Healthy Leaders | Issue 4
Jesus is incompatible with reality, the fruit of the Spirit is best enjoyed fresh, and servants are greater than kings.
Welcome to Issue 4 of Healthy Leaders.
In this issue ‒ Jesus is incompatible with reality, the fruit of the Spirit is best enjoyed fresh, and servants are greater than kings. Let’s dive in.
The Insanity of the Gospel
Mockingbird’s Taylor Mertins considers just how crazy the way of Jesus looked to everyone – even those He loved – and why.
“If you think about it, one of the great joys of the Christian faith is that it’s actually quite fun to have our minds messed up by Jesus. We have the great fortune of being freed from the expectations of reality in order to live into a kingdom in which we are no longer defined by what we failed to do and instead are defined by what has been done for us.
The church really is a new understanding of the way things can be.”
It’s when God comes crashing into our everyday realities and messes up our tidy little constructs of how things work that transformation really takes place. If we are cultivating a life of looking to Jesus in all things, we know Whom to follow when the madness comes.
Good Leaders Never Mistake Kindness for Weakness
Over at Admired Leadership, kindness does not mean weakness.
“Good leaders are kind people, but that doesn’t mean they are weak, soft, or tender. The idea that kindness and compassion are incompatible with strong oversight and accountability runs deep. The “nice guys finish last” mentality even promotes the notion that kind leaders can’t achieve extraordinary results. Don’t you believe it.
Kind leaders are thoughtful about the circumstances and obstacles others face and respond with warmth and compassion when people need it. They work hard to separate the person from the ideas they promote and the results they produce. Kind leaders are tough on issues, arguments, choices, and strategies, but remain warm and empathetic to people.”
Kindness may not be a superpower, but it certainly is the mark of a healthy leader. If you’d like to grow in it, we have a design for that.
Good Leaders Are Easy to Follow
Springboarding from Hebrews 13:17, Steven Lee at Desiring God calls leaders to exemplify the joy of their Lord in their leadership:
“Christian leadership ought not to feel like oppression or the rule of a dictator. Instead, pastor-elders labor for the joy of those they serve. The apostle Peter writes that the task of shepherding and oversight is to be done willingly, eagerly, and by setting an example for others (1 Peter 5:1–4). Begrudging shepherding doesn’t serve the shepherd or the sheep. But joy-filled and eager shepherding results in the joy of those on the receiving end of such care.
Jesus is a happy-hearted shepherd of his sheep. He says in John 15:11, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Jesus, full of joy, takes joy in loving his people and desires his joy to fill his people. Similarly, Jesus says, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
Lee continues, explaining how leading wisely, serving humbly, and shepherding faithfully all bring joy to both leader and people.
“Thus, Paul reminds us again in 2 Corinthians 1:24 that we labor and work with others, as he did, for their joy. And as their joy grows, so does our own. And as our joy grows, we shepherd in the joy of the Lord.”
15 Signs Christian Leaders Have Become Kings Rather Than Servants
Chuck Lawless outlines 15 ways abusive leadership takes hold, when leaders become kings instead of servants. Here are a few of them:
“…#8: He expands his kingdom broadly, but not deeply. After all, deeply-developed kingdoms require serious discipleship – and genuine disciples would recognize the problem with a king’s leadership style….
…#10: He does less and less “get your hands dirty” ministry. He may once have led the way in serving others, but kings aren’t required to serve. Rather, others are to serve them….
…#14: He regularly tears down others who lead effective ministries. Kings want no threats to their kingdom, so they mock others who are increasingly known….”
This kind of behavior is the exact opposite of the servant leadership Jesus exemplifies:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage;
rather, He made Himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself
by becoming obedient to death ‒
even death on a Cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)
Good Leaders Are Ceiling Busters!
Here’s Malcolm on how visionary leaders approach possibility:
“All new ventures begin with possibility thinking; and the clarity and force of this vision will sustain the leader through the rejection, failure and disappointment that inevitably accompany any truly new initiative. A leader’s God-breathed vision acts as an organization’s magnetic north. It attracts human energy. It invites and draws others to participate sacrificially in the divine mission. The leader’s vision is what focuses the energy of the organization. Leaders see the possibilities of the future and then they share this vision with those they lead.”
Just Listen
And to close out this issue, Andrea Sanborn offers an ode to listening well.
“Listening is more than taking time and initiative. It also involves skill. Things like eye contact. Asking questions. Clarifying replies. Expressing interest, and tamping down the urge to trump the other person’s story with our own. Allowing their flow of words to coalesce into discovery instead of rushing too quickly to offer advice.
True listening displays care. It bestows dignity. It makes a place in the world for a soul to rest, to ponder, and to feel valued. So many of us feel unseen and unheard. Listening well is a gift rarely bestowed and oh, so precious when offered.”
This kind of listening does not come easily; it comes through patience and practice.
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)