I heard Adrian Rogers give this example: We all have seen Canada Geese fly in their V formation with one leg of the V formation longer than the other leg. Why do they fly in the V formation? The lead goose is making it easier for the other geese who are following his lead. He is moving the wind resistance of the other geese following him. The rest are cruising. But after awhile the lead goose gets tired and drops back and the next goose moves up. Engineers in the wind tunnel experiments have discovered that geese flying in the V formation can fly 72% further than by themselves flying alone. Geese flying in the V formation illustrate the necessity and advantages of practicing both leadership and followship.
Cyril Barber, in his commentary on Nehemiah, transfers this principle into all of life; “Middle management involves being able to translate the ideals of one’s superiors into practice and, at the same time, knowing how to motivate one’s subordinates. It necessitates keeping corporate goals in mind, while encouraging individuals to strive for personal achievement” Cyril J. Barber, Nehemiah and the Dynamics of Effective Leadership, page 26).
Most of us live in a middle management role of some kind. Most of us have superiors who lead us and subordinates whom we lead. We are all accountable to someone.
Middle managers lead line workers and follow their senior management.
Executive pastors leads a congregation and follows their senior pastors.
Teachers instruct students and follow their principle.
Wives train their children and follow their husbands.
Nehemiah teaches us the third mark of lay leadership: He follows his leader.
Here are Six Marks of Leadership in Nehemiah:
1. He Shows Concern for God’s Work (Nehemiah 1:1-4)
2. He Prays for God’s People (Nehemiah 1:5-11)
3. He Follows his Leader (Nehemiah 1:11-2:8)
4. He Motivates his Followers (Nehemiah 2:9-20)
5. He Organizes his Work (Nehemiah 3:1-32)
6. He Handles his Opposition (Nehemiah 4-6)
How can we practice followship in order to also exert leadership?
1. By Praying for your Leader (1:11)
Nehemiah prayed four months for his unsaved leader. Nehemiah prayed from December to March with no results. There were no entries in his prayer journal for four months. We know from his model prayer in 1:5-11, he used promises from Scripture in his prayers. Maybe he also used Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he will.” Swindoll really develops this verse in light of Nehemiah’s crisis with his superior. The word "rivers" means channels and refers to irrigation canals carrying water. The king’s heart is not a river randonly flowing with no direction or purpose. But the heart of the king and your superior is a divinely directed canal under the sovereign control of the God to whom we pray (Hand Me Another Brick, page 44).
Nehemiah talked to his Divine King before he negotiated with his human king.
This principle is also taught in the N T (1 Tim 2:1-2; Rom 15:30). These verses should be seriously studied and applied. Do we pray for our President and members of Congress? Sometimes we say if someone has not registered and voted then he has no right to criticize the current state of affairs. The same applies to praying for our leaders. If we have not prayed then we should not be criticizing. Do we pray for our pastors? These verses command us to pray for these leaders in our lives.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon is one of the most influential and most quoted pastors of all time. Yet Spurgeon gave the credit for the success of his ministry to his praying church. Spurgeon would take visitors to the basement prayer-room where a significant group of his members were on their knees praying for him. Spurgeon called that prayer room the powerhouse of his church.
Maybe more churches would produce more Spurgeons if more churches prayed like Spurgeon’s church. We can practice followship first by praying for our leaders (1:11).
2. By Practicing Loyalty (2:1-3)
When the king noticed Nehemiah’s sad countenance, Nehemiah admitted he was afraid. “Nehemiah had good reason to be frightened. Subjects who were noticeably sad or melancholic in the presence of the king were usually killed for ‘raining on his parade’ (Charles R. Swindoll, Hand Me Another Brick, page 48).
Because dictators were insecure from the possibility of assassinations, the job description of cupbearers included having pleasant personalities, wearing bright clothing, and smiling a lot. Nehemiah had no problem with this job description because he was genuinely loyal to his leader which was expressed in his reply, “Long live the king.” This was not just proper protocol for Nehemiah. Nehemiah had not fallen into the two extremes among followers: followers who simply “yes men” and others who live to make their leaders look bad. Nehemiah was geniunely loyal.
Nehemiah was not the exception to this mark of leadership which other examples prove. David was loyal to wicked king Saul for 15 years in between David’s two anointing when David was a fugitive on the run from King Saul. David had two chances to retaliate and take Saul’s life in 1 Samuel 24 and 26 but he did not. If you read these two opportunities David had to kill his enemy you will be amazed at David’s love and loyalty for his superior who was out to get him not promote him.
Ruth was loyal to Naomi her mother-in-law in the days of disloyalty (Judges 21:15). Ruth 1:16 is not what a bride vows to her groom at their wedding ceremony but what a daughter-in-law vows to her mother-in-law.
Peter Drucker gave this warning to those who would push back this principle, "Contrary to popular legend, subordinates do not, as a rule, rise to position and prominence over the prostrate bodies of incompetent bosses. If their boss is not promoted, they will tend to be bottled up behind him. And if their boss is relieved for incompetence or failure, the successor is rarely the bright, young man next in line. He usually is brought in from the outside and brings with him his own bright, young men. Conversely, there is nothing quite as conducive to success, as a successful and rapidly promoted superior" (The Effective Executive. New York: Harper & Row, 1985, page 93).
Loyalty is necessary because it is Biblical (Hebrews 13:17) and because it promotes the unity and effectiveness of the ministry where it is practiced.
3. By Expressing Yourself with Tact (2:5, 7).
Twice Nehemiah respectfully said to his superior, “If it please the king.” Andrew Carnegie gave insight to this principle, “If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive” (How To Win Friends and Influence People. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1963, page 19). Nehemiah did not slam his fist down and demand his rights.
Again Nehemiah is not the exception of this mark of leadership. Aquila and Priscilla were tactful to Apollos in Acts 18:24-28. Because Aquilla and Priscilla had sat under the ministry of Paul they were cutting edge in their knowledge of Scripture. Apollos was at least 20 years behind theologically still holding to the baptism of John the Baptist. To bring their preacher up to date they took him aside privately and brought this to his attention. Because Aquilla and Priscilla and Apollos were humble and tact was practiced, the church was better for it.
J. Oswald Sanders defined tact as the “skill in reconciling opposing viewpoints without giving offense and without compromising principle….The same thing can be said in a tactful and in an untactful manner. One shoe salesman said to his client, ‘I’m sorry, madam, but your foot is too large for this shoe.’ The other salesman said to his client who was in a similar situation, ‘I’m sorry, madam, but this shoe is small for your foot.’ Each used almost exactly the same words, but tact and diplomacy caused one to make a slightly different emphasis by a slight difference of phrasing, and secured a loyal and satisfied customer” (Spiritual Leadership, page 67).
Nehemiah wanted something the king had forbidden 13 years earlier in Ezra
4:21. Because Nehemiah acknowledged his leaders right to disapprove, he requested permission to do what God had put in his heart. Daniel also displayed this attitude in Daniel 1 when he refused to eat the king’s meat yet “requested” of his superior “that he might not defile himself.” God blesses respectful attitudes not talent, I.Q. nor skill.
4. By Offering Positive Alternatives (2:6-8)
Nehemiah did not criticize the king’s plan. Nehemiah carefully researched and offered an alternative plan. Perhaps Nehemiah picked his brother’s brain who just returned from Jerusalem.
Nehemiah not only prayed for four months, he planned for four months. Nehemiah knew he would need a visa, a passport and protection. And once in the king’s forest which was under the supervision of Asaph, Nehemiah would also need a requisition to secure lumber to rebuild the walls. All of this was carefully thought out in the plan Nehemiah presented to the king when God answered his prayer to change the king’s heart. Finally, Nehemiah included himself as part of the solution.
This is the way to respond to a ministry or situation in your church or organization. If you disagree, instead of simply finding fault, come up with a positive alternative and volunteer to be in charge.
5. By Giving God the Glory (2:8c)
Nehemiah was a forceful leader as we shall shortly see. First, he was a faithful follower. His followship was not a sign of weakness. He knew his place in the chain of command. Nehemiah was most importantly blessed by God because of his humble and godly attitude. Nehemiah knew his success with his superior was not because of his people skills nor his visionary planning but rather because God’s good hand was upon him.
I have other sermons and blog posts at drtimwhite.com.
