Leadership

Five Marks of A Spiritually Mature Leader

Leadership
May 27, 2024 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 642

God wants all of us to grow.  Maturity is one of God’s purposes for our lives.  Hebrews 6:1 tells us, “Let us press on to maturity” (NASB). God intends for us to continually pursue spiritual growth so that we may “be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29 NKJV).  

One of God’s purposes for your ministry or Christian business is to help your people grow toward spiritual maturity.  Yet, there is much confusion about what Christian maturity looks like.  As you’re making disciples, you must make it clear what it is to grow in the Lord.

Maturity isn’t about how old you are.  You can be a Christian for many years and still not be mature. The Lord doesn’t want us to grow old in Christ but to grow up in Christ.

Maturity isn’t about what you look like.  Some people may look like they are spiritually mature, but they aren’t.  You aren’t holy just because you look dignified. 

Maturity isn’t about accomplishments.  You can achieve much without being mature in your faith. 

Maturity isn’t about scholarship and knowledge.  A Bible college or seminary degree doesn’t make you spiritually mature. 

You don’t get to be mature by comparing yourself to anyone else.  You become mature by comparing yourself to the Word of God.  The book of James is a manual on how to be mature.

It gives us five marks of spiritual maturity.

 

  1. A mature leader is positive under difficulty. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2-4 NLT).
    Just because you trusted Christ as your Savior and then chose to follow Him doesn’t mean you won’t face troubles.  The question isn’t whether you’ll experience problems but how you respond and react to them.  Do you get nervous, uptight, or negative?  Do you grumble?
    You can be full of Bible knowledge and still grumpy under challenges.  A mature Christian can be under stress and still be joyful.
  1. A mature leader is sensitive to people.“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;” (James 2:8 NKJV).
    When children are immature, they are entirely self-focused. But mature people don’t just want their needs to be met; they want the needs of others to be met.
    In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus states we’ll be judged for how we treat others—not how many Bible verses we know or how often we attend church. 
  1. A mature leader has mastered his mouth. “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” (James 3:2 NKJV). 
    When you go for a checkup, doctors often say, “Stick out your tongue.” The doctor looks at your tongue to begin to determine the condition of your health.  In a similar way, the Lord does that spiritually, too.
    James 3 gives us several illustrations regarding the tongue.  The chapter calls it a bridle to a horse (3:3), an udder to a ship (3:4), and a spark to a fire (3:5-6).  James 3:8 says, “But no man can tame the tongue.  It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”  (NKJV)
    Earlier in the book, James writes: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” (James 1:26 NKJV).  Gossip, spreading rumors, and constant negative talk are signs you’re immature in the faith.
  1. A mature leader is a peacemaker, not a troublemaker. “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1 NIV). 
    Don’t we all know Christians who seem to make more trouble than they make peace?  Conflict isn’t a Christian virtue.  It’s a true sign of immaturity.
    James states that being selfish and judgmental are the two most significant sources of conflict.  Both prevent us from having the Christ-like maturity Jesus asks us to pursue.  Pride keeps us from admitting we’re wrong.  It is not our place to be judgmental; only the Lord has that right. 
    Christian maturity means learning to stop being selfish and judgmental because it regularly causes conflict.
  1. A mature leader is patient and prayerful. “…be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.  You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:7-8 NIV).
    Patience and prayerfulness go together.  They both identify an attitude of dependence upon the Lord that demonstrates the marks of a spiritually mature leader.  As James 5 notes, it’s the demeanor farmers understand.  Farmers must do a lot of waiting.  No crops mature overnight.  Just like patient farmers, we must wait for God to work in our lives.  If you can’t wait, you can’t be patient.  Patience is a key element of maturity.

As you’re trying to help people grow spiritually, don’t fall victim to the trap of thinking the people in your ministry or business who know the most Scripture are necessarily the most mature.  Instead, look at how God is transforming their character into His likeness.  Ask yourself:

 

  • How does this person handle difficulties?
  • Is this person sensitive to the needs and personalities of other people?
  • Does this person manage the way they speak to others?
  • Is this person a peacemaker or troublemaker?
  • Does this person pray without quitting?

That’s the kind of person who is mature and growing into Christlikeness.  And those are the marks of a spiritually mature leader.

 

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Reading time: 5 min
Leadership

Five Ways to Maintain Unity and Harmony in Your Ministry or Business

Leadership
May 20, 2024 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 741

Unity and harmony within our ministries or businesses have been strained and tested over the past few years.  The world has become more divided, causing people to take sides on many issues.

As a leader, you need to guard the unity and harmony of your ministry or business. 

For God to move in your ministry or business, it needs to be united—no matter what’s occurring in the culture and worldwide.  I’m convinced that we’ll have the church’s power in Acts when we have the church’s unity in Acts.  Then, we’ll be able to set aside our petty differences and disagreements and unite around one thing: the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:32).

So, how can you maintain unity and harmony when forces surrounding your ministry try to split it apart?

Here are five ways to safeguard the unity and harmony of your ministry or business. 

 1. Cultivate an attitude of acceptance in your ministry or business.

Accepting people where they are is essential, not where you want them to be.  It is wise not to major on minor issues.  It is not necessary to require that everyone agrees on every minor detail. 

Romans 14:1 says, “Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” (NLT).

Notice that Paul recognizes those “who are weak in the faith.” You won’t agree on everything and don’t need to do so to have unity in your ministry. 

2. Concentrate on your shared purpose.

First Corinthians 1:10 reminds us, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other.  Let there be no divisions in the church.  Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose” (NLT).

Focusing on a shared purpose leads to unity.  That’s why we focus on our purpose to exist at Make It Clear Ministries and Clarity Christian College.  It helps us stay on the “same page.” I wouldn’t want to be a part of another ministry unless I was confident about where it was going.  Therefore, I shouldn’t expect others to do so, either. 

3. Control your what you say.

Don’t let gossip fester in your ministry or business.  When someone comes with a problem, have your leaders ask themselves: “Is this a valid concern?” If it is, they need to know where to take the concern.  If it’s not, they need to have the other person stop gossiping.

The Bible says gossip is a sin.  When you listen to it, you become a cohort in it.  Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (NASB).

Rick Warren asks and answers, what is gossip?  Gossip is when you’re sharing a problem or criticism with someone who is neither part of the problem nor part of the solution.

4. Communicate that people should support their leaders.

Hebrews 13:17 should get the attention of everyone in ministry leadership: “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say.  Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God.  Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow.  That would certainly not be for your benefit” (NLT). It’s not the part about people obeying leaders that is most important to me.  It’s the part that says, “They are accountable to God.” 

One day, we will stand and give an account before the Lord for the people we lead.  He’ll hold us accountable for the direction of the church or business and the spiritual development of those we lead.

5. Continue God’s method of conflict resolution.

Matthew 18:15-17 gives us the plan to follow when the unity and harmony of the ministry are under attack.  The solution is to go directly to the person with whom we have a problem.  If that person doesn’t listen, you should bring along with you another observer.  If the person still doesn’t listen, bring them before the senior leadership and let them decide how much further this should go.

What happens if the person still doesn’t listen and gets into the “unity room”?  You still love them but don’t have them continue in your ministry or business.

If you’re a Christian leader, unity and harmony are your responsibility.  Jesus tells us that our unity will be a witness for Him (John 13:35).

What do your ministry’s or business’s unity and harmony tell the world about God?

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Leadership

Correct Responders vs First Responders

Leadership
May 13, 2024 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 724

A letter from Pastor Jeramie Rinne

to the Sanibel Community Church

Dear Sanibel Church Family,

It’s Sunday morning, Oct 2, 4:30 am. I’m writing this from a hotel bathroom so as not to wake my wife. I couldn’t have imagined a week ago that this is where I would be today.

Normally on a Sunday morning, I would be waking up around 5:30 am or so and head out for a beach walk with my poodle to pray and think through the sermon I had spent all week preparing. This Sunday in particular would have been the beginning of a new sermon series in Daniel, followed by the Lord’s Supper in our last one-service gathering.

But instead, I’m sitting in a hotel bathroom.

I don’t have a house. My earthly possessions can now fit in my truck. I can’t go to my favorite beach. I have no idea when I will preach again in my pulpit on Sanibel to my beloved congregation. And no, I didn’t get around to studying Daniel much this week.

Where are you this morning?

Some of you are also in hotels on the east coast. Some are staying with family and friends, wondering how long the arrangement will work. Others are up north watching this disaster from a distance, filled with more questions than answers, and plagued by a vexing sense of helplessness. Some are in the Ft Myers area without power or internet or consistent cell service. They can’t even read this email. Some are stuck in shelters at Shell Point because the storm surge wiped out most of the cars there. Some . . . I don’t know where they are.

Is it sinking in yet or are you still in shock? The feelings and thoughts come in waves.

I haven’t had much time or capacity to reflect on the events of the past week.

Most of my mental energy has been spent on trying to coordinate efforts, solve problems and find people. But this morning, sitting in my bathroom office unable to sleep, I find myself in a rare moment of contemplation. I’m thinking about

Psalm 46:1 – 5

“God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depth of the sea, though the water roars and foams and the mountains quake with it turmoil.” Verses 1-3

The Psalmist meant the roaring sea as a metaphor for turmoil and danger, particularly the danger of hostile nations around Israel. But this week we saw the literal referent for that metaphor. We saw the sea rise up and swallow homes, cars, bridges and lives. The storm cut the causeway islands in half. The incredible power of the sea flung boats and cars all over Iona. Ft Myers beach is completely devastated.

The Psalm describes an earth-shattering ocean storm. These verses will never again be an abstraction for us.

Yet we must not forget how the Psalm begins. “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.” God is our refuge. No storm touches God. God needs no insurance policy because he reigns above the flood. He is the only safe place. God is our strength. God never loses power or fuel. The Lord doesn’t feel anxious or perturbed and has no troubled thoughts about the future. Our heavenly Father is not passing through phases of shock, grief and despair. The Triune God dwells in perfect peace, joy and delight at all times.

He is not exhausted or depleted. A helper who is always found. Unlike us, our God is not helpless. He isn’t stuck watching the news, imagining himself renting a boat so he can sneak onto the island and do something. He is our helper who is always found in times of trouble. Trouble comes and goes. Hurricanes pass. But our helper never changes or leaves us. Even when our future is uncertain and our lives have been completely overturned, we know these things about God. He is almighty, he is eternal and he loves us.

No wonder the Psalmist can look into the tempest and say “Therefore we will not be afraid.” The psalmist is not in denial about the power of the storm. Rather he beholds the greatness and power and lovingkindness of our Lord toward us. God is infinitely willing and able to help his storm-tossed people. The fury of hurricane Ian is a gentle breeze compared to the might of our savior God.

And if the Psalmist knew these things about the Lord, how much more should we who live in light of the cross. Our Lord Jesus has rendered the ultimate aid. He bore the terrifying storm of God’s wrath to save us from our sins. The cross is our refuge. Jesus is our strength. He is risen and ever present to help us. Let us go to his throne boldly for mercy and grace.

This faith in the Lord as our refuge, strength, and help gives us an internal strength that stands in stark contrast to the chaos of the storm:

Now verses 4, 5, “There is a river—its streams delight the city of God,

the holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is within her, she will not be toppled, God will help her when the morning dawns.”

Yes, there is a raging ocean. But remember there is also a river. From our Lord flows peace and life. We have been shaken but because the Lord is within us, we will not topple.

Look to the Lord brothers and sisters. We won’t topple. We won’t collapse.

Sanibel Community Church still stands—and I’m not talking about the building on Periwinkle.

And this stream isn’t just for us. The Lord wants his living waters to flow out of our lives into the lives of others. I bet even in the pain and confusion of this past week, the thought has crossed your mind, “How will the Lord use this to advance the gospel and display his glory?” Keep asking that question. Turn it into a prayer.

God’s calling on his people to be salt and light and to bear witness to Jesus has not changed. Our mission remains intact. We are still here to multiply maturing disciples of Jesus and healthy churches for the glory of God and the good of the world. All that has changed are the circumstances and contexts where God is calling our congregation to execute that mission.

On Wednesday as the storm raged, I was sitting in a mall in Boca Raton trying to get internet. One of the stores had a TV with news coverage of the storm.

Starved for information I walked over to watch with a few others. We started talking and I told them I was a Sanibel refugee. The strangers around me stood in shock as I described what little I knew was happening on Sanibel, Captive and Ft Myers.

The conversation ended, and I returned to my computer. A few minutes later one of the store employees came over and said, “I’m sorry but I just have to ask. Why are you so calm? You’re losing everything and yet you seem so nonchalant.” It was a funny question because I didn’t feel calm or nonchalant. Yet that’s what he perceived.

So I started to explain, “Well, I’m a Christian, and I pastor a church…” I didn’t get to finish my sentence. His face lit up and he said, “Of course! You have God. I got it! It all makes sense.” And he walked away smiling.

I bet there are lots of conversations like that waiting for us in the coming weeks and months.

I pray today that wherever you are, you may take time to sit beside the river of God and be filled with his peace. And then take his Word, his gospel, and his love to a helpless and hopeless world that’s still sinking.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Jeramie

After reading Pastor Jeramie’s letter, I found one bit of interesting information about the famous Sanibel lighthouse and outbuildings that were constructed in the 1860s and completed in 1884.  As a result of Hurricane Ian’s furry on Sanibel Island, with barely visible remains of the lighthouse’s outbuildings, the lighthouse itself is still standing…even with one of its supporting legs gone. 

Real responders are people like Pastor Jeramie, responding correctly to setbacks, affliction, suffering, and challenges in life. 

After reading this letter from Pastor Jeramie, I saw a picture of Sanibel Island that looked as if it was scraped nearly clean like the top of a rock.

No matter what challenges we have or will face, “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.”

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Reading time: 7 min
Leadership

Effective Leaders Are Risk-Takers

Leadership
May 7, 2024 by Stan Ponz No Comments

Views: 817

One problem many leaders have is the gap between what they want to happen and the courage it takes to get there.

You dream of a radically new future, but then you answer emails all day, go to meetings in person or on Zoom, drink caffeine, and go home before it’s too late.  All with far too much of what you didn’t do today and what you did again today leftover for a boring do-it-again tomorrow.

And if you examine a little further, you’ll often find that what lurks under the monotony of every day is fear.  It’s easier to answer emails and be in meetings all day instead of making the bold moves you need to make to secure a better future.

That pattern is not healthy.

To accomplish a profoundly new future, you will have to do profoundly different things.  And that involves risk-taking.

Most of us are frightened of this.  It scares the socks off most of us.  After all, isn’t risk for risk-takers?  And many of us are not wild about taking risks.

So, when you realize fear is holding you back, how do you act?  How do you push past your fear?

Well, start with small steps.  Small victories over fear quickly become larger ones.  It’s like any good muscle; the more you practice overcoming your fears, the more fear you overcome.

What motivates me to grow bolder in my leadership is to consider the alternative, which is not always good.

It’s simple.  If risks aren’t taken in your leadership, you can fail.

  • Your ministry or business will experience few breakthroughs and likely continue down a path of decline to insignificance.
  • You will resign from leadership without any sense of fruit or fulfillment.

Here’s what can be worse.  From a distance, it’s difficult to tell the difference between a leader who is fearful and a leader who is lazy.  Why?  Well, while the motivation is different, the outcome is often indistinguishable.

I believe risk-taking is both a mindset and a habit.  Take a few baby steps toward tackling small challenges, and soon, you’ll be up for the bigger ones.

However, if you’re a natural risk-taker, you may feel an inclination the older you get to rest on your past accomplishments or just enduring to the end mentality.  Don’t.

One of the biggest fears in risk-taking is the fear of failure.  But the real failure in risk-taking is the lack of faith – and it is impossible to please God without faith.  I like my team to take risks when it is accompanied by faith in the Lord.  Mistakes will be made, but if we learn from them and continue to take calculated risks, we will fail forward!

Even taking risks like the ones below will get you started for future change and transformation, which is always in season.

After all, the new generation doesn’t care much about what you did yesterday.

 Seven Risks Any Leader Can Take Today

So, if you want to stretch your risk-muscle for the first time or the 1000th time, here are seven practical ways to get started now:

  1. Begin Something You Don’t Know How to Complete

It can be truly incredible.  Only tackling stuff you know how to do is a guaranteed path to unproductivity and eventual boredom.

What’s that project at work that paralyzes you?  Get started.  Now.  And see where it takes you.  You will figure it out.  I promise. 

A common phrase you hear around our ministry leaders is, “We’ll figure it out and make it happen.”  And “we can fix the plane while we are flying.  We have the Lord.” 

Most people who make the biggest difference had no idea what they were doing when they began.

Why should it be any different with you?

  1. Do What You Have Been Thinking of Doing But Haven’t Done Yet

Don’t we all have projects we’ve been thinking of doing for years that might be doable but haven’t begun doing them yet?

So, like the Nike commercial in the past…Just do it!

Make the call.  Send the text.  Clean out that drawer.  Start the conversation.  Write page one of the book you’re petrified to begin.

True leaders have a determination for great action, not just great thinking.

  1. Be Generous When You Don’t Feel Like It

Yes, generosity can be risky.  Being financially generous is a risk when you don’t feel like you have the funds to be generous.

Being generous with praise is a risk when you don’t feel like praising someone.

In a world with many reasons to be stingy, generosity can be a risk.  But the key to developing an abundance mentality is being generous.  And people with an abundance mentality often end up taking more risks.

You can start by thanking someone who deserves some thanks even if you don’t feel like giving it.  Or give some money away.  You may surprise yourself with what you get back.  You grow what you plant!

  1. Set A Goal You Think Is Unreachable

You won’t set an audacious goal because you think it’s impossible, which is precisely why you should set it.

It can be small.  You can take this truth to bank: People who set goals accomplish more than people who don’t.

  1. Be Vulnerable

Yes, vulnerability is also a risk.

Bring a close friend in on a struggle you haven’t talked to anyone about yet.  Get over your fear of telling your team you don’t know the answer (I promise you they already know).

    • Being vulnerable sets you up for accepting the failure that inevitably accompanies the risk of failure you’re so scared of.
    • Being vulnerable today will prepare you for a bit of failure tomorrow on your way to more extraordinary accomplishments. Like I said, fail forward.
  1. Give Someone Else An Opportunity You Were Going to Take For Yourself

It’s risky to trust others with something you care about, isn’t it?  Which is why you it is important for you to do it.

Select an opportunity you were personally going to do and offer it to someone else to do it.  It will not only help you have a more empowered leadership but doing so will also position you to generate a stronger and better team moving forward.

As one leadership guru said, “when it comes to accomplishment, if you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go further, go with a team.”

  1. Remove Quitting from The Table

When you’re afraid, you think about quitting, don’t you?  So, take it off the table.  Just decide you’re in for the long haul and get moving.

It’s riskier to stay and try than it is to quit and leave.

In the same way, couples who take divorce off the table usually find a way to work through their issues; you will find a way to work through your problems if you move quitting off the table.

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