First-century apostles ran circuits between locations, spending much of their time in travel. For one, the apostles of old weren’t present with the churches they founded, led, or visited most of the time. When we think of the New Testament, we often fail to consider a few key facts. A group’s ability to function, whether or not a church is in our immediate line of vision, should be the goal of every Christian leader.īut much like governance, how do leaders make sure their ministries function? Let’s explore this concept together. In different ways and different styles, what proves a good leader is functionality. These things definitely benefit, but they don’t prove competency for leadership by themselves. People sometimes base standards of good leadership on visible things, such as being able to preach down a room or write eloquently. These things often draw people to leadership…but they certainly aren’t where leadership begins and ends. These things include public preaching, recording videos, speaking for special events, hosting conferences, and leadership celebrations. We classify the “visible” aspects of ministry leadership to the top of the iceberg. The surface of such seems small compared to the huge portion that rests below the waters. Most of us have seen memes comparing good leadership to an iceberg. The question, however, remains: what marks “governing well?” If we govern well, we can trust things will operate according to plan, whether we are there, or not. What I learned from my mom’s words: good ministry leadership happens when no one is looking. “It says something that things function as normal, the way they should, with everyone doing what they should, even when someone isn’t there.” Image by Naomi Booth from Pixabay Ministry when nobody is looking “That’s the sign of good leadership,” my mom said. The only thing that was different from any other day was that the principal wasn’t there. Nothing extraordinary happened, there were no problems, it wasn’t special. It wasn’t a moment for me to anticipate something profound in its contents. When I told my mom she wasn’t at school that day, I didn’t expect my mom to have much of a response. She was a tough-talking Dominican nun, a Bronx transplant nicknamed the “White Tornado.” She’d been a staple in the area for over a decade by the time I started attending that school, and if there was one thing she was known for, it was keeping things together. I can still remember sitting at our kitchen table as she asked me where my school principal was that day. In the midst of this world, not expecting anything out of the ordinary, my mother dropped some leadership advice that still resonates with me.
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