Leadership of Small Groups

Small Group Leadership

The most critical aspect of a successful small group ministry is the identification, training, and releasing of leaders. The leadership team of each group will normally consist of a facilitator, host or hosts, and worship leader/s. The facilitator is the team leader and will preside over the meeting.

The best facilitator is able to bring out the best in others. Facilitating a small group requires the ability to listen and acceptance of others.

Listening

Listening does not come naturally. It is a skill that is developed through practice. Making eye contact and maintaining an alert posture is helpful in our ability to listen. Listening requires the capacity to hear through many wrappings--listening beyond the outer layer of spoken words; this involves risk and courage if you are to respond worthily.

Good listeners guard against the judgment of the speaker, against labeling the speaker, and listens with openness, honesty, acceptance, and interest. They listen with expectancy so as to evoke the fullest reality and capacity of the person speaking. They listen to be involved in what the person is relating.

Acceptance

Acceptance is like fertile soil that permits a tiny seed to develop into the lovely flower it is capable of becoming, Unacceptance too often closes people up.; makes them feel defensive, produces discomfort, makes them afraid to talk or to take a look at themselves. Of all the effects of acceptance, none is as important as the inner feeling of the individual that he is loved. To accept another "as he is" is truly an act of love. To feel accepted is to feel loved.

Prerequisites for the facilitator.

• Character: The facilitator should have a track record of displaying the "Fruit of the Spirit," faithful to the ministry, and free from personal ambition
• Commitment: The facilitator should be in agreement with the philosophy, values, goals, style, and priorities of the church.
  
  New facilitators would be selected from an existing small group.
  
  They must be willing and able to commit to the time requirements of leading the group - both training, and ministry.
  
  They must have demonstrated consistent giving of time, energy and financial support to the church.
• Gifting: Filled with the Spirit and able to teach.
• Maturity: One seeking God, worshiping God freely, Teachable - not defensive, Loyal to the pastor and the church and its leadership.
• Call: Senses a call from God to facilitate the group, is approved by the pastor, and affirmed during an evaluation period.

Facilitator's job description

• Maintain a personal walk with God
• Be commitment by consistent attendance at church meetings, monthly leadership meetings, special seminars, and further training.
• Develop the team - Host or hostess and worship leaders. Reproduce yourself by developing new facilitators every 6 to 12 months.
• Lead meetings: Schedule the best time to meet for the group. Maintain general outline for the meetings. Schedule time for fellowship, worship, sharing, teaching, prayer ministry, outreach activities, and fun nights and invite new people.

Small groups 3 – What should happen in your small group?

What should happen in your small group? 

It depends.........What is your principle purpose for your small groups?

•  Developing closer relationships between church members,
• Assimilating new people,
• Numerical Growth'
• Spiritual growth,
• Equipping opportunities,
• Developing new leadership,
• and/or Maintaining accountability.

The format and content of your small groups will be determined by your purpose and your church’s values and priorities.

Over the years we have initiated small group ministries in several different churches - often with different values and priorities - but most of the content was consistent and based upon Acts 2:42. 

After Pentecost, the followers of “The Way” gathered together on a regular basis.

Acts 2:42 (NIV)  They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

It is always important for the meetings to begin on time and to close on time. The fastest way to kill a small group is to start late and end late. Life today is jammed with important activities and people are hesitant to commit to a new activity unless they realize its value.

• Open on time: Group leadership generally includes the leader, hosts, and worship leaders who need to arrive early so the meeting can begin at the prescribed time whether or not anyone else is there. 
• Closing is a little trickier. Almost always there will be ministry to individuals that cannot be stopped at the closing time. It is important that those not directly involved in ministry be released to go to another room for snacks or go home.
• We normally started the sessions with the singing of praise and worship songs to provide a transition from a hectic worldly schedule to a more relaxed, worshipful, and spiritual mood.  
  When groups are new and people do not know each other well we have found “Ice Breakers” useful to learn more about one another. You can find any number of “Ice Breakers” in youth ministry resources. They are great to get for adults loosened up!
  It is best to break the ice after all have arrived – after the worship time.
• Then it is time for an opening prayer.
• Sharing of scripture: This is not a time for a lecture, sermon, or even a homily. It is important that each person has an opportunity to interact with the scripture. 
  The leader is a facilitator, rather than a teacher. As such, he/she must have an overall direction as to where he/she will guide the discussion, through questions to which others will respond.
• Sharing of needs: At this point, everyone is encouraged to share what is going on in their lives and to share prayer needs. Be careful here, because there will always be some who feel a need to dominate this time week after week with the same issues. Leaders must understand how to handle this with grace and firmness.
• Individual Prayer ministry. 
• Closing prayer and dismissal
• Snack time and fellowship after the closing. [this was optional as some would have to get home.]

Please feel free to share your comments or suggestions below!

Why your church needs small groups

Why your church needs small groups.        

Studies have shown that visitors come to your church for three main reasons:

• A few, 6 - 8 %, just walk in because the church is in their neighborhood and it is connected to their background either denominationally or theologically.
• Some 8 -12% have heard about the Pastor on the radio, television, or through the community.
• But most, 70 -80 %, come because they were invited by a friend or relative.

That’s how they get in the first time. But what is it that makes them want to come back and perhaps become active members? 

Relationships! 

They either have a relationship with someone in the church or they expect to be able to develop relationships with people in the church.

Then, after they are in the church for about six months, they may question their commitment: 

• Am I needed? 
• Can I make friends? 
• Where do I fit in?

Then after they have been there a year they might ask a different set of questions:

• Is my work appreciated? 
• Are my friends in church as good as my friends in the world? 
• Does the church fit my needs?

Small groups provide the means to respond to these concerns and even avoid them entirely. 

The normal person can know about 70 people on a social level.  It is possible to be close friends with up to about 14 - 17 people.  And we can be deeply close with only a few. 

There are three primary levels of personal relationships;

• community,
• social
• and intimate. 

Notice that Jesus had three deeply close disciples, twelve that He knew intimately, seventy that were part of His ministry team, and hundreds of followers. 

Community

Community gives us an identity and the realization there are others like us. It provides opportunities to be with others who share our interests.  Communities are usually established based upon a common background. 

If our church commitment never moves beyond community it is unlikely that relationships with fellow church members will ever grow beyond a casual nod once a week on Sunday morning.

Social

The second level of relationship is social and is generally made up of groups of people who are socially acquainted.  Each person knows everyone else, generally by name.  It is almost impossible for an outsider not to be immediately identified.  

In churches, social relationships are encouraged through Sunday school classes, Men's and Women's fellowships, the choir, committee meetings and social events such as potlucks, bowling or softball.  Any newcomer who is willing has the opportunity to enter into the group and get acquainted.  These groups actually become small congregations and are useful in satisfying the need for assimilating new members into the body. 

For many of us, our life is filled with social obligations.  We spend time running from one event to another from one meeting to the next.  We run to choir practice, to Boy Scouts, to Little League practice, to the neighbor’s party, etc.  

But even with all these activities, people are still lonely.  So they sign up for new activities hoping that will satisfy their loneliness.  Yet the more social events they attend, the lonelier they become.

Intimacy

Years ago the need for intimacy was satisfied by the extended family, those close friends and family members with whom we had developed trust and confidence.  

Today with our transient, fast-paced and troubled society, families are spread across the country, people are too busy to really get to know their neighbors and too fearful in some areas to go outside. 

As a result, the lack of intimate loving relationships has become one of the chief contributors to problems of sexual immorality, mental health and substance abuse as people search the wrong places for meaningful and loving relationships. 

To paraphrase Jesus, "the greatest commandment is to love God completely, and your neighbor as you love yourself. This implies intimate, honest and safe relationships.

We are called into relationship with God and relationship with others. Both relationships must be more than a superficial, social relationship. The relationships need to be loving and above all trusting where we can be honest, objective and fearless.  It is impossible to develop these deep relationships in large groups.  That is why social activities generally fail in drawing people close together.  

Small groups provide the opportunity for people to develop intimate, trusting, and honest relationships, vertical with God and horizontal with others.

They provide the glue that will hold a body together.

Send us your comments. 

Be Your own Church Consultant!

Are consultants really necessary? 

Are they worth the cost and disruption? 

The CEO of a small tech company in Chicago had a vision of becoming a large presence in its market. He was a financial expert with a great track record, but had little experience in marketing and engineering. So he hired a consultant with the proper credentials. 

At the time, I was a young, newly promoted, division manager responsible for new product development and compliance evaluation. With the arrogance of the young, I said to myself, “We don’t need a consultant, I can tell them what is wrong here.”

In time the consultant moved in and took a desk in the office across from me. He spent the next three weeks with a notebook under his arm, asking everybody questions. Eventually, he got to me and went through the litany of questions. Months later, his report came in and I was anxious to discover what he had discovered. I was amused and somewhat angry when I realized his recommendations were almost completely in line with what I had told him. (I began to consider a career in consulting.)

Was hiring the consultant a waste of time? Some - including myself - thought so. But now I am not sure. The advantages of hiring a consultant are:

• He knows the right questions to ask.
• Information that costs something is normally accepted over free advice.
• Independence assures there is no agenda.

If you want to be your own consultant you can just follow the steps listed below.

1. Identify where you are today?
2. Determine where you want to go.
3. Develop a plan to get from here to there.

The apostle Paul was the first church consultant. 

The apostle Paul was probably the most successful church planter of all time.  Converted on the Damascus road in about 33 AD, his ministry lasted for approximately 30 years.  During that time Christianity, which began as a movement within the Jewish community in Israel, became predominantly a Gentile cult, at least in the eyes of the authorities of the Roman Empire. Before AD 47 there were no churches in  Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia and Asia.  By AD 57 Paul could speak as if his work there was done. He certainly had the credentials to be a consultant. 

His letters to the churches read like a consultants report.

• They include paragraphs that specify what the church is doing right.
• They include those things that need improvement.
• They include recommended actions.
• They provide encouragement.

In his letters Paul often thanks God for those things that the church is doing well, while offering prayers about those things where they fall short. Lets look at a few:

Ephesians 1:15-18

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 

1. Note that Paul is thanking God for their faith and their love for the each other.
2. But, he is praying that the eyes of their heart may be opened so that they might know Hope. 

Obviously they were losing hope.

Col.1:3-5;9

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 

1. Paul Thanks them for their faith, love and hope.
2. But in verse 9, he prays that their knowledge of God's will would grow.

1Thes.1:2-3

 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 

1. Paul gives thanks for their work of faith, labor of love and Steadfastness of hope.  
2. But in 2 Thes., he gives thanks for their faith and love but, does not mention their hope.  Why?  Because there was a teaching that Paul was countering that the rapture had come and they had been left behind.

If you as the leader are willing to ask your people two questions, you will be able to measure the state of the church. 

1. What would the apostle Paul thank God for in our church?
2. What would the apostle Paul pray to the Father for our church?

Asking these questions will reveal much. 

Several years ago we became the pastor of a church that was divided by controversy. After six months, we called a meeting of all the leaders. We broke them into three small groups sitting around tables and asked these two questions. 

The response to question 2 was “More Love.” 

We then asked each table to put together a list of things that could be done to have more love in the body. We did not have to make any official rules or take any actions to increase love. Just highlighting the feelings that the church body lacked love had its effect. 

A year later we asked the same two questions. 

This time Love was the answer to question number one. In one year there had been a significant change. 

Consultants can make us aware of our weaknesses. When we know what they are, we are able to transform our weaknesses to our strengths, with or without a consultant.

If You’re so Damn Smart, Why aren’t You Rich and Famous?

George was the smartest kid in senior high. There wasn’t a test or class he didn’t ace. It wasn’t just that he was intelligent, he was conscientious and studied hard. He ended his senior year with the record - which still stands - of the highest grade-point average ever obtained. He was class valedictorian with scholarship offers from several prestigious universities. Which scholarship he would accept and what wonderful things he would accomplish after college were the subjects of discussion in the teacher’s lounge and students locker rooms. Everyone was shocked when George announced that he was not going to college and would take over his family’s small farm. He would farm there for the rest of his life. Why did George choose to become a farmer, and run a modest family farm over assured financial security and probable national recognition?

George was intelligent but not nearly as mentally gifted as Mark. Mark graduated  “Summa cum laude” from one of those prestigious universities. He was a mathematical genius and was hired into the military intelligence community as an analyst specializing in encryption and decryption. Mark was flawed, he was continually getting into financial because of his inability to manage his life and his checkbook.

Mark and George are real people and their stories are true as I remember them. Only their names have been changed to protect their identity. Two stories of smart people who never became rich or famous but certainly could have. George had other interests. Fame and fortune did not motivate him. Mark had a desire for fame and fortune but was not motivated to discipline himself to achieve what he was capable of achieving.

We have come to believe that fame and fortune are the principle goals of life, especially here in America where everyone has the freedom to achieve the “American Dream.” As a result leaders - in business, the armed services, and most other organizations - tend to use the carrot of fame and/or fortune as the primary motivator in hiring and promoting personnel. As I was progressing through the ranks of corporate business, I was often offered a title in lieu of salary increase. Fame motivated me as I climbed the corporate ladder. When I reached the top, I found that my ladder was positioned on the wrong building.

Unfortunately, fame and fortune are poor motivators for much of today’s workforce. Motivation has been studied by social and educational psychologists since the early 1970s. Research has found that intrinsic motivation is usually associated with high educational achievement and enjoyment by students. People are likely to be intrinsically motivated if they attribute their personal growth to internal factors that they can control, they believe they can be effective in reaching desired goals, and they are interested in mastering a task. This explains the “Starving Artist” or the writer that continues to write despite having no book sales.

Author, Daniel Pink, in his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us  describes how traditional forms of motivation may, in some cases, decrease performance. He cites studies conducted with college students in the United States. The researchers found that as long as the task required only mechanical or routine performance, extrinsic rewards worked well. Higher pay given for higher performance yielded better performance. Reward and punishment motivated the people when they were required to just follow the rules. However, when the task became more complicated and required even a small bit of conceptual or creative thinking, extrinsic rewards failed to motivate and even reduced levels of performance. Higher pay for solving puzzles, for creative thinking, and for more complicated tasks had a negative effect on performance. There was a concern that American college students were not representative of a complete society. So the researchers moved their testing to Madurai, India. The villagers were given similar tests and the results were consistent despite the obvious cultural differences.

According to Pink, there are three major intrinsic factors which have the power to motivate individuals engaged in other than routine tasks; autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Autonomy

 The leader must accept the fact that someone else might do the same task differently.  If the organization were to succeed, the employees must be free to perform their tasks with a certain amount of autonomy. They needed to be free to make mistakes and learn from their mistakes. The leader is still be required to guide and teach, but not command and control. Creativity and motivation flow like a river. The leader can provide levees to channel the water but should not be a dam which stops the flow. But what happens if the job is really boring? How do we motivate someone? Pink suggests three methods:

1. Offer a rationale for why the task is necessary. A job that’s not inherently interesting can become more meaningful, and therefore more engaging, if it’s part of a larger purpose.  
2. Acknowledge that the task is boring. This is an act of empathy, of course. 
3. Allow people to complete the task their own way. Think autonomy, not control. State the outcome you need, instead of specifying precisely the way to achieve reach it.

In today’s Post-Modern society, autonomy is a strong motivator. People want to feel they have ownership and control over their lives. They want to control their own destiny. They are less likely to accept authoritarian leadership. But personal autonomy as a motivator is not new. Each of us has a desire to be self-directed. Traditional management techniques demand compliance. But if you want engagement, self-direction is a better motivator.

In his 1985 book,” Tillapaugh, Frank R. Unleashing the Church, getting people out of the fortress into ministry, Regal Books, 1982, Ventura, CA  author and ministry leader Frank R. Tillapaugh, describes how his church grew to provide a powerful outreach to his community. When someone came to him with a concern for a certain people group or community, they would often say, “Someone ought to do something.” Tillapaugh would then encourage the person with the concern to research what was needed, what was currently available, and figure out what could be done in the future to provide help. Tillapaugh provided resources and advice, but he released them to start and lead a new program.  He provided resources and guidance but gave them complete autonomy. While some of these outreaches failed, many more became successful and expanded the impact of the ministry in the community.

Mastery

In the fifth grade, Rhonda was an average student, working hard in school. Like most pre-teens it was difficult every morning to get her up and off to school. Then one day she came home and announced she wanted to play the flute in the school band. Up until then she had no musical ambitions other than dancing classes. As she continued her flute lessons, her whole attitude toward school changed. Now she was up early and in a hurry to get off to school. She enjoyed being in the band and growing in her musical abilities. One summer she attended band camp and continued to master her music. Mastery of her instrument and music was the motivator that gave her a new perspective about school.

Rita dreamed of becoming an oil painter but lacked the confidence to pursue the art. An ad in the local newspaper for a class in oil painting caught her eye. It read, “NO Experience Necessary.” For the next several years she was motivated by the challenge to master the art of painting. On each class day, there was hardly anything that could stop her from getting to class. Today, her oil paintings are displayed in private collections throughout the world. She has her own studio and teaches aspiring artists. As she teaches, Rita’s mastery continues to grow. She continues to be motivated as she continues toward mastery.

There are thousands of amateur musicians who practice daily and sometimes play gigs on weekends. Why do they do it? It does not support them. They do it because they enjoy playing and face the continual challenge of mastering their art. It has been said that a musician is someone that takes a $3,000 instrument, puts it in a $1,000 car and drives to a gig where they earns $30.

Mastery is the urge to improve ourselves. It does not matter whether it is playing an instrument, teaching a class, or digging a ditch. Human beings have this deep-seated desire to master something. Motivation to work harder comes from the desire to become excellent at something.

Significance

There was once a man I knew who dug ditches for a living. There were some who looked down on him because of his job and the dirt that clung to his cloths after a day in toiling in mud. But I admired him because he sought excellence in digging ditches. He knew the importance of each ditch that he dug. His ditches carried away rain water saving communities from flooding. His ditches provided sanitary removal of human waste which prevented disease and epidemics. His ditches were used to provide fresh water to houses all over town. His task as a ditch digger had more significance than that of many of his critics.

In an organization, there are many levels of workers from the top leader to the person that cleans the toilets. Each one can be motivated if they feel their particular job is important.  Leaders must let everyone know how important their particular job will be to the success of the organization. Realizing the significance of one’s position will motivate each one to do their very best in each situation.

But, how does the president of a manufacturing company convince an assembly line worker that his role is significant? How does the chairman of the board of a software company convince the janitor that his job is significant?

There are three primary steps that will convince people that their position and task has significance:

1. The leaders themselves must be convinced that their organization has a significant role to fulfill in society. They must understand that it is not about making a profit; it is about providing a product or a service which is significant and meaningful to the world outside of the organization.
2. Leaders at every level must be convinced of the significance of their own particular role in the organization.
3. When new employees are hired or new members join, they must be convinced of the importance of organization’s products and services, and the importance of their particular role to which they will be assigned. Each one must be convinced to seek excellence in performing his or her function. 

If the top managers do not feel the significance of their organization, its products, and services, they should not be filling these positions. If they are just in it for the prestige, money, or power, they will be ineffective in truly leading the organization. When middle managers, production line workers, and janitors detect the insincerity of the top managers, they will not give their best efforts.

Bessie, at age seventy-five, was one of the happiest people alive. Each morning she opened her eyes and thanked God for another day. When you met her on the street she seemed to bubble with joy and excitement. It seemed totally out of place for someone dying of an incurable disease. She had accepted her condition and knew it was only a matter of time when her eyes would be closed forever. She took radiation and Chemo-Therapy treatments regularly leaving her tired and keeping her from even simple physical tasks. One morning after her treatment at the local hospital, Bessie came into my office and literally flopped into the visitor’s chair. There was something different in her eyes today. This was the first time I had ever seen her sad. She seemed almost depressed. My mind began to race with thoughts of bad news from her doctors.

Heaving a deep sigh of resignation, Bessie was very subdued as she spoke, “I have just come from the cancer ward. There are so many patients and families there that are confused, worried, and desperate. It is so sad. My heart is breaking for them and I don’t know what I can do about it. I feel the need to pray for them, cheer them up, and minister to their families. But I don’t know how or what to do.”

 After considering her concern, I gave her an assignment, “Bessie, the first thing you need is the permission from the hospital. They have strict rules about who can approach patients in treatment rooms. They have had some bad experiences with some well-meaning people in the past. I’ll call the Director of Patient Services and make an appointment for you. She is the only one with the authority to give you permission. Then explain to her what you want to do.”

A couple of days later Bessie burst into my office with a big grin on her face. “They told me I could do it.” She paused and looked confused, “But, what do I do now? Where do I start?”

We discussed ways to approach the patients and decided to just follow the leading of the Spirit.

After two years of ministry to cancer patients and their families Bessie succumbed to her own cancer leaving behind a legacy of, cancer survivors, thankful families, amazed doctors and nurses, and a treatment room that had been transformed from a dark and deathly cell into a place of hope, peace, and thanksgiving even in the midst of sorrow and uncertainty.

Bessie, at age seventy-five, found significance.

What motivates you? Share in the comments section.

Motivational Gifts

Don was an evangelist. 

He was not in the manner of a Billy Graham or even a Greg Laurie. Don never filled a pulpit, nor spoke to large crowds. Don just loved to talk about Jesus. You could not be in a conversation with him for very long when the subject would turn to his Lord and Savior. There was no forcing the conversation, no hype, just a mention in a normal conversation which always turned to what God had done for him. Don did not drive to his work six miles away. He preferred to ride the bus. He told us, “You never know who you might meet on the bus.” Often people would show up at church on Sunday morning or Sunday evening and tell us, “Don sent me.”

The church began an outreach and evangelism program and who better, we thought, to head it up other than Don. A few months later we realized there was a problem. Our new program was not going anywhere, and worst of all Don had quit talking to strangers about Jesus. We belatedly realized that while Don’s motivational gifts were encouragement and proclamation, he was not a leader, and his failure to lead the evangelism program bothered him so much that he no longer had the passion to share Jesus.

This is what happens in many churches as we try to fill positions of ministry and leadership with whatever warm body will accept the job. Then, because the task does not fall in their area of gifting, they burn out rapidly.

Spiritual gifts are talked about throughout the Bible, one of which is found

in Romans 12:5-8

"so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; ⁷or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; ⁸he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."

These seven gifts listed above are called the “Motivational Gifts.” God gives to each person one or more of these gifts which motivate that person to be iserve Him in a specific manner. When a person is operating in these gifts he or she feels that they are fulfilling their purpose and mastering their role in life.

After seeing the problems with Don and many others over the years we made a very conscious decision that anyone taking on a role in our church would complete a motivational gifts assessment questionnaire and find out where they fit in. We later extended the questionnaire to all members. In that way, when a position came open, we could go through the membership gift listing to identify the best candidate. This is much better than just grabbing a willing warm body but it still requires confirmation by the Holy Spirit.

Identification of your motivational gifting is not just an intellectual exercise to allow you to learn more about yourself. Obviously with the results of your questionnaire you are able to identify ministry areas which you feel most comfortable.

Our book, "Motivation, Your Guide to Fitting In' is now available, for a limited time at aslanministries.org or just click on the book icon below.

Click here to Get your free Motivational gifts book today!

Bill Johnson

Where have all the leaders gone?

Where have all the leaders gone, long time passing?

Where have all the leaders gone, long time ago?
Where have all the leaders gone?
Young folks pick them, every one
When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?

[apologies to Pete Seeger]

Leadership is a lost art today. Where did it go? Our leaders have morphed into managers. Rather than defeat terrorists, we manage them. Rather than lead a nation we manage a nation. Rather than Generals leading their troops, they manage a war.

In ancient days, kings went out in front of their armies as the battle was joined.  In front of their men they got a clear view of the goal and a feel for the cost of victory. In that position, they would be vulnerable to the slings and arrows of the opposing forces. The soldiers loved it because their hero and leader was by their side. They readily followed their leader. Of course there was a huge risk to the king, but a triumphant victory was worth taking the risk. For the leader, the material rewards of gold and land were valuable, but the intrinsic reward of personal achievement was even more important.

As time passed, kings began to believe survival was more important than material rewards and personal satisfaction. So they became managers and sent others in their place. Generals now led the troops into battle and gained self actualization. But soon the generals decided it would be safer to manage and survive. And so it went.

Leadership, throughout history, has been a risky business. Leaders stand out. They have a big target on their back. You do not have to guess who are leaders, they are the ones others are following. You can repeatedly say you are a leader, but if you look behind you and there is no one to be seen, you are not leading. Leading from behind is not leading, it is at best managing, or just following.

While living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we went crabbing on the local pier. A smelly chicken wing in an old crab pot would trap a few crabs in about ten minutes. The catch was put into a bucket as we dropped the baited pot for another load. A lid on the crab bucket was not necessary. When you have more than one crab in the bucket, the crabs won’t escape. If one tries to crawl out of the bucket, the others reach up with their claws and pull him back into the bucket. Crabs will always pull others down to their level. Eventually the brave crabs will forget their desire to climb above the other crabs and settle down and “just get along,” and be ordinary.

Most people give up after the crabs keep pulling them down to their level and we learn to live with mediocrity. We play it safe and try to manage instead of leading. Leadership becomes a bad thing.

The transition from leading to managing has impacted our entire society. In business managers today's bottom line becomes an idol, reducing long term planning and research and development. As a result our nations creativity has fallen victim to the managers. Quality has been replaced by quantity and shoddy products. Just do enough to get by. In our schools grades become less important because someone might try to lead and get a higher rank over another. In kids sports, everyone gets a trophy whether they were deserving or not. 

Mediocrity has taken over and is greatly over-rated. In giving everyone extrinsic rewards, we have done away with the intrinsic motivators of autonomy, mastering a skill, and/or getting a hard earned  victory. 

In the political arena the emphasis is no longer on individual leadership but on keeping the party in power. Leaders are pulled down to the common level by the rest of the crabs in the bucket. We become Borglike and as we are assimilated.

Presidents and kings today, sitting in their war rooms push a button and a drone attacks. How can the highest official do anything but manage. He cannot feel the heat of battle, he no longer knows his troops, he no longer takes personal risks. And at the end of the battle, he can not take any pride at personal accomplishment.

I do not propose that presidents pick up rifles and lead the troops into battle. What I do propose is that we begin to encourage individual initiative, creative leadership, and a purpose beyond ourselves. Encourage people to take risks. The rewards are still out there.

The Five Things I have Learned About Change

"Catalyst," that was the designation given me after taking a battery of tests during a board meeting of an international renewal organization. The test was designed to identify the leadership style of organizational leaders. Other possibilities were "entrepreneur," "implementer" and "maintainer." That was twenty five years ago and it was the first time I had heard the term "catalyst used in connection with leadership. Today "catalyst" is used extensively in leadership and business literature. Unfortunately it is often misused and misunderstood. Basically a catalyst is a substance added to a chemical reaction that speeds up the process of change. A catalytic leader is one who speeds up change in an organization. The opposite of a catalyst is called an "inhibitor."

In many organizations today there is a need for change, which requires the presence of a catalyst. Unfortunately, where change is required and it is not happening, there is a preponderance of inhibitors.

As one who encourages good change, I have learned five things about change.

1.   Change is inevitable. You cannot stand still. If you are not moving ahead, you will be falling backwards. Things are always going to change. The question then becomes, "Will we change for the better or the worse?"

2.   Change will cause conflict. Change means there will be movement. When there is movement there is friction. Friction brings heat. Where there is heat there is fire. There will always be conflict when change occurs, but conflict can be resolved.

3.   Change requires courage. Bringing about positive change is not for the fainthearted. There will be inhibitors fighting you and inertia which must be overcome. You will want to give up when the going gets tough but you must carry it through to the finish.   

4.   True change cannot be imposed from the outside. True change does not come about by imposing someone's will upon another. Churches as well as business organizations have a specific culture and personality. Changing this does not come from changing programs or styles of worship. True change will only come about as core values and priorities are changed.

5 True change takes time and patience. When a catalyst is added to the process, the rate of change can be increased.

Aslan Ministries provides church leadership tools for assisting each organization or church that desires to become all that God created it to be.

Bill Johnson