Pastors, Lead

A few years ago, I read an article that summarized almost 1,000 interviews with some of the nation’s top corporate leaders. The article declared that the #1 need a leader of a corporation needs to provide for everyone is clarity.        

If a leader does not lead, he cannot provide clarity. If this is true for global business leaders, it is even truer for every pastor of a local church or one who is leading a Christian ministry or institution built on the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pastors, Lead With Clarity        

Ask yourself this question and be honest in answering it: Am I leading with clarity? Does everyone around me know where I am going and where I want him or her to go with me?

If you are really daring and desire a complete, honest assessment, ask the leaders in your church: Am I leading with clarity? If you have a staff team, ask them: Am I leading with clarity?     

If any leader should be leading with clarity, it is a pastor. I did not say it would be easy, but as pastors, our mission is clear. Do not let the negative people of your church distract you or determine the agenda of your church.

Jesus is the Chief Shepherd of His Church and He is more than clear about what He wants us doing. He states in Matthew 28:19-20:

 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If it is not clear enough that we are to make disciples of all nations by going, baptizing, and teaching them, then perhaps this will help. Jesus gave His final marching orders to His followers right before He ascended to heaven. Acts 1:8 says:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

With clarity, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are to make disciples and witness His gospel everywhere regionally, statewide, nationally, and internationally.

Pastor, get back on message! Readjust your life and leadership with clarity. Lead with clarity!

Pastors, Lead Strategically

Since you have been given this clear task of leadership as described above, lead strategically. You are on mission with God and your task is to move the church or ministry entrusted to you to be on mission with God. His mission to redeem the world!

Leading strategically toward accomplishing the grand task is given to us in Acts 1:8. If your church runs 25, 250, 2,500, or 25,000 on Sunday, lead your church to strategically advance the gospel globally. The influence of the web as well as television gives your people a global perspective they did not have ten years ago. Today, they are influenced by it whether they want to be or not.

Strategically lead your church to advance the gospel in your small community of 300, town of 3,000, region of 30,000, or city from 300,000 to 3 million people. Pastors must lead their churches to advance the gospel strategically or we are like a basketball team that prides ourselves on being good dribblers. You can have the greatest dribbling basketball team in the region, but if you do not put the ball through the net more than the other teams you play, you will lose continually.

Sadly, we have thousands of churches that are good at dribbling a lot of church stuff that does not matter!  We cannot continually miss our goal: Making disciples of Jesus Christ by going, baptizing, and teaching.    

This is our clear message, task, and mission. If we do nothing else well, we must do this well.

Pastors, Lead Boldly     

As I have traveled this country and beyond, there is a fearfulness that is consuming pastors today. We fear failure. We fear criticism. We fear people. We fear Satan.

New Testament churches were led by pastors who led this missional advance boldly! They had their detractors just like we do. They had their critics just like we do. They had their contrary vocal adversaries just like we do. They faced Satan head-on just like we do. None of this has changed nor will ever change until Jesus comes again.

What has changed is that fewer pastors are leading their ministries today with boldness. This “play it safe” mentality is plaguing the Church with carnality and paralyzing the advancement of the Church.

Let me give an example. This past Monday, I released an article, America Needs Heroic Leadership in the Present, Leadership That Champions Religious Liberty Globally. If you haven’t read it already, please take the time now. When you come to the end of the article, ask yourself this personal question about your leadership: What am I doing about the brutalization, abuse, and murder of thousands of people that is happening globally in the name of religion?

Pastors, stand up this Sunday and the Sunday following, sounding the alarm, calling upon your people to take action with their leaders locally, statewide, and nationally, calling upon them to do something now about this global crisis. We must speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. We must stand up and do something now.

Perhaps you may be thinking, “Ronnie, what if my people get upset?” Let them! Lead boldly!

Pastors, LEAD! I am cheering you on! 

Yours for the Great Commission,

Ronnie W. Floyd