Transitions are always opportunities

I have learned that as we build healthy teams we must always hold staff lightly. If God chooses to move them to a different ministry or role we may mourn their loss but we never want to stand in the way of God's will for their life and calling.

Here is something else to remember. While transitions can be hard (if they were really good team mates) there is always an opportunity to go to the next level in some way at a time of transition. In other words, I choose to see staff transitions as opportunities even though they are hard and even though we will miss our colleague.

Often in transition we can refocus the position toward issues that are more urgent today than they might have been in the past. Sometimes you find that you can hire at a higher skill level than the one leaving. Or, it gives you the opportunity to rethink the position itself and ask whether a reconfiguration is even better allowing you to hire for something totally different.

In some cases, the individual leaving has done their job so well that their position may no longer actually be needed. This give one the opportunity to reconfigure and staff for the future, rather than assuming it needs to look like the past. We have had situations where it was not necessary to replace a position at all as the actual needs of the ministry had changed.

Having a high view of God's sovereignty, I rest in the fact that He always has a hand in these transitions and that I can trust the one leaving that God has their best interests in mind and I can trust that God also has the best in mind for the ministry I lead. Thus transitions, while often hard, are for me an opportunity to reconfigure for the future.

Dialogue is the key to understanding

As an author and writer, written words are the tools of my trade - but not in all cases. Organizational leadership can be helped with clear written words. But true understanding of the implications of what is written usually only comes through dialogue - frequent dialogue.

People learn differently. For many, their primary learning method is not reading but hearing. But the most powerful way to learn is that of dialogue together because it is in the give and take of perceptions, ideas, levels of understanding that the best understanding takes place. In addition, one can see the others face, expressions and hear their intonation. Face to face is always better and face to face with mutual dialogue is the best.

Many leaders forget this. They think that because a memo was sent or an all employee email popped in everyone's inbox that people "got it." In fact, they may have "gotten" something very different than what was meant, even by good communicators. In fact they got the memo. They may not have heard what we said. Or understood the implications.

Interestingly, leaders also learn through dialogue. They learn how best to communicate what they are trying to convey. They learn when what they are saying is not clear which changes how they communicate it the next time. And, they are challenged to an even sharper version of what they are sharing. They may even realize there are weak spots in their plans!

There is no substitute for leaders finding time to interact with their staff. People want to understand, not simply hear. Discussion and dialogue is the key. If you lead, how often do you dialogue?

Politics and a Christian or Kingdom world view

Observation: most American believers do not have an integrated Christian world view which informs their personal lives, work lives and political thinking. We have views on these subjects but they are not integrated into a Christian world view where God's perspective is brought to bear in our thinking on all issues of life. Many of us operate with world view compartments where we have the religious issues and then all the other issues.

Jesus did not separate any issues from His relationship with the Father or from the Scriptures (the word of God). For Him, all of life was viewed through the lens of the Father's will and He assumed that the Father had something to say about every part of our lives.

This bifurcation is nowhere better seen than in the political arena where American believers latch on to one political ideology or another, listen to some loud commentator and rarely ask the God question: Does God have anything to say about these matters? If you doubt that, just listen to political conversations between believers and listen for any reference to Scripture or Biblical principles. I rarely hear any. I do hear references to talk radio hosts and such! It is as if none of the key issues facing our nation have any relationship to issues spoken to in Scripture. But they do!

Read, for instance, Deuteronomy (the Gospel of the Old Testament) or the Prophets who sought to help Israel understand the implications of the moral law of God and you will see themes that apply to people and nations: morality; justice; mercy; concern for the poor and disadvantaged; care for the widow and orphan; how one treats the alien (immigrant) in our midst. These issues do not belong to any political party - they are part of a Christian world view of how we view life, people and faith.

Rush Limbaugh, CNN, Fox, CNBC, the BBC or whoever one watches, reads or listens to have definite political ideologies. For believers the question is whether God has anything to say that might inform our thinking. Of course He does and we are the ones who are tasked with understanding His word and doing the mental work of applying it to the political arena. It is the integration of His truth into the thinking in all areas of our lives that helps us to develop a Christian world view which will never be synonymous with the political views of any party. Therefore we need to be critical thinkers regarding all political systems and theories.

I appreciate publications and deep thinkers that seek to integrate God's truth into life, politics and work. We need to train ourselves as we read God's word daily to make that kind of application to the events of our world, the challenges in our society and the culture of our home and workplace. 

I also appreciate those who give their lives to the political arena and are seeking to serve well the interests of those they represent. It is an honorable and sometimes thankless task. They are to be honored - especially those who bring into their work the kinds of values that God wants to see in our society. 

Daniel and Nehemiah and Joseph are great examples. Each served secular kings but brought a God world view into their work. They did the hard work of integrating their faith into the political arena. But each of them understood that God stood sovereign over all affairs of men and that they served Him first, rather than the political system they served within. Ultimately their faith and their truth was found in God, not in those they served.

Don't allow your world view to be separated from what God would have to say in any area of life. As Christians we hold two passports simultaneously: the nation we belong to and Heaven which rules and which is our destination. Living between the two is a tension that requires us to live here but to do so with Kingdom values and perspectives. It is the challenge of a Christian or Kingdom world view.

Theological truths in an election season: Obama, Romney and God

No, you will find no endorsement here and I am not sure even my boys know how I voted in the last election. And yes I do care about the outcome - but I care about some other things even more.

I believe that Who is in my house (Jesus) is more important than who is in the White House. The latter matters but the former matters ever so much more.

My trust for the future is never in politicians but always in a sovereign, holy, loving and personal God who sits on the throne in heaven. He is sovereign in spite of any laws, policies, spending, or executive orders. (Habakkuk 2:20).

No matter who wins we are commanded to pray for our leaders, that they would lead with wisdom and righteousness. If we really believe in prayer we will complain less and pray more.

God can use any circumstance in a nation for His purposes (Acts 17:26-27). He may even use hard times to awaken His church in the United States!

While laws influence morality or the lack of it, the ultimate answer to immoral practices is a changed heart through the Gospel. Jesus is the ultimate answer to our nations problems.

Sometimes nations get what they deserve (see Amos). Even when they do, God can use the events of our world good or bad to build His church - and He does. (Acts 17:26-27). And even in the worst of times, we can rejoice in God our Savior (Habakkuk 3:16-19): "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights."

God's people are united by Jesus, not by any political party or political ideology  Political discourse is not a church affair, Jesus is. Christians should be good citizens and involved politically as their conscience dictates but it is Jesus only, and His Spirit who unites us as One body (Ephesians 4). Anytime politics divides God's people we have forgotten what unites us.

I admit to being tired of shallow political spin. I am forever glad that my hope is not in any political system but in a sovereign, good, loving Heavenly Father. Whatever happens in this election or after, He is constant. Administrations rule for a period of years. Jesus rules forever and ever - Amen!

Suggestions for insecure leaders

Insecurity among ministry leaders is common. I am not sure why it is but I know that it is. The ability to overcome insecurity, however, is one of the key factors in a leaders long term success. So, developing some intentional strategies to move from insecurity to greater personal security is a development issue for many!

I have some suggestions to consider.

Insecurity often stems from the need to be right and a fear of being proven wrong on some issue. Here is a question to consider: what is the worst thing that can happen if I am wrong? Or to put it another way: why do I have a need to be right? There is really a more important question and that is "What is the best solution?" If we move from a need to be "right" to what is the "best" we no longer need to worry about whether we get our way. Rather we get the best solution. People respect that - a lot!

Insecurity comes from needing to prove something. Here is a personal issue to ponder: What do I need to prove to others? Is it that I am competent? Is it that I can lead? Is it that I am a success? Needing to prove something is usually about some unfinished business in our own life that is driving us and spills over to others in unhealthy ways.

What if I had nothing to prove? What if I could live in the freedom of just being me? I actually live by a principle of "Nothing to prove, nothing to lose." It is freeing! And, when I start to get defensive over something I just remind myself that I don't have to prove anything. I can just be me. It is a reprogramming of our minds.

Insecurity can make us hostage to the expectations of others, especially if we need their validation for our lives and ministries. Needing the validation of others causes anxiety and fear which is why it holds us hostage. It keeps us from just being ourselves. Often it stems from not having healthy validation and acceptance from our own parents and we are still trying to earn it from wherever we can. Not only that but as leaders we will often be targets for choices we need to make and leaders who need validation from others often cannot lead well as a result.

Learning to get our validation from our heavenly Father first and from close trusted friends second is far healthier than trying to live up to all the expectations of others - an impossible task in the end.

Those who suffer from insecurity can grow into more secure, self defined and mature individuals. However, it starts with some intense self reflection as to the reasons for our insecure behaviors and an intentional effort to change our thinking and behaviors. The alternative is not only personal fear but behaviors which negatively impact those we lead.

Competitive ballots in church elections: Don't do it!

I still run into congregations that use competitive ballots in church elections for leadership positions. It is a bad idea!

What it conveys to those running is that you are not sure they belong on the board but you will give them a shot. What usually happens is that well known names win and lesser names don't - irregardless of what their relative qualifications are or are not. In many cases, after losing, individuals will not allow their names to be put on the ballot again. Not that they are sore losers but they don't see the point. Often it is the church that loses out. 

In one church I worked with recently that still has competitive ballots the same leaders have rotated in and out for years simply because they are well known. So for decades, the same thirty or so people have served as leaders. They may have been good leaders but in the end that is not necessarily how they got elected. They were simply better known than others who didn't. Many who lost said they would not agree to be on the ballot in the future.

Those who are going to serve in church leadership ought to be carefully vetted and the best candidates put on a ballot for affirmation, not for a competitive vote. In other words if you need three new leaders, there are three leaders you believe in on the ballot. You know who you want, they know you want them and the congregation has the ability to vote yes or no. This is not American democracy, after all but church leadership.

Church leadership should not be about competition, winners or losers but rather the right people at the right time for the right reasons. Competitive ballots don't do that. I for one would not agree to being on a competitive ballot. I would assume that the nominating committee didn't really know who they really wanted!

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Enjoy!