Better Than Success

Eight Principles of Faithful Leadership

By

Dr. C. Jeff Woods

The story of a successful church

How can we emphasize

• Faithfulness • Over Success?

Faithful leaders allow God to interrupt their lives

God’s attention getters

• Burning bushes• People blazing that will not burn• Wood that will burn even when wet• Rods that switch into serpents• Rivers that get deeper…as they trickle out into the

tributaries• Dead, dry, discombobulated bones…that come back to

life• Good sweet wine from six stone water pots• Fast food from five loaves and two fish!

How does God get your attention?

• Faithful leaders hear the voice of God.

God’s Inner Question

• Genesis 3:9

• Genesis 4:9

• Genesis 16:8

• Genesis 37:15

• 1 Kings 19:9-16

• What might God reveal today?

Faithful leaders follow God’s vision

• What is a vision?• For Christians, visions

come from God• The vision will pull

the organization to it• Guide our decisions• Burden is upon the

vision• Lost in the Alps.

Faithful leaders know their main gift

• 1 Cor 12:7-8, 1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:3

• All speak of one main gift

• Rich young ruler lacked one thing

• Attending to…1 Timothy 4:14

• Rekindling…2 Timothy 1:6

• What is your main gift?

Faithful leaders prioritize to please God

• List 10 items on your current to-do list

• *

• *

• *

• Which two will yield most impact?

• Which one will advance God’s vision?

• Which one will please God most?

Ever Feel Weighed Down?

Faithful leaders redeem crises

• Maintain your cool

• Expect 3 crises a day

• Advance God’s vision

• Transform a crisis into kairos

Faithful leaders also create kairos

• Requests for more Chronos…

• …Nicodemus

• …Martha

• …Jesus...

• …Are never granted.

Faithful leaders prepare for opportunities

• …2 Chronicles 16:9

• …God hunts for the “Here am I’s..”

• …Never stop growing and learning.

Prepare your organization

• …Leadership development

• …Member development

• …Organizational slack.

Faithful leaders use constructive silence

• How do you cope with this chatty society?

• Cholesterol– Good: Reflection– Bad: Worry

Faithful Leaders Mature Spiritual Maturity Benchmarks

• Love

• Joy

• Peace

• Patience

• Kindness

• Goodness

• Faithfulness

• Gentleness

• Self-control

Spiritual Pathways to the Fruits of the Spirit

• Love

• Joy

• Peace

• Patience

• Kindness

• Goodness

• Action

• Being God’s child

• Presence

• Suffering

• Servanthood

• Emptying

Spiritual Pathways to the Fruits of the Spirit (Cont)

• Faithfulness

• Gentleness

• Self Control

• Expectation

• Perspective

• Denying self-pride

“Be complete” Matthew 5:48

Faithful leaders care for their souls above all else

• A formula– Divert Daily

– Withdraw Weekly

– Retreat Monthly

– Abandon Annually

• Wilderness

• Life also has a paretto principle.

May God Bless your faithful leadership efforts!

• Amen.