While pastoring my campus fellowship as an undergraduate years ago, we were faced with the challenge of leaving our temporary place of worship on an urgent note. We did not have much in our bank account to make such a move. Within two months, God helped us to mobilize for funds and get the fellowship her own property. That problem solved redefined my leadership to date.
Friend, leadership is about taking responsibility. It is about taking initiatives. It is about rising to the occasion (1 Timothy 4:12). Listen, you can call yourself a leader. You can hold the biggest title. But it is life and situations that would show the leader in you (Proverbs 24:10). Anyone can wear suit and tie and even preach powerful messages. But it takes a leader-pastor to move God’s people to the next phase of God’s plan for them.
Marriage does not confer leadership on you as a man. It only reveals the leader in you (Genesis 18:17-19). Wedding day is not magic day. You don’t suddenly become a leader in your home because you are now married. You need to have brought leadership to that home. It is my firm belief that most women are not rebellious. Some are only unfortunate to have married men who are not leaders (1 Peter 3:6-7).
In any team, the leader is not always the one designated as the team lead. It is the one who takes initiative. It is the person who commands the greatest influence in that team (Judges 11:1-11). Who is the person that everyone listens to? Who is the person that everyone follows his or her body language? That person is the leader. The person may not be godly. He or she may even be cantankerous in nature. The person is still the leader. This is why godly leaders must not play bunfoonery around their work and leadership. They must lead (Acts 20:28-30).
Leadership is not a gift. It is a labour. It is work. Even if you have the gift of leadership, you need to develop and sharpen it for maximum result (Ecclesiastes 10:10, 2 Peter 1:10). The good news is that you don’t have to have the gift of leadership for you to lead. You only need to work on yourself (1 Timothy 4:12-16). You need to take responsibility. You must decide not to chicken out in the face of challenges. You need to decide to always show up where and when it matters.
Perhaps the fastest way to grow in leadership is to look for problems and solve them. This is the secret of success in career, business, ministry, and family. While followers run away from problems, leaders run towards problems. That was the difference between David and the rest of Israel. Everyone was running away from Goliath. But David ran towards him (1 Samuel 17:48-50). Leaders see problems as opportunities, not as obstacles. They see problems as platforms for them to rise to the next level of greatness. Are you a leader?
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria