I was talking to a friend yesterday about possibly hosting or speaking at a conference for volunteers. After talking, he noted that I received my Masters degree dealing with the subject of leadership. He wasn’t sure that that was the best topic to cover for dealing with a conference for volunteers. I can understand his reluctance, after all leadership is about authority and being in charge …right?

For some people, this is what leadership is about: power, control, authority. A lot of folks when they think of leaders they think of the “great man”, astride a great white horse here to rescue us from the depths of the being leaderless followers. After all, the Bible does say where there is no vision the people will perish or cast off restraint – so leaders must tell the people where they are going and what the future will look like…right?

Now, I’m not saying this is what my friend was thinking. But this is what a lot of people think of when they think of leaders or leadership.

Are they right?

I think the idea that you are a leader because you are taller and have a strong chin or “look” like a leader is outdated and out of place. I do see the role of a leader as being vision casting, culture creation and directing/guiding people. But a leader has to do more than just the three things. And this is where leadership becomes applicable to volunteers.

In my opinion, one of the greatest roles of a leader is to lift the level of other people. At Bethel, where I work, we talk about leaders as “redemptive” individuals. We teach that leadership is a set of learned behaviors. Leaders are not born, leaders learn to be leaders. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe there are those that are gifted naturally as leaders and I believe there’s a spiritual gift of leadership. But this is one of the instances where it is not a matter of either/or but really both/and.

A redemptive leader takes their own story of redemption and uses it to help other followers find their own redemptive story. In doing this, a redemptive leader with the level of their followers. Ultimately, the goal of a redemptive leader is to release their followers to also help lift the level of other followers through their own redemptive potential. It becomes the process of showing, telling, and doing life together. Sound familiar?

It should. Because the redemptive leaders/redemptive followers model is really a discipleship relationship. It is in this context, that leadership becomes vital for every teacher, co-teacher, and student in your ministry.

Not everyone in your ministry can cast the vision, really only you can. Not everyone in your ministry can determine the direction of your ministry, really only you can. Everyone in your ministry can lift the level of a follower. This is why leadership is a vital lesson for actual leaders, followers, and students. Redemptive leadership helps us understand that leadership is not about position. Leadership is about helping others and serving those around you.

(On an unrelated note to the post, I apologize for any grammatical errors or typos. This entire post was written via Siri on my iPhone 5.)

     Take a look at the picture – when you first looked at it, did you see half a face of a man looking at you or someone looking to the left? It took me a minute, but after looking a third time I could see both. To see both though, I had to look at it differently.

There are a lot of problems that require a second or third look and often from a different perspectives.

My pastor has a great little phrase (he’s very quotable) “A change of pace, A change of place, equals a change of perspective.”  Have you ever experienced the strange productivity phenomenon of an “off-site” work day? I have often been amazed by how much more work I can get done siting at Starbucks vs. sitting in my office (I’m actually writing this sitting at Starbucks now…)

One of the greatest hindrances to creativity is routine. But one of the greatest tools for problem solving is creativity. If you approach every problem from the same perspective, then most of your solutions will be similar. This isn’t all bad, but it isn’t all good either. Bro. Jim always told me “A rut is just a grave with the ends kicked out.” A rut stops you from thinking differently.

Maybe it’s time you start looking at some challenges from a different perspective. Do you need another voice on your team? Do you need to go out-of-town for a day? Do you need to go work in a coffee shop? Here’s a hard one – What routines have you settled into that prevent you from looking at something with a different perspective?

Problems can seem overwhelming at times.  Especially if you only have one solution. If the only tool in your tool box is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail to be hit. You need to expand you tool kit and approach from a different angle. You’ll be amazed at how many old “impossible” situations you can work though with just a few little changes.

My wife Heather is AMAZING! She’s the one in pink…her friend April is pretty awesome to and she’s a great Bethel Kid’s Small Group Leader! In September of 2012, Heather decided she wanted to run a 5k. She connected with April to get trained. April LOVES running, maybe it’s more appropriate to say that April lives to run. As Heather began training, she found out something about herself that she never knew – she is a runner! Heather feel in love with it. It was a whole new world being opened up to her.

Heather spent several months training for her 5k and ran her very first race in December of 2012. It was such a great accomplishment. She was so proud of herself and so was I. She had set her mind to a goal and accomplished it is spectacular fashion. But she didn’t stop there! In January of this year, Heather set another goal – she was going to run in a half-marathon. 13.1 miles! Crazy! She immediately went into training with April and a group of other ladies who were going to run the same race in March.

By the time Heather got registered though, she hit a little snag. The regular registration was full! The only way she could race was to do the “Dolphin Challenge” with LiveStrong. Which meant she’d have to raise $300 for cancer research and run an 8K on Saturday before the half-marathon on Sunday! That’s a lot of commitment and running! It did cause her a little concern, but April was right there alongside her encouraging her. “We’ll raise the money together and I’ll run with you.”

Fast forward a couple of months to St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Their training was complete and this past Saturday Heather ran, with April, her 8K. She finished with a pace of 8:53 per mile. It was great! Then she turned around on Sunday and ran the half-marathon with a pace of 9:54 per mile. What a great accomplishment! She went from not running at all to running a half-marathon in less than 7 moths! I was so proud of her!

I was surprised by what the whole weekend did for me…

You see, I’ve never had any desire (as an adult) to be a runner. I enjoy hitting the gym and doing the elliptical or a spin class or taking my bike out for a spin – but not once have I thought I’d like to go for a jog. Yet, after the weekend with the runners I found myself drawn to take a stab at it. I’m not really built for speed…I’m more like Gimli the dwarf from “Lord of the Rings” – very dangerous over short distances. But this weekend, during my walk around the neighborhood, I tried a bit (a very little bit) of running. It didn’t kill me.

So, what happened?

I think it was Psalms 27:17 in action. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” I spent a weekend with runners, I was curious what it would be like to become one of them. The same principle applies in your own life. Who you spend time with will inevitably affect who you become. As a leader, do you spend time with other leaders who will help you grow? As a Christian, do you spend time with other Christians who will help you grow? Do you have individuals in your life that will cause to you to strive to be more than you are now? Do you have people in your life that will help to encourage you to higher places?

As a leader, you must be concerned with the growth of followers, but you also have to worry about your own growth! If you spend all your time focusing on the development of others, eventually you’ll stop growing. Likewise, if you spend all your time focusing on your own growth, your followers will never advance.

In your life, do you have people who will call you forward and challenge you to grow? If not, you may never know what you can accomplish!

This weekend was a great reminder of this principle for me. Am I going to become a runner? Who knows? Maybe, after all I’ve got a great example in my house…

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