As any regular reader of Team Swap / Swap Blog knows, leadership and responsibility is a regular theme on our minds. To leadership and responsibility are two of the key differences between mature and immature Christians. At various times, and in various places, we are all leaders, and we are all placed in positions of responsibility. Since we are servants of Christ while we are here on earth, we should take those duties (leadership, guidance, path / goal setting) seriously and then follow up the best we can on what we commit to do. That does not mean we will accomplish all things, nor will we always succeed, but it does mean that we should give it a 100% even in failure. Along that thread we had a thought that hopefully will encourage you a bit.
The duty of being a leader, a path / goal setter, i.e. the first in line, is not to make the task's or path that those that follow necessarily easier, but to give them hope that success is possible and to provide guidance on how to work toward the goal. Let me expand a bit on this, and hopefully there will be some encouragement in it for you.
Obviously, the leader / guide has a great responsibility because they set the course or path. Many times that also means they have clear the path. At a minimum they have to set / provide the markers and way points that make the path visible for their followers to traverse. These actions may, or may not, make the follower's trip or path significantly easier, but it is still the job of the leader / guide to provide these things.
Weather the path is made easier or not, the follower still has to cover the same ground and face the majority of the same obstacles that the leader faced. The important difference is that the followers have the knowledge that completing the next step or phase is possible. They know this because the leader has already completed that step. By the leader completely the step, the follower also has the knowledge of the pitfalls and stumbling blocks that are in front of them. This last point should result because a leader has already covered the ground that the follower is currently on, and should have noted and marked accordingly all the challenges ahead of them.
Obviously the leader is not able to clear all the obstacles, and may not even be able to clear enough area that the path to follow is even always clear, but the follower does have a example or pattern to follow. In many ways leading a ministry / project / Christian team into a new area or phase is like climbing Everest. Once Sir. Edmund Hillary completed the climb, all that follow him knew that it was possible.
Sure everyone that completes the Everest climb as to cover the exact same ground as Hillary. Those that climb Everest today face many, if not all, of the same challenges Hillary did. In fact, they may even face some things that Hillary did not face, yet they know that it is possible to ascend Everest as Hillary completed the climb.
Today, numerous others have completed the Everest climb. Now, there even exist several additional paths to follow to complete the climb. These provides several means / ways for a climber to complete the goal of climbing Everest before the climb even begins. In a ministry since, this same thing is accomplished when various leaders / guides work toward the same goal from different points and then provide the rest of the body with various paths, techniques, and means of achieving the same goal. The ability to learn from those that precede them, as well as to innovate with their own methods, when combined with the knowledge that completion is possible, gives all that take on a challenge hope when tough moments arise.
Sure sometimes people fail at completing Everest, and a few even perish in the process. After failing some may never attempt such a feat again, but most that fail return later to complete the climb. They do this because they know it is possible, and they know they personally did not complete it. This personal failure is not acceptable to those that attempt great challenges. The drive inside of the majority that attempt the climb will not let them become a statistic of failure. They want to be counted as one that completes great challenges, so that drives their return and their eventual ascension.
Ministering in / with Christ is the same. When failures occur the leader has to rest up, and then return to the challenge. Bottom line, the leader must go first, and they must either fail or succeed. The support of their followers (i.e. co-climbers, helpers, spiritual Sherpas, etc) does have a large impact on what they do when they fail. Yet, the leader / guide still have to be first. They have to be the one that sets the original path, or a new path, the others follow. Their helpers, and their followers, can not go where the leader has not been. Yet, once the leader / guide has been there all that follow them know that the next step is possible. When a leader / guide fails they simply have to try again, not because success is guaranteed or even promised, but because it is their call to attempt the challenge.
The role of leader is not designed for people that shrink at the first sign of defeat. Many times it may take numerous attempts for a task or vision to be completed, but once it is completed those behind them know completion is possible. If a true follower knows success, or at least a positive result, is possible it will drive them (the follower) to complete the task that is set before them. This is due to their own desire to accomplish what is before them, and from the encouraging knowledge that success is possible due to the previous success / result of their leader.
In this same way, we should all draw encouragement from Christ. He does not ask His followers to go anywhere that He has not been. Our commitment to Him should drive us to not want to be counted as among those that shrink away from challenges or when challenged. We should desire to be among those that want to be called His. Such people desire to conquer the challenges they meet and complete tasks they are assigned. Christians are able to do this because we know that Christ has already accomplished all that He calls us too.
Again, we are never called to a task that He has not completed Himself. When we doubt if success is even possible we always have Christ to look to as a guide for what is possible in / thru Him. The combination of our desire to be successes in Christ, not for our glory mind you but for His glory, and the path to success set by Christ should give us both the drive and life path we need to accomplish all things.
You are a leader in some area of your life, accept that responsibility. Sometimes that role is determined by position / place / project and sometimes it is determined by personality. Regardless of the situation, your success / job as leader does not just encourage you, but also acts to encourage all those that follow after you. Some that follow you may be your immediate family, others may be friends, some may be church members, some may be neighbors, and some may be strangers that you do not know, but they all will follow after you and your success / path. Your leadership / guidance / path setting should be a encouragement to them to continue on the path that you have helped to mark before them. Good and bad times will come and go, yet the successes, trials, work, and labors of God and His people will remain forever. Have a great day and be strong in the knowledge that God is encouraging both you and those around you by your leadership decisions and actions.
