Healthy Leaders | Issue 15
Gossip and forgiveness, logs and storks, relational leaders, and a quartet of innovative Bible-reading options.
Welcome to Issue 15 of Healthy Leaders.
In this issue ‒ gossip and forgiveness, logs and storks, relational leaders, and a quartet of innovative Bible-reading options. Let’s dive in.
My Favorite Way to Read the New Testament
Let’s start off with some illuminating ways to read the New Testament. Peter Krol recommends four unique tracks.
“There’s nothing magical about these four tracks, but I find them helpful in showcasing and explaining the message of Christ in four specific ways.”
12 Reasons Gossip Is Destructive to a Church
If you’re a leader in any capacity, you’ve probably encountered the effects of gossip in your church or ministry. Chuck Lawless gives us some tips on just how insidious it can be. Here’s a few of many reasons:
“… It harms reputations. It takes only one rumor to harm a brother or sister, and it’s tough to recover once the rumor’s out. We only weaken the family of God through gossip.
It destroys trust. Here’s where gossips are often so focused on spreading their news that they miss their own foolishness. Gossips may be trying to hurt others, but what they prove is only that they themselves are completely untrustworthy.
It’s a stumbling block for others. By “others,” I mean those who listen to the gossip—particularly, those who find themselves listening with zeal and anticipation. In those cases, the gossiper leads the “gossip hearer” down the road toward sin. …”
God Is Eager to Forgive You
Cindy Matson at Revive Our Hearts offers resounding hope for those of us who find God’s desire to welcome us back with open arms a bit unbelievable.
“Isaiah assures the people that this isn’t the case. God promises to show favor at the faintest whisper of a cry. He promises to answer “as soon as He hears.” No probation. Just the ear of God, listening to the cry of a penitent sinner’s heart. He doesn’t see you as “damaged goods,” a “second-class citizen,” or a blight on His church. The sinner who has turned to Christ in forgiveness has the righteousness of the Savior credited to his account. It’s this righteousness, not the black mark of sin, that the forgiving Father sees.
Just as the Father of the wayward son freely and fully reinstated the prodigal to sonship status, so God will not send you to the minor leagues before calling you back up to the majors. He’s just waiting to hear your cry.”
Log, Stork, or Servant Leader: Which Will You Be?
Abusive leaders are often motivated by greed and use gossip to achieve their ends. Here’s Malcolm Webber drawing a connection from a very old fable to today’s leadership landscape.
“Aesop tells the story of a group of frogs who searched for the leader of their dreams. One of them found a log and brought it back to the pond, and, for a while, the frogs were happy with their new leader.
Soon, however, they found out they could jump up and down on their new leader and run all over him. He offered no resistance nor even a response. The log did not have any direction or purpose in his behavior, but just floated back and forth in the pond. This practice exasperated the frogs, who now decided they needed “strong leadership.”
Abandoning their log-leader, they went back to their search for a leader. Finally, one of them found a stork and persuaded him to return to the pond and be the frogs’ leader. The stork stood tall above the members of the group and certainly had the appearance of a leader.
The frogs were quite happy with their new leader. Their leader stalked around the pond making great noises and attracting great attention. Their joy turned to sorrow, however, and ultimately to panic, for, in a very short time, the stork began to eat the frogs.
The frogs were like some followers who go from one extreme to the other. If only they had chosen a different kind of leader!”
So, which one will you be?
10 Essential Ways Leaders Build Relationship with Their Team Members
You may not be as commanding as a stork or as gentle as a log, but according to Dan Reiland, leaders should be at least a little bit likable. I know that’s not what some of you wanted to hear…
When coaching a leader who’s in a difficult situation, I ask them a blunt question. “Do they like you?” The response is usually a startled, “What? What do you mean?” “I mean, do the people you work with like you?”
That may seem overly simplistic to what is likely a complicated situation, but the answer has a significant influence on the outcome.
If the people you work with like you, the potential to work out the conflict or get through a difficult circumstance is high. If they don’t, you are traveling uphill for sure.
An important question is how much do you invest in relationships? It’s like putting money in the bank. The more you have invested, the greater the returns, and over time it’s compounding in your favor.
In contrast, if you relationally make more withdrawals than contributions, over time, the people you work with won’t want to work with you.
The relational advice he offers isn’t just vital for building relationships with followers, it also applies to those not directly under your leadership. If you want to grow in this area, we have a design for that.
Don’t Forget!
Our free global training on Transformational Theology is coming up December 7! Put it on your calendar, and register here.
That’s all for this one, friends. If you found something encouraging in this letter, share it with a friend. If you’ve found something encouraging outside of this letter, send it our way. We love to share what our leaders love.
Until next time, we’re with you!
— Chris
For all of us at LeaderSource