Stop trying to be the hero and start trying to release and make other leaders.
BOOK: The Hero Maker. Stop looking at yourself
We need to learn to bring through people to be themselves.
Why don’t I?
1- distraction : remember 2T2:2, consider the difference between football and rugby. Football is all about kicking the ball foward to get the glory. Rugby instead is about passing the ball backward in order that the person behind you can for further and you can add your weight to their advances.
2- the tyranny of the urgent : there’s a difference between delegating and developing leaders.
3- too small a vision : we think ‘I can do it, the vision is small enough for you to do on your own.’ / there’s a part of us that thinks if we’ve grown 10% in a year we’re doing alright, but that’s not the vision.
4- insecurity in a leader : a lot leaders are middle-aged men who find their value and meaning in ministry.
5- sin and self-centredness : we want to get the glory. Of course we want Jesus to get the glory, but with us standing next to him :)
HEADINGS to help us talk around these issues together:
1) Selection : 11 of the disciples came from Galilee. He chooses people who were constantly getting it wrong. Peter is the guy who thinks chopping off someone’s ear was an appropriate part of Christian ministry. Jesus basically saw Christian ministry as ‘hanging out with people’. Have we tipped the balance too far toward task and not enough toward people? Jesus was actually quite picky in ministry but it wasn’t based on gifting it was based on their willingness to learn. Jesus (in John 1), spends a of time telling people what he sees in them. He calls people what he sees in them. He sees the good in them. WE NEED TO GET BETTER at seeing things that aren’t wrong. We sometimes think, and get trained to think, that intelligence is measured in being able to spot what’s wrong. Instead Jesus is good at spotting what’s right. Finding fault is easy but seeing God’s grace is what’s needed and is what’s hard.
It all begins with seeing the good.
Eldership isn’t about monopolising leadership but about mobilising leadership.
Jesus chose. And so we get to choose, and release people into their destiny. Jesus chose 12 and reached the crowds.
WHO are yours?
- Jon, Matt, Ross, Martin, Polly, Shaun, Luke, Alex? Jason? Claire.
2) Association
We’re good at meetings, but Jesus was more committed to meet ups.
Jesus is the only person ever who could have done it all on his own. Jesus, himself, raised up others and spent time with them.
Examples for mistakes: raising up others to do what I want them to do rather than take some time with the people God’s put in front me for them, and to raise them up to do what they want and feel called to do.
Jesus in Matthew’s gospel spends the majority of his time with the few rather than the crowds. Jesus sees his ministry as being pouring himself into the few rather than reaching the mass crowds.
If you’re trying to do the 12 and the crowd, your 12 will get crowded out. Jesus: I’m going to invest my life in the few for the many.
We’re into programmes but Jesus seems to be into picnics. Hang out with people a lot.
3) Consecration
Devoting yourself to Jesus. When you raise up young leaders you realise early on that character is going to be a big issue. The world is fighting for our young guys and we’ve got to teach them that following Jesus requires us to give up everything.
It isn’t about being a perfect leader, it’s about being honest and not wearing any masks.
Challenge: Are we perusing popularity or holiness? Are we willing to address challenging things in people’s lives?
Consider the qualifications for eldership: ‘look at his kids.’ Has he had the courage to confront his own kids?
Jesus led people at their pace. He seems very patient with people.
4) Impartation
It gets a lot easier when people realise that they haven’t joined your club, instead this is about developing them. Jesus challenged them on their sin but then made it clear that he was there to help them. Jesus came to give himself to us as a gift. He came to serve us.
Jesus didn’t feed the 5000, it was the disciples who fed them. The parable should be named: ‘the disciples feed the 5000’ it’s key because it’s what we’re called to do. Jesus has given gifts to the church, why - so that ‘the church will be built up for works of service.’
The word for ‘to prepare the church for works of service’ is the same word as ‘make you fishers of men.’ Prepare men for works of service.
All we need to do is build the people in the church and let Jesus ‘build the church’.
Jesus is forever giving us away.
Consecration: Jesus tells them to give things up, but he’s given it up too. He turns water into wine but he doesn’t get drunk on it.
Christ’s love for the Father won over the disciples. Christ’s love in the disciples for one another, then one the world.
5) Demonstration
Jesus didn’t ask anyone to do something that he hadn’t first done himself.
6) Delegation
Helping others to do the work alongside you.
7) Supervision
John 3:22 ‘Jesus and his disciples went out into the judean countryside where he spent some time with them.’ ‘Spent time’ in Gk. = to rub off on them.
Jesus didn’t dump people in it. He didn’t send the twelve out until after two years. Then when he sends them out he gives them an extensive debrief of teaching. Jesus doesn’t send them out to relieve his own work load.
Jesus isn’t in a hurry to reach the crowds, instead he pours himself into the individual leader.
there is a danger to raise up loads of people and not really supervising any of them.
On-the-job training. Classroom settings aren’t the most effective. You can train someone in the barracks how t clean their rifle, and they’d be interested, but if you train them on the front line how to do it, they’d be really interested.
Succession should be how we live our lives.
Paul Tripp: Gospel-centred discipleship paper on addressing the heart.
8) Reproduction
Many of us might be quite good but if the culture of reproduction is lacking it won’t carry on beyond us.
Key that we’re not just trying to raise up leaders into a role and stop the leadership multiplication in the church if this person hasn’t got what leadership is about.
Fruitfulness is not ‘what can you achieve with your life?’ But what can others achieve through us? This is the Christian task, that’s key.
Someone asked Billy what would do again if you casual start over?
Billy Graham: Get a small group of 8-10-12 people around me and meet for a weeks and then release them...
Where’s our focus? Is it on what we can achieve in 2018 or are we playing a longer term game? How can 2025 can there be more people doing what I’m doing...
Getting people into leadership roles is not the end goal. Getting people into roles to understand that this (see all of the above!) is what we’re doing.
Michael Fletcher: shoulder tapping
‘I don’t want to recruit volunteers I want to recruit leaders.’ Don’t recruit doers, recruit leaders. Recruiting people to vision is what’s needed.
