But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people 1 Peter 2:9 Wouldnt life be easy if our organizations were focused on the same things? Our churches would run better. Our businesses would be more efficient. Well, even our personal relationships, would operate much smoother. If you follow my premise, what would happen if a leader was God-centered instead of self-centered? Would organizations be better? Lets review the easy one --religious institutions. Assumption one is that a preacher should be God-centered. Albert Einstein once said, God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically. Clearly, it is not a God problem, but a man problem. Many religious leaders of today do not promote the development of their laymen leaders. Power is usually centralized. Governing boards such as trustees and deacons are dismantled. I feel this strategy is to maintain control and neutral the impacts of difficult people. Miller, the author of The Empowered Leader, argues that understanding politics is important, even for spiritual leaders. Miller also feels that a leader (or preacher) must be an effective politician because this leader must be able to bargain or cut side deals. The authors major issue is that the leader shouldnt abuse his power. Lets talk politics. Draft, an organizational behavior guru, defines politics as either a self-serving behavior or a natural organizational phenomenon. In Drafts political model, he describes an organization with separate groups fighting for power. During the time of Jesus Christ, we find the Pharisees operating as power brokers. In this role, the Pharisees found themselves manipulating people. Jesus, who serves as the ultimate leader, did not use politics to gain an advantage. Likewise, Jesus demands more of his followers. Jesus wants us to be different. 1 Peter 2:9 reads, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people Therefore, spiritual leadership should be different. You can set the example with a God-centered focused. Start today and your people will follow. References Daft, R. (1995). Organization Theory and Design. St. Paul, MN: West Publishing Company. Miller, C. (1995). The Empowered Leader. United States of America: Broadman & Holman Publishers. 2006 by Daryl D. Green |
