The biker recently decided to attend his first church service at Christian Heritage.  He happened to come during Free Camp, a ministry of the church that seeks to break financial, spiritual, and racial barriers among chilren.  The service was geared towards children ages 8 - 12. The speaker that morning spoke on the "Holes in your Heart."

"As I left the front of the stage area, we made eye contact and he got up and made his way to me, weeping and returning to God – a 6’4”, 220 lb. man dressed in black leather," said Gary.  "He later told me that his parents were pastors and they told him when he was a kid that he had a call on his life. He has spent his life seeing how far from God he could run – until he ran to Free Camp."

We should never underestimate the value of our ministry.  God can take two seemingly unrelated things - a motorcycle ministry and a camp for children - and use them to bring even the hardest hearts back to Him. 

By Ferrell Hardison.
Ferrell and Millie Hardison have been married for thirty-one years and have two sons: Brandon (28) and Mitch (25). He has served as Senior Pastor of Whitley Church in Princeton, NC since June of 1990.

*****

I will never forget the first time an influential person in the church I served asked, “So pastor, what is your vision for our church?” It was 1986 and I had no idea what he was talking about. Seriously, I had no idea. Having come from a Pentecostal background I thought he was asking me if I had seen a vision (you know, an Isaiah 6 kind of vision) concerning our church. I remember how uncomfortable the question made me I was as my mind raced to figure out how to respond while at the same time sounding deeply spiritual, hopefully with a little soft harp music in the background. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I think heard some banjo music from the movie Deliverance. Anyway, He easily caught on to the fact that I was ignorant about what he was referring to, and he generously let it slide. I didn’t say anything, but I was very appreciative.

The first thing this embarrassing incident did was drive me to my knees in prayer, and then it set me on a journey to discover the definition of his phrase “vision for our church” - and how to get one! I remember calling a couple of pastors in the area whom I considered to be successful and asking if I could meet with them to discuss the vision for their church. One pastor invited me to a “vision casting meeting” with his leadership team. I said, “That’s perfect! When is it?” He said, “This Thursday at 4:00 a.m.!” I tried not to reveal my “shock-n-awe” but he saw it on my face and said, “The reason I have it at 4:00 a.m. is because it reveals the ones who really care about knowing and supporting the vision.” I arrived about ten minutes early, sat in the back of the room, listened and learned.

Your church is not your church. Your church is His church, therefore the vision is not yours either. The vision for your church is in His heart, and it always has been. The process of obtaining a clear understanding and picture of God’s vision for the church you serve begins with your personal relationship with Him. You will never get the right vision for your church until you seek Him. This seeking is not casual – it is focused and fervent. Stop trying to get the vision for your church from any source other than Him. Press in during your prayer time. Cry out for a clear vision and how to implement it. He will hear you and in time He will answer you. He will respond through the scriptures as you consistently dig through His Word. He will respond in your thoughts, your dreams, when you’re alone. He will not leave you ignorant about the vision. He wants you to know it more than you desire to know it.

Simultaneously, along with your intense seeking, read the right information. We are extremely blessed to live in a time when there is so much excellent information available; books, the internet, recordings of various kinds, conferences and seminars, etc. What a wonderful time to be alive! Of course there is a lot of shallow information out there, but you’ll know the difference – just stay on your face in prayer.

Talk with pastors, church leaders, business leaders, and government/military leaders whom you respect and admire. Before meeting with them, write down your questions so as not to waste their time. Offer to pay them for their time. If your church will not help you with the expense, pay these leaders out of your own pocket. Most will not charge you anything, but if they do, more than likely it will be well worth the investment. Study mentoring strategies and then ask someone to mentor you. Very carefully plan your time with them and meet at least monthly.

Once you have a general idea of God’s vision for your church, hand pick a group of three to twelve people (based on the size of your church) and share what God has been doing in your life. In the beginning the focus of your gatherings with this group should be prayer. Give God the opportunity to work their hearts. If you rush into discussion without a season of prayer, you will get opinion rather than expressions of their time with God. Once the season of prayer has ended, then begin a strategic (not open-ended) discussion of vision and what it means. Write down very pointed questions that will keep the discussion on track. Once the vision can be verbalized, start the writing process. Keep it short and to the point so it can be easily understood and recited by everyone in the church. Once the group is satisfied with the vision, then develop specific strategies to insure that the vision becomes a reality.

Related article:

Vision, Vision, Vision
by Craig Groeschel
Senior Pastor, LifeChurch.tv

It is commonly said the three most important factors in real estate are:

Location — Location — Location

I’d argue that the three most important factors in a church (or business) are:

Vision — Vision — Vision

Andy Stanley said, “Vision leaks.” It’s true. The people you lead—staff, volunteers, church members, board members, etc.—may understand the vision today, but tomorrow, the vision generally fades or blurs ever-so-slightly. You can never over-communicate the vision. Here are a few questions to stir your vision:

• Why does your organization exist? (If you can’t answer this clearly, I’ll bet you an overpriced latte that there are a few things your organization should stop doing immediately.)
• At what can your organization be the best in the world? Borrowing from Jim Collins in Good to Great.
• If you could only do one thing, what would it be?
• If you left your organization tomorrow, what would you hope would continue forever?
• What do you know you are “called” to do, but haven’t attempted? What are you waiting for?

Originally published at:  http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2007/07/26/leading-with-chazown-4-of-4/

Related article:

Visioncare:  Bringing the Future Into Focus

This VisionCare study course, developed by the Mission 21 team, will help the local church examine its eyesight and correct its vision. The teaching sessions and workshops are designed to sharpen the vision of the local church to see and accomplish God’s mission of evangelism for the church.

What is your church’s vision? Does it see clearly the ripened harvest? Peter calls for the church to examine its vision and to improve its sight. He speaks of the church being “shortsighted, even to blindness” (2 Peter 1:9).
Some churches may have excellent vision. They understand who they are and their mission in Christ. Others need to improve their vision. VisionCare will write the prescription for clear vision.

Editor's note; This course has received high acclaim from non-IPHC church leaders. As a member of the development team, I strongly recommend it as the most powerful resource ever published for Mission21. It has the potential to bring a profound spiritual renewal to your curch. It is available online at no charge. Download Now.

I don't think that every prayer that we pray that we are necessarily engaging in spiritual warfare.  As you look through John 17, Jesus was praying to the Heavenly Father shortly - in fact the night before - he was to be arrested and eventually crucified. We find him calling out to God and praying for his disciples, praying for the future of the church, and you see warfare had taken place in the Garden of Gethsemane.  But we see his high priestly prayer, that he was praying something of a different prayer.  He wasn't really engaging with the enemy of God there.  He was just asking his Father to take care of his disciples and his church.  And I wouldn't consider that a “warfare prayer.” 

I think there are different types of prayer.  There's the prayer of faith, for instance, that the Apostle Paul talked about.  You know, that the prayer of faith can save the sick , heal the sick and save the lost.  So there are different forms of prayer.  I know that in regards to spiritual warfare, Paul prayed for the removal of a thorn, he prayed that same prayer three times and then God spoke to him.  He told him that His grace was sufficient.  Now we know that that was a messenger of Satan so that would have been a warfare prayer.

And in a scripture that we're all familiar with in Ephesians chapter 6, you see that prayer is just part of the armor of God.  It's not the entire armor.  Because he talks about the helmet of salvation, he talks about the breastplate of righteousness, he talks about having our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, he's talking about having faith, he's talking about having the shield of faith, and also having prayer as part of our arsenal.  So there's a whole lot about prayer that's just not intercession or just not warfare.

JOE: What is the role of intercessory prayer in spiritual warfare?

TERRY FOWLER: James teaches us that believers can resist the devil. In fact, he tells us to resist the devil, and that would presuppose that we're going to be attacked.  And he's talking to all believers there, not just a select few, and we see a good example of spiritual warfare taking place in Acts chapter 4.  If you'll remember, Peter and John had been arrested and they were actually threatened and commanded not to preach and teach in the name of Jesus anymore.  And the two of them went and reported this to the church, and the church began praying. In fact, around verse 23 we see them raising their voice unto God, and that prayer began by honoring God, and in essence, making God bigger than the problem that they were facing.  They prayed for the Lord to give them boldness and to stretch out His hand to heal, and that signs and wonders would follow, and the scriptures teach us that God heard that prayer, because the place was shaken, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and the scriptures said that they spoke the Word of God with boldness.

So we see the church engaging in spiritual warfare because there was a spirit of intimidation that was coming against the church in its infancy and an attempt to stop the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Great Commission was to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.  They were in Jerusalem, the very first place that the Great Commission told them to begin, and we see that they immediately face opposition to the proclamation to the word of God.  But as they went to God in prayer and engaged that war and began to call upon the name of the Lord, making God bigger than the problem, the Holy Spirit refilled them and they spoke the Word of God with boldness, and they continued to proclaim the Word of God.  The scripture says that the Word of God spread.

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He is a member of the Heartland Conference and brings to this ministry a burning desire to introduce the IPHC to his brothers and sisters in the African American community all over America.

Macon and his wife, Zuella, have five living children, all grown.  Zuella is a retired  Oklahoma City Public School teacher and a fervent prayer warrior.

Taped on 2/11/09.  Listen to the entire interview on our Podcast Channel.
Read more about the African American Leadership Forum in the Sept08 issue of the IPHC Experience magazine.


Joe: Macon, what did the election of President Obama mean to you personally as an African American?

Macon: I have to look back over the struggle, to see where we've come from and where we are today and where we're going. To see an African-American elected President of the United States of America, which is the highest office in our country, meant a lot to me.  Many times we tell our children, “You can be anything you want to be except perhaps President of the United States.”  I am happy and very excited that I can now look at my little grandson or granddaughter and say to them, “You can even be President of the United States of America”. 

Usually somebody paved the way.  I always feel that where somebody else has gone in life, opens opportunity for other people to go.  Throughout history in America, we've had African Americans move to the top of the ladder in many areas, especially in sports.  You think of Jackie Robinson in baseball, and you think of basketball and the Wilt Chamberlains and the Bill Russells; you see how people have moved in different areas. 

I think first of all, God created all of us in his image and likeness.  And unfortunately, through the years-because of whatever we've gotten from family, friends, relatives, forefathers, and because of slavery and how it came about, and how we came here-many people have created an attitude that color of skin makes a difference. Of course, you and I both know that's something that's just for naught.  Anytime a mind is developed, educated, given opportunity, obviously any of us, as human beings, have the same opportunity to achieve and do anything anybody else can do.

I remember when I was in college working my way through school.  There was a Wonder Bakery shop there in Little Rock.  And there were no African Americans there. They hired one who happened to be in school, and I remember he walked up to me on campus one day and he said to me, “Man, they want somebody else black at the Wonder Bakery.” He said, “I've been watching you and I was just wondering if you'd be interested in going down there and interviewing for a job.” 

I went there and the first guy I talked to, who was a young guy just out of college, was a personnel manager.  And as we began to talk, he was asking me about different experience I'd had in different areas.  I said, “No, I haven't had experience in that.”  I said, “Man, you know, I'm just in college. I'm just out of high school.” He went on to tell me that they were looking for somebody that had experience in certain areas.  And so I began to question him.  And I asked him,  “Well, what's your job experience been?”  And, not knowing where I was going, he said, “Well, you know I got out of college, and as soon as I got out of college I got this job.”  I said, “Really.”  He said, “Yea.”  And he went on to tell me about his family, and his uncles and aunt and everybody, and he had an uncle who worked there at the bakery, you know, and blah blah.  Finally, I looked him straight in the eye and I said, “You know what?  Isn't it amazing that you just got out of college with no experience but somebody was willing to give you a chance to have experience?  If no one ever gives anybody an opportunity to have experience in certain areas in life, how would they ever get it?  So somebody has to take a chance on you.”  And, needless to say, we got the job.

So the opportunity presented itself. We were prepared, we seized the moment, and there we were. I personally feel like, in regards to what people may say, along the way I feel like Obama was being molded and shaped for this job for many years back. I think as time went on,  he became even more molded and shaped for it.

The opportunity presented itself, he seized the moment, and now we have the first African-American President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.  I know there are a lot of people who didn't vote for him. But there were a whole lot of people who voted for him; otherwise he wouldn't be president.  So at least we've given a black man an opportunity to fail his way to success like many others have and many others have not.  Whatever the case is, at least he has an opportunity.

Joe: Yes.  He has the same opportunity as any man who becomes president. 

Macon: That any man has.  So none of us -no man is an island. No man stands alone. We all need each other.  I'm always reminded when we talk about the body of Christ, what does that really mean to us?  What does it really mean when we say we're part of the body of Christ, when we say we're Christians, and when we say we love God and when we say we love our family.  I think we've gotten away from the real essence of who really created the heavens and the earth, and the seas and all therein.  Who really are we serving?  Who really has power, all power, of heaven and earth in his hands?  We panic sometimes, failing to realize that we serve a living God who is able to deliver us, to give us all things that we need, and to provide for us according to his riches in glory.  So I don't panic; I just realize that I serve a God who has it all, owns it all, and I am fortunate to have access to His kingdom.

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Listen to the complete interview [56 mins.] on our Podcast Channel IPHC News. 
Read more about the African American Leadership Forum in the Sept08 issue of the IPHC Experience magazine.

I know we've had an intercultural ministries forum for some time now, but how did the vision for a separate and distinct African American ministries develop?

RON CARPENTER: The intercultural ministries forum was in existence when I arrived in 1997, but it was basically a fellowship forum. The effort was to have one representative from each of the 16 ethnic communities within the PH Church of the United States. It had no long-term goals, no track to run on, no vision for developing anything other than just getting together year after year.  
We did that for several years after I arrived here, but I always looked at it as not being a productive meeting in the sense that it didn't really do anything. After five years, I disbanded the forum, hoping to utilize the money in a more productive way.

In regards to a particular vision for African American ministries, I think it's like the elephant in the living room.  12-1/2 percent of the population are African-American, which is 39 million people.  13-1/2 percent are Hispanic or 42 million people. That totals 81 million people or 25% of the 310 million people in this country.  So 1 out of every 4 people in America is either Hispanic or African American.  

The mandate of Evangelism USA is to evangelize America. And I see no way that you can be faithful to a mandate to evangelize a nation if you're going to circumvent one out of every 4 people who live there.

Historically, the PH Church has had a productive relationship with the Hispanic community since 1931, when the first Hispanic conference was organized. The Hispanic membership in this church has grown 400% in the past decade, from 11,000 in 1998 to a projected 47,000 in 2008. Ten years from now 4 out of every 10 members of the PH church in the United States will be Hispanic.  That's staggering.  

However, when you look at the second largest minority group in the country, which is the African-American community, the opposite extreme has actually been the case. If anything has been done it was always individual, personal, but never departmentalized and never denominationally structured.  This is the first time in our history that the denomination has ever had anything structured based on vision for the African American community.  

Now, a lot of this I'm not proud of.  When Macon came here 4-1/2 years ago, we had 11 African American churches in the whole country.  Eleven!  By the end of 2008, that number should be close to 50 churches. In his short time, by virtue of his leadership and the denomination essentially making a statement of concern and commitment, the number of churches has quadrupled.  
So, I think it was just a matter of looking at what our mandate is, looking at America, and looking at a historical oversight and one of the things we addressed in Fayetteville years ago.  Macon quotes it often, but somebody has said:  When all is said and done, more is said than done.  So I think it's just an effort to identify a need and address it in a way that's long overdue.

MACON WILSON: I certainly agree that there's a need.  Usually when something needs to be done, it should be done.  We say we're the body of Christ, and I think so many times we think we are the Body. We're not the body, we're part of the body.  

Oftentimes, when I think about the Body I think about the human anatomy, I think about the tiny small cells.  They're so small that you can't even see them with the naked eye, yet so functional and so important that the body can't live without them.  The cells form tissue, the tissues form organs, the organs form the different systems, and the systems work together to cause the body to function.

I don't think anybody would ever do anything to harm, hurt, or damage or endanger their body.  When you see me as a part of the body of Christ as you are, and see us as a body, and only a body, and not see race, creed, color, or national origin, I think we would all come together.  I think God would be glorified and pleased if we can ever get that thought in our mind.

Somebody has to step out and step up to the plate, and say enough is enough.  And somebody has to evaluate what's happening and what's been happening, and realize that unless something changes, nothing changes. I think this organization, Dr. Carpenter's leadership in EVUSA, what is happening and what has happened, is just opening doors for great opportunities for change, and I think we're seeing it.  

How did the two of you meet?  What led to the selection of Macon as the first Director of African American ministries?

MACON WILSON: Well, it's kind of a unique story. I actually met Dr. Carpenter before we really knew who either one of us were at a Heartland camp meeting He introduced his son, who was the keynote speaker at the conference. His secretary, Debbie Whipple, came up to me after the message was over and she said, “You are just who they've been looking for!” “I need to get an appointment with you with my boss!” And I said, “Well who is your boss?”  She said, “I'll call you Monday.”

I had no idea what Debbie was talking about.  She said, “He travels a lot but I'll see when he can meet with you.”  So I told Zuella (my wife) what she said, and she said, “Well, who's that?”  And I said, “I don't know, she didn't give me any information.”  But she called me that Monday wanting to know if I could meet,.  She told me Dr. Carpenter had maybe 20 minutes.  And when I walked in, I realized that he was the person that I'd met and seen at the campground.  I think our meeting was about 3 hours and 20 minutes.  After talking with him and he sharing with me the organization, some of its history, some of the thoughts and ideas and visions - good and the bad -I think we both found out that we were both pretty much crybabies.

Something happened there between the two of us.  He and I talked and actually created a unique bond right there within a 3 hour period.  It seemed, from the many things that we'd shared, that we had so much in common.

It wasn't like a white man talking to a black man, really.  it was two Christian brothers sharing thoughts and ideas, giving God glory and honor and praise.  And I realized that if something like that could take place throughout the constituents of the IPHC, we could see changes that would be unprecedented. 

And so that's kind of how we came about it, and it's been a very exciting experience for me-and challenging.  There have been some encouraging days and there have been some discouraging days.  There have been some disappointments and there have been some appointments.  But I realize that what God appoints you to do, no one can disappoint.  I also realize that He who has begun a good work in you is faithful to complete it. 

This to me was more of a God-assignment than anything else, because I realized that everybody wasn't in agreement for us to even come.  Everybody was not supporting the vision that Dr. Carpenter had, and the vision that I could see as we talked. I didn't come in fear; I did come in faith.  I came in hope.  I came believing that what we started -what God started -He would see to completion.

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Groups rule!

They really shouldn’t, but they do. When it comes to church leadership and administration, teams should rule. Why? Because a strategy based on the group concept is wrought with limitations and inadequacies that create a high potential for unnecessary problems and conflicts. Another subtle hazard of the group concept is that we are naturally inclined toward this approach. We unintentionally gravitate toward “group-think” rather than “team-think”.

To build a team-based strategy will require you to be deliberate about educating yourself and influencing others that the team approach is by far the most effective path to ministry success.

Let’s look at some simple definitions that may help you begin to appreciate the many advantages of team over group.

A group is a small number of people with a leader who come together to accomplish an assigned task.

A team is the same except the leader, through his/her demeanor, guidance and instructions, cultivates an atmosphere where members feel a sense of ownership and commitment to value based common goals that they helped establish. Each team member is urged to apply their own unique talents, knowledge and creativity to the team objectives.

Henry Ford said, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success!” I can’t remember who said this, but it’s worth noting: “Teams are less about me and more about we. It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.”

Consider these benefits of team versus group:

• Less conflict;
• More consistent attendance. Because of the positive atmosphere team-think generates, people look forward to the gatherings and this results in an atmosphere of excitement and motivation;
• A dramatic increase in the quality and quantity of input from the team members;
• Increased creativity and innovation;
• More efficient use of budgeted funds;
• More flexiblity and adaptablity;
• Eliminates “turfism”.

Transitioning from group-think to team-think is a current work in progress at our church. The information in this article is what we’re learning to do. We’re not fully engaged in team-think yet. We have discovered that our biggest challenge in this change process is wrestling with the natural inclination toward group-think.

Moving- our organization from group toward team begins with me as the senior pastor. It starts with self-education on the difference between the two and advantages of team over group. The staff must then buy into the team concept and begin the process of teaching the people they lead. So on with the ministry directors, volunteers, etc. Our goal is that team-think will become as natural to us a group-think has been.

The most difficult barriers to overcome as you move toward team-think will probably be church politics, personality differences, and competition. When these or other obstacles arise, remind everyone that when we attempt to make permanent changes in how we think, these little irritants are inevitable. Learning how to deal positively with each barrier will help us to evolve into an effective team instead of an ordinary group.

Essential characteristics of healthy teams include:

• Trust – all participants must be confident that they can count on each other to achieve a common goal.
• Common values – everyone must be likeminded concerning the ultimate goal of the team.
• Entrepreneurial atmosphere – an environment where innovation, creativity and risk taking is expected, not simply encouraged.
• Reward – the glory of God and the growth of His Kingdom.

Recommended Reading

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, Patrick M. Lencioni
  (NOTE: Our staff at WC is currently reading this book together. We read assigned passages and then discuss them at our weekly staff meeting).
• Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators, Patrick M. Lencioni.
• The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player: Becoming the Kind of Person Every Team Wants, John C. Maxwell.
• The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High Performance Organization, Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith.

Ferrell and Millie Hardison have been married for thirty-one years and have two sons: Brandon (28) and Mitch (25). He has served as Senior Pastor of Whitley Church in Princeton, NC since June of 1990.

Whitley Church has grown from an average attendance of 69 to 800 and currently has six fulltime and four part-time staff members. The vision of Whitley Church is to be a multi-site church and has planted its first satellite church (The Bridge) in November of 2007 x this church is located in the city of Goldsboro, NC – meets only on Saturday evenings – and is currently averaging 110 in attendance.

Rev. Hardison frequently speaks in church growth/leadership conferences, and serves as a consultant, coach and mentor for churches and pastors of various denominations.

You can visit the church's website here.

Truth, wisdom, learning, and good sense - these are worth paying for, but too valuable for you to sell. Proverbs 23:23 (TEV)

In the late 70’s I was in Bible college. My hair looked like a motor cycle helmet, I had Elvis sideburns, and I owned white shoes and a suit with a belt. Stop laughing. You looked funny back then too. I was studying the Bible, trying to become someone a church would consider hiring as their pastor. One of the things I regret about my four years in Bible college is that I was offered little or no opportunities for leadership training. I’m not taking a cheap shot at the college I attended; it’s just that leadership training for future pastors was simply not valued as a priority at that time. I could recite the Old Testament kings but I knew nothing about leading a team. In the very first deacon board meeting I ever attended, I was the chairman! Why was I the chairman? Because I was the senior pastor. How absurd! I stared at the deacons for a couple of minutes and then just started rattling off the names of all the kings – I didn’t know what else to do! Just kidding.

I am very happy to report that Heritage Bible College in Dunn, North Carolina (www.heritagebiblecollege.org), under the leadership of President Dr. Elvin Butts is now offering multiple opportunities to hone your leadership skills.

In my early pastoral ministry I learned more about leadership from Gene Getz than anyone else at the time. His material was, and still is excellent. To this day, I still reference his book, Sharpening the Focus of the Church. That book will never be out of date.

Then in the late 80’s, a guy named John Maxwell showed up on my leadership resource radar. As you are well aware, now days there is a plethora of leadership training materials and opportunities available - books, schools, seminars, conferences, websites, e-newsletters, CDs, DVDs, podcasts, vodcasts, and much more. The biggest challenge for me in writing this article is not WHERE to learn leadership skills, but determining WHICH sources I should recommend.

The sources I will suggest to you are certainly debatable, based on your needs and the model or style with which you are comfortable. To understand more about our style or approach to ministry, just visit our church websites at www.whitleychurch.com and www.bridgechurch.cc. You will notice that we are full-blown contemporary, multi-site vision, life-giving, casual, etc. I hope this helps in your understanding of where I’m coming from as it relates to my leadership resource suggestions. It is my hope that no matter what your worship style or approach to ministry may be, these suggestions will be helpful.
Several of my favorite websites are: churchleaderinsights.com, buildingchurchleaders.com, churchleadership.org, leadnet.org, creativepastors.com, relatedchurches.com, and many more.

Here are a few free podcasts I subscribe to: Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast, National Community Church Video Podcast, Catalyst Podcast, Seacoast Church Podcast, and C3 Church Leadership Podcast. To find these, just Google them.

A few of my favorite leadership books are: It (Craig Groeschel), The Next Generation Leader (Andy Stanley), Visoneering (Andy Stanley), Seven Practices of Effective Ministry (Andy Stanley), the Simply Strategic series (Tim Stevens & Tony Morgan), Good to Great (Jim Collins), and The Multi-Site Church Revolution (Greg Surratt).

Several of my favorite leadership conferences are: DRIVE (North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, GA), Catalyst (Atlanta GA), and All Access (Association of Related Churches).

Now let’s address attitude in relation to being a “learner” of leadership skills. Are you teachable? Do you find yourself always criticizing those with the gift of leadership? Do you resent those who have experienced numerical success more than you? Here’s the deal: If our attitude toward leadership development is flawed, we will never become leaders God can use effectively. The resources I mentioned earlier will be of no assistance to you if you are not hungry to learn. Your church or ministry may be more traditional or academic in style. That really makes no difference.

Ministry style boils down to preference – not right or wrong. Different strokes for different folks. There are plenty of excellent leadership development resources available to you no matter what style or approach to ministry you prefer. If you are always critical toward those who are trying to teach you how to be a better leader, you need to ask the Holy Spirit to bless you with an attitude adjustment. When your attitude is negative toward sharpening your leadership skills, you are only hurting yourself and those God has entrusted you to lead.

Finally, no act on your part will surpass the importance of prayer, fasting and study of the scriptures when it comes to learning leadership skills. As a leader in His Kingdom your intimacy with Him is paramount. Intimacy with Him will instantaneously solve the attitude problem mentioned earlier. He is the one Who called you to lead and He is the one Who enables you to lead – lead with courage, yet with the heart of a servant!

Thank God for all of the human teachers He has placed in the body of Christ to assist us in the development of our leadership skills, but He is our ultimate teacher. Pray now! Cry out to Him! Say to Him, “Lord, by Your Holy Spirit, teach me, equip me to be the leader You have envisioned me to be!” Ask Him for a deep hunger and humility to learn from Him and others. Pray that God would give you an unquenchable thirst for Him; an unquenchable thirst to discover various resources and forms of information that will make you a great leader. Pray for a divine enablement to lead without intimidation in these last days!

Ferrell and Millie Hardison have been married for thirty-one years and have two sons: Brandon (28) and Mitch (25). He has served as Senior Pastor of Whitley Church in Princeton, NC since June of 1990.

Whitley Church has grown from an average attendance of 69 to 800 and currently has six fulltime and four part-time staff members. The vision of Whitley Church is to be a multi-site church and has planted its first satellite church (The Bridge) in November of 2007 x this church is located in the city of Goldsboro, NC – meets only on Saturday evenings – and is currently averaging 110 in attendance.

Rev. Hardison frequently speaks in church growth/leadership conferences, and serves as a consultant, coach and mentor for churches and pastors of various denominations.

You can visit the church's website here.

The Bible serves us in innumerable ways. One service it provides is as the perfect leadership manual. Whether you are a leader of leaders, a leader of followers, a leader of students, or a leader in some other context, I hope the ten points below will be helpful.

Be Spiritually Healthy
Where are you with God? How would you describe your prayer life? The time you set aside to be alone with God can become routine, so be creative. Write God a letter. Write Him a lot of letters. How long has it been since you fasted a mealxa day? Read a book on developing your personal spiritual intimacy. At the time of this writing I am reading Uprising by Erwin McManus. It’s pinching me. That’s good. Connect with a small group of other leaders you trust so you can be transparent about your personal struggles. Pray that God will provide you with a personal accountability partner – then be patient – God will send the right person. Where are you with God? This is not a question concerning your success as a leader. I ask you where you are with God. This is the most important question a leader must consistently ask of him/her self. (Psalm 51, Romans 12:1-2)

Be Hands On
Keep your finger constantly on the pulse of your team and ministry. Do not assume anything. Meet consistently and individually with key people. Listen to them. No really – LISTEN. Welcome their feedback. Inspect what you have assigned. Evaluate effectiveness. Are lives being changed? Is there someone on my team I haven’t talked to in a while? Develop a schedule that reminds you to communicate clearly and regularly with every member of your team.

Be Hands Off
Give team members the freedom to do their jobs without the sense that you’re always looking over their shoulder. Cast the overall vision, but then allow your team to come up with and use some of their own ideas. Let them be successful. Let them fail. Celebrate publicly when a team member comes up with a successful idea. Celebrate creativity and out-of-the-box ideas – even if you don’t use the idea. Each member of your team should know that you have confidence in their abilities. If they fail, remember Thomas Edison and the light bulb. After 15,000 failures, he was successful. I am using his invention as I write this article. (Ex. 18)

Be Bold
Don’t be afraid to risk. Risk is essential to growth in every area. Face the fear, take the risk, make the decision, and lead! If a team member is lazy, ignoring your instructions or simply not living up to your expectations, you have to call for the hard meeting. A measure of courage is also required when building your team. In other words, surround yourself with people who are not like you. Know your strengths, know your weaknesses, and build your team accordingly. Always loving – always bold. God called you to lead, so He must think you can do it. Stop doubting yourself. Just because someone challenges your idea or the direction of your leadership – that doesn’t automatically mean the challenger right. (Jer. 1:1-9)

Be Caring
Are you genuinely concerned about the personal welfare of those you lead? What kind of pressure are your team members under in their private lives? Have you asked them to do something they really have no idea how to do? Maybe they need more information but are afraid to ask. How many hours are your team members putting in? In church life, remember that your team members are often taking orders from you and from members of the congregation. Are you aware of how many things are on their plate? How is their marriage? How are things going with their children? Do you affirm your team members publicly and privately? Do you let them know when they do something well or do you just complain when they fail to meet your expectations? Do you ever just talk to them about what’s going on in their life? Do you ever just take them to lunch and say, “How are YOU doing?” (2 Tim. 4:2)

Be Transparent
Allow those you lead to see your struggles? Use wisdom but let them see that you are not perfect and that you know you are not perfect. My son struggles with drug addiction. I tell them about my challenge. I ask for the prayers of my team and congregation. I let them see me cry. I admit to them that sometimes Millie and I have no idea what to do next. Again, you have to be wise here, but being transparent has never hurt me as a leader. The fact is, our team members already know that we are far from perfect. They know about most of our struggles anyway, so when we share this information openly, they respect us more and it creates a stronger bond with the team. (I Tim. 1:15)

Be Yourself
Don’t be an actor. Don’t be a fake. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. God made you the way you are and He wants to use YOU, not some cheap imitation. Church leaders (especially pastors) are notorious for wearing a spiritual mask. Have you ever noticed how some leaders actually have a different voice when they speak to a crowd? Give us all a major break and just get real! (Prov. 3:7)

Be Alert
WARNING: Success will lull you into a false sense of security. No matter how great things are going, DO NOT let your guard down when it comes to spiritual disciplines, excellence, honest evaluations, and a solid work ethic. Great leaders never coast. Great leaders always have to be alert and intentional. (Judges 7:4-6; I Peter 5:8)

Be Aware
How are YOU doing? How is YOUR spouse doing? Where are YOUR kids? Who are their friends? How much sleep are you getting? How often are you home in the evenings? How much are you working at home? Are you sleeping well? Do you schedule at least one full day off per week? Are you laughing? Are you having fun? Are you rolling around on the floor with your kids? Are you reading material that feeds you and motivates you? Do you have a hobby? Work hard – play hard! Do not allow burnout to sneak up on you. (Ex. 18; Matt.11:28-29)

Be Humble
If you are struggling as a leader, humility is probably not a issue for you. However, if you are experiencing success, it could be a huge problem – one that leads to your collapse. Make a conscious effort to be generous, loving and approachable – especially to other leaders are where you were before success came our way. Notice the poor in your congregation. Teach yourself to speak briefly to the affluent and the influential, and speak in depth to the poor, uneducated, and less talented people in your congregation. Love and treat everyone the same. (Phil. 2:7-8)

Ferrell and Millie Hardison have been married for thirty-one years and have two sons: Brandon (28) and Mitch (25). He has served as Senior Pastor of Whitley Church in Princeton, NC since June of 1990.

Whitley Church has grown from an average attendance of 69 to 800 and currently has six fulltime and four part-time staff members. The vision of Whitley Church is to be a multi-site church and has planted its first satellite church (The Bridge) in November of 2007 x this church is located in the city of Goldsboro, NC – meets only on Saturday evenings – and is currently averaging 110 in attendance.

Rev. Hardison frequently speaks in church growth/leadership conferences, and serves as a consultant, coach and mentor for churches and pastors of various denominations.

You can visit the church's website here.