A few days ago I wrote about how a critical part of developing emerging leaders is to spend time with them. In order for influence to rub off, we must spend time with those we wish to influence. Another important aspect of developing leaders is understanding the importance of questions. Many leaders are good at giving answers. We also need to be good at asking questions. But not just any questions -- the right questions. Here's a short list of good questions to ask an emerging leader: What kind of person do you hope to become? What are you doing to build your relationship with Jesus? How can I help you build a better relationship with Jesus? What are the three most important things in your life right now? Are you spending the right amount of time on them? What new skill do you need to master in order to…
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When it comes to developing the leadership capacity of younger leaders, much of it is simply a matter of spending time with them. No agenda. No curriculum. Just time. Over time, relationships develop. Over time, thoughts and feelings are share. By spending time with a younger leader, you're allowing them to hear your dreams and to voice their own. Did you know that over 50 percent of Jesus' teachings were instigated by someone else?* It was a person asking a question or a father asking Jesus to heal his daughter. In other words, Jesus let other people set the agenda more often than not. When you spend time with a younger leader, you'll find yourself sharing some of your best teaching nuggets in response to a life situation they are facing. * This is from "Inductive Preaching" by Lewis and Lewis.
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Back in 2001, God placed a clear call on my life when he answered my prayer for life goals with three very specific items: To be a part of a church planting church. To help reach my generation for Jesus. To invest myself in the next generation of church leaders. Those three over-arching goals set in motion a series of events and decisions that radically altered the course of my life. We planted LifePoint Christian Church in San Diego in response to the first of those life goals. Since then, we have joined up with Mountainview Church in Denver to help them live out the vision of adding new churches and campuses. But it's the third goal that I've been thinking about lately: to help develop the next generation of church leaders. There was a time in my life when I was the next generation of church leaders (I'd like…
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Found this great post from Perry Noble. It's about what questions should church leaders be asking themselves. Seven Leadership Questions Teams Should Be Asking Yes, I KNOW that I posted a “seven things” deal yesterday…but we’re doing it again today…because…that’s what I felt like I should write about! :-) #1 – What do we need to stop doing? Leadership teams are often obsessed with new things they need to do…but what about things that need to STOP being done? Is there ANYTHING in your church that you are having to manufacture energy for? Is there anything that you attend ONLY because you are on staff…and not because you are genuinely excited about it? Why do you do the things you do…because you’ve always done them, or because you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus has commanded you to do them? If you need help in this area…I…
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As we look forward to 2010, the following is a good article about how to make the best of the new year. It's from the Open Forum, sponsored by American Express. As we shift into low gear for the holidays and start sketching out new year’s resolutions, it’s a good time to reflect on some ways to get more done in 2010 – with less stress. Put simply, we need to focus on setting the right priorities and always taking actions that move the ball forward. Here are a few quick tips on how to get started: Break the seal of hesitation! A bias toward action is the most common trait we’ve found across the hundreds of creative professionals and entrepreneurs we’ve interviewed at Behance. While preparing properly as you start a new project is certainly valuable, it’s also easy to lose yourself in planning (and dreaming) indefinitely. We must…
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