The Holy Spirit helps you use analytical and deductive styles of teaching for your formally conditioned audiences and intuitive or inductive styles of teaching for your informally conditioned audiences.
Application: Ask the Lord to help you adjust your teaching style to best suit the conditioned learning style of your audience.
Conclusion: Lead Others
Actually, a manager needs the ability not only to make good decisions himself, but also to lead others to make good decisions. Charles Moore, after four years of research at the United Parcel Service reached the following conclusions:
1. Good decisions take a lot of time.
2. Good decisions combine the efforts of a number of people.
3. Good decisions give individuals the freedom to dissent.
4. Good decisions are reached without any pressure from the top to reach an artificial consensus.
5. Good decisions are based on the participation of those responsible for implementing them.*
Source unknown
