The post Understanding the Differences between Protégés, Partners and Parasites appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The post 14 Next Generation Challenges to The Apostolic Movement appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The post Contrasting Kingdom Leaders and Church Leaders appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The post Twenty-five Signs You Are Leading from Your Dark Side appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The post Ten Kinds of People Nobody Can Help appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The post 12 Trinitarian Principals that Release Purpose and Power appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The post Distinguishing between Prototypes, Types and Counterfeits in the Church appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The post Seven Keys to Being an Effective Global Leader appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

As a person who started off in full-time ministry at the ripe old age of 21, I write the following out of personal experience and not only observation.

We desperately need young leaders to emerge! We older leaders need to help them come forth! That being said, there are some common mistakes young leaders make that could hinder their progress.

The following are seven of the top mistakes young leaders make:

1. Young leaders often have zeal without knowledge

Perhaps the greatest attribute of young leaders can also be their greatest weakness: zeal. The Bible tells us it is possible to have zeal (great energy and passion) without knowledge (Romans 10:2).

This can manifest in having great excitement and motivation to accomplish a great task, but in that excitement overlooking many of the necessary details needed to ensure success. They see the forest but fail to see the individual trees that make up the forest.

2. Young leaders often neglect the advice of older, wiser leaders

Like Rehoboam (1 Kings 12) the son of Solomon, young leaders often surround themselves with like-minded leaders their own age and neglect the advice of older, more seasoned leaders. Perhaps this is because the next generation always thinks they understand contemporary culture better than older leaders, or perhaps a generation gap? Whatever the reason, young leaders make huge mistakes (as did King Rehoboam) if they attempt to lead without the advice and accountability of more experienced leaders.

3. Young leaders often put their work before their families

All young leaders struggle with having balance in this area. One of the main reasons is because young people have an intense need to prove their competency and accomplish great things to satisfy their egos and lift their self-esteem. Consequently, this intense desire often blinds them to the needs of their families, which often leads to emotionally neglecting their spouses and children.

If this is not rectified soon enough, the foundations of their families will be faulty and they may have huge issues in the future. Older ministers have learned that it doesn’t pay to win the world and lose their families!

4. Young leaders often compete with, instead of partner with, other leaders

Along with an inordinate desire to prove themselves comes with it an intense subconscious drive to be more successful than other leaders their own age. (Even pastors fall into this.) Young leaders need to learn not to compare themselves with their peers since we all have unique gifts and callings others cannot easily replicate (2 Corinthians 10:12). They also need to understand how partnering with other like-minded leaders will actually maximize their ability to get things done for the sake of the Kingdom!

5. Young leaders have unrealistic goals

Often young leaders believe they will be able to see quick results and bring incredible transformation overnight! Their goals are often unrealistic and idealistic. This recalls the words of an old rabbi: “When I was young I wanted to change the world. When I got a little older I modified my goals and wanted to change my nation. Then, as I got older I was content to merely change my city. Then my community. Now that I am very old I would just like to change myself!”

Although I do believe God can use a young person to change their nation and/or the world (for example, D.L. Moody, Billy Graham, John Wesley, Charles Finney, George Whitefield, Dr. Martin Luther King, to name a few), for the most part young leaders have to avoid being precocious regarding their goals and be more practical in regards to following a process capable of facilitating their vision.

6. Young leaders lack biblical balance regarding truth

Often young leaders are just focused on one area of truth that gives them passion to the neglect of other areas of their lives. For example, young senior pastors may focus on one subject such as prosperity, healing, deliverance, evangelism, but if they neglect other truths of the Bible they would build unbalanced congregations. Young leaders need to study the whole counsel of God and not just areas based on their passions.

7. Young leaders often build without a proper foundation

Often young leaders will build a business or even plant a church without taking the time needed to build a proper foundation. Whether it is having a strong leadership team in place, or a plan for sustainable growth, young leaders often put the cart before the horse and may even experience immediate success but without long-term fruit. The deeper the roots of a tree grow into the ground the taller it can grow!

In the beginning, young leaders need to take more time building a proper foundation than being concerned about how quickly they can make money and/or grow their businesses or ministries.

To subscribe for a weekly teaching click here.

The post Seven Common Mistakes Young Leaders Make appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

Often, many of us in leadership are so used to being engrossed in activities and giving advice and direction to people that we do not have enough time for self-reflection.

The following are 10 questions every leader should continually ask themselves:

1. Am I involved in an activity without purpose?

Often we make the mistake of thinking that much activity is equal to productivity. Sometimes the busiest people can be the most unproductive people because they major on the trivial things in life, instead of the most important things. We all have to discern between good things and God things to do.

2. Do I value programs more than the people around me?

Often, leaders are so institutionally minded that they focus most of their energy on developing programs rather than investing in developing the people around them. Biblically speaking, Jesus did not build a huge organization, but he built a great leadership team that would eventually create the greatest movement the world has ever seen.

3. Am I seeking God commensurate to the call and assignment of God in my life?

The more influential you become the more opportunities will come your way that can crowd God out from your world. We should never be too busy to pray! God can only trust us with true influence based on our understanding of his ways and intimate knowledge of His person.

4. Am I solely focused on the outer world of goals, objectives and accomplishments or am I also paying attention to my inner-man regarding my call to grow in love, humility and living for the glory of God?

Since most leaders are used to being in control it is easy for them to live a life obsessed with objectives and accomplishments as a gauge to value their worth. The Bible teaches us clearly in 1 Corinthians 13 that the greatest pursuit to have is the pursuit of love, which assumes spiritual and emotional maturity. This comes only through paying more attention to our motives and emotional health (out of which arises spiritual vibrancy) than to mere accomplishments and objectives.

5. Am I investing enough of my time into the key relationships God has given me?

Jesus said in John 17 that all the people the Father gave him he lost none. Jesus always focused most of His attention towards the 12 apostles the Father gave him to disciple.

To maximize our purpose, we need to invest the proper amount of time with our spouse, biological children, spiritual children, and key people God has called us to build His kingdom with.

6. Do I recognize the season of life I am presently in?

Everybody is in a different season of life approximately every 20 years. Often leaders in their 70’s and 80’s are still trying to accomplish things those in their 20’s and 30’s should be doing. Those in their 20’s to 50’s are focusing on success, but those in their later years should be focused on significance, which primarily comes from mentoring younger leaders.

7. Am I continually cultivating the habit patterns necessary to achieve the maximum amount of efficiency?

Our destiny is determined by the habit patterns we have cultivated throughout our lives. We have to continually ask ourselves if we are focusing on developing the habits connected to our ultimate purpose in life. Often, people spend more time with hobbies they are passionate about, then developing habits necessary to fulfilling their destiny.

8. Do I care for the health of my spirit, soul, and body?

Often leaders neglect one major area of their lives because they are focused solely on another area. I have seen many leaders neglect their health with poor eating habits and/or a lack of sleep, or lack of exercise. Their ensuing health problems limit their leadership capacity or results in their premature death. God wants us to give equal attention to the development of good habits related to our spiritual life, emotional health, and physical health. Neglecting just one of these areas will greatly limit your ability to fulfill God’s purpose in your life (read 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

9. Am I a good steward of my time, money, and the gifts and talents given to me?

God has given each of us a certain measure of gifts, talents, and abilities. We will all be judged as stewards of these gifts God entrusted to us. To whom much is given much more will be required on the Day of Judgment. Too many leaders allow major gifts and talents they have to remain dormant! Whatever God is giving you, you are responsible to develop and maximize for his glory.

10. Am I surrounding myself with the people who can bring me to the next level of His purpose?

I can usually predict a person’s trajectory by checking out the people closest to them. Those who hang out with bitter people will become bitter. Those who hang out with lazy people will become lazy and those who hang out with high achievers will themselves have a better chance of maximizing their abilities. Most importantly, surround yourself with the proper mentors and friends who will inspire you to go to the next level in life. Your closest confidants should be those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart and seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

To subscribe for a weekly teaching click here.

The post 10 Transformational Questions to Ask Yourself appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

TRAITS OF AN ENABLER

1-You accommodate your message and approach to ministry based on the commitment level of your group rather than keeping biblical standards. Furthermore, your goal is to keep them happy and not make them uncomfortable.

2-You do not challenge those you lead when they are not attending church, sharing their faith, tithing, giving offerings, living holy lives, and seeking first the Kingdom of God.

3-You do not integrate the ministry and vision of your local congregation but empower (unaccountable) individualism

Many folks are islands unto themselves, even in the context of serving in a church ministry. They draw disciples after themselves instead of integrating their ministry with the vision of the local church. When there is more than one vision in a local church there is division.

4-You continually make excuses for those you are ministering to when they are operating outside of God’s will (I.E. they are too busy to attend church on Sundays, tithing isn’t important because God just wants their heart first, etc…)

5-They feel comfortable around you in regards to number 4 because you are (perhaps unintentionally?) reinforcing their disobedient lifestyle because of either your own lack of conviction and/or passion in these dark areas, or because your desire and need for them to like you outweighs your motivation to disagree, confront and help conform them to the image of Christ. (Of course, confrontation should always be done in love, grace, and mercy – but yet – it has to be done, or these folks will feel empowered in their disobedience rather than convicted.)

6-You sympathize (rather than empathize) with them when they complain about spiritual authority and leadership and/or how hard it is to fully surrender to God and give up the works of the flesh.

TRAITS OF A DISCIPLER

1-Your number one goal is to point people to Jesus -not to you –

(Thus your primary concern is getting people to a right place in God’s purposes rather than having them love you and agree with you on everything.)

2-You are not hurting them by holding back the whole counsel of God and you teach on things uncomfortable like living a sexually pure lifestyle, keeping the Lord’s day first instead of family events (related to participation with the congregation of the Lord every Sunday), and the giving of tithes and offerings to support the work of God’s Kingdom.

3-You continually pray for the church, the leadership, and vision of your local church in your ministry meetings so that all who serve are inextricably connected to the life and vision of the church.

4-You encourage them to volunteer to serve in the ministry of the church so that they are learning how to use their gifts and talents for the Lord.

5-You challenge them and coach them regarding having a private devotional life with the Lord and a devotional life with their family.

6-You teach them, model for them, and exhort them to walk in forgiveness, and build lasting covenant relationships with their immediate family and church family (not based on a self centered “I,” “Me,” “My” existence, but on putting others before themselves as it says in Philippians 2: 1-8).

7-You are empowering them to reproduce themselves by winning souls and making disciples instead of just barely hanging on with the Lord in survival mode with a goal of just having peace in their life, having their needs met, and making it to heaven.

8-Your goal is to feed them meat not milk -We are called to give babes in the Lord milk but are also called to eventually transition it to meat as is commanded by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 and Hebrews 5:12 (some of us are still treating those who have been saved for years as if they are new Christians!)

Finally, when it comes to building covenant and making disciples, we are stewards of Christ and of His gospel – the most privileged and most awful responsibility in the world!

The call of the church is not to have a non-confrontational social club (like the local pub) but a “counter cultural” social army of disciples!

We are called to be on the front lines of prayer, fasting, evangelism, discipleship and societal transformation; but instead much of the Body of Christ has been on the front lines of accommodating to the needs and desires this consumption-obsessed culture imposes on the population.

Our call is not to make everybody “happy” but to exhort all to be “purposeful”!

Although we are called to minister to the emotional needs of people it has to be on God’s terms of discipleship and commitment, not on humanistic/self-centered terms that have no ultimate goal but self-preservation and pleasure.

It is important for those we minister to, to love us but not always will they like us in the process – thus- it is more important to please God than men as Paul said in his epistles.

God is with us, as His Spirit will empower us IF WE ARE HIS WITNESSES (Acts 1:8) and not witnesses to ourselves and our own desires. “IF YOU WANT TO PLEASE ALL PEOPLE, BECOME AN ENTERTAINER, NOT A LEADER.”

The post Are you an enabler or a discipler? appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

Unfortunately, we have all too often heard of spiritual leaders (i.e. Pastors) who fall into sexual sin. As a spiritual leader who has worked with other spiritual leaders for many decades, I have observed the following demonic strategies employed by seducing spirits. Since I am a man I will speak in the context of a male leader being tempted.

The following are seven common strategies to seduce spiritual leaders:

1. Counseling alone with the opposite sex

It is a no-brainer that a spiritual leader should rarely, if ever, conduct a private counseling session with a person that has the potential for a mutual attraction. When alone in such a setting, emotional intimacy develops because of the nature of the conversations. This easily leads to a strong emotional connection that can result in sinful physical and emotional intimacy. To protect their spiritual leaders, church boards should have clear guidelines prohibiting this kind of counseling arrangement.

2. Praying alone with the opposite sex

Satan comes as an angel of light and not with a red suit and a pitch fork. I have seen people with a seductive spirit attempt to use “religious reasons” for proximity to a spiritual leader. Using religious terminology and/or action to seduce an unsuspecting believer is nothing new based on the admonition found in Proverbs 7:6-27. The rule of thumb is to never conduct private prayer sessions with a person of the opposite sex as it can lead to unbiblical emotional, spiritual, and physical intimacy.

3. Working alone with the opposite sex

It is a common thing to hear that a spiritual leader fell into sin with their secretary or co-worker. This is because of the commonality of dealing with the same issues together as a spiritual team can easily lead to emotional and physical attachments — way beyond what is normal in the work environment. The enemy can easily have a foothold when a spiritual leader spends an exorbitant amount of time alone with their (attractive) secretary or co-worker.

To limit exposure to seduction, spouses of spiritual leaders should be part of the vetting process of who works with their spouse, and the church board should insist on guidelines that limit their alone time and emphasize team meetings.

4. Private social media connections 

Spiritual leaders who utilize social media for their work and ministry have much exposure to those with seducing spirits (e.g. I am continually receiving personal contacts and/or seductive pictures from beautiful women via Twitter and Facebook and it is my M.O. to immediately delete names from my account that are suspect). One way to limit exposure of this kind is to allow your spouse the ability to view all your social media as well as text messages at any point they desire. Also, a spiritual leader should allow an assistant access to view all their accounts on a regular basis to make it difficult to hide unbiblical relational dynamics.

5. Altar ministry 

During the church service it is common after the message for people to respond to the teaching by coming to the front for prayer. I told my female leaders years ago to watch out for any potential female who continually responds to my messages and insists on being prayed for by nobody but me – I told these trusted female leaders to accost them away from me and pray for them so to protect me from their possible veiled advances.

6. Soul tie attractions 

When in church ministry, you are continually in proximity to all kinds of people — including those you can possibly be attracted to spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It is not hard to imagine the potential for dangerous soul ties to develop if the way is made for continual contact with a person with the potential for a soul tie (under the ruse of church activity or ministry). At the end of the day — spiritual leaders can use and abuse their position of authority and will be held more accountable in the eyes of God if they indulge their desires and pursue such soul ties.

Even without physical intimacy, spiritual leaders can be guilty of committing “emotional adultery” with a person who is not their spouse. Unfortunately, much of the time these relationships end in full blown sexual intimacy and adultery.

7. Marital conflicts 

All church ministry is fraught with tension that can spill over and negatively affect the marriages of spiritual leaders. This coupled with meeting and working with attractive church members (who treat spiritual leaders with respect and understanding) can lead to temptation, seduction, and adultery.

In closing, if a spiritual leader wants to fall into sexual sin, it will be hard to stop them since there are too many opportunities to fall. For those who have a heart for God and walk in the fear of the Lord it is incumbent upon them to cultivate accountable relationships, craft strict guidelines, and be self-aware and honest with themselves regarding their motives when relating to those of the opposite sex.

My prayer is that this article will help lift the standards of holiness in church ministry and that church leadership will take whatever steps necessary to protect their spiritual leaders from seducing spirits and adultery.

The post Seven Common Strategies Used to Seduce Leaders appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

One of the biggest challenges for contemporary leaders arises from the large amount of available information. We not only have the challenge of information overload, but too many options and opportunities to make our organizations, ministries, and lives more effective. Leaders must learn to streamline their focus in order to maximize their lives.

Here are twelve principles regarding streamlining focus:

1. Tackle only one or two (at most) major areas in your life or organization at a time
Depending on the season you are in, there are only one or two major things most human beings are capable of focusing on at once.

2. Understand the calling and mission of your organization
Only invest your time with people, conferences, and resources that aid you in your distinct mission.

3. Understand your time limitations
For example, you may have a great real estate opportunity to increase your assets, but first you must determine whether you are called to manage more than you presently have on your plate.

4. Understand your gift limitations
God calls us to do specific things based on our giftings. That is to say, we are not called to be involved in every opportunity that comes our way.

5. Know the geographic area of your influence
God has called us to be married to the land. We have to determine what geographic area we are to focus on.

6. Know the demographic area you are called to
Some are called to focus on children, some teens, some married couples, some seniors, etc. The sooner you understand your demographic call the easier it will be to prioritize opportunities and open doors.

7. Listen for the voice of God in your soul when you are unsure what to work on first

8. Always prioritize getting the foundational things in order regarding leadership and legal issues

9. Look for what is best, not merely for what is good for the leader/organization

10. Receive counsel from key leadership and staff before making major alterations to your focus

11. Remember that “a sale is not a sale” if you do not need the product
Only invest your time and money in conferences, people, or information resources that you need either at the moment or to get you to the next level of your assignment.

12. Invest the bulk of your time only with whom you are assigned to build the Kingdom

To subscribe for a free weekly teaching click here.

The post Twelve Keys to Streamlining Your Focus appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

Unfortunately, in every level and realm of life we have all witnessed serious leadership failure! It is no longer a surprise when we read about a high-level pastor, celebrity, sports figure or politician who is disgraced because of ethical or moral failure.

As one who has worked with many struggling church and marketplace leaders on a very personal level for the past 30+ years I have made the following observations regarding warning signs before a fall, which I teach younger leaders so they will avoid the mistakes of the present generation of many leaders.

All of us have fallen into the following in one way, shape, or form. Hopefully we will have learned the hard leadership lessons of life so we can pass on wisdom to the next generation!

Here are seven warning signs before leadership failure:

First, often before falling a leader will cram so much into his or her schedule for a prolonged amount of time that they don’t get enough time for personal renewal and rest. Much activity is not always Kingdom productivity; when a person is constantly running around from meeting to meeting, from state to state, from event to event without seeking God and personal times for reflection, they do violence to their soul and will eventually be operating on will power and fumes instead of the Spirit of God. This can lead to them being tempted to escaping from the pressure of life with adulterous relationships, pornography, excess entertainment, and foolish endeavors.

Activity without clarity will also lead to making poor decisions. When we are always in a rush we will not have the proper time to process things, which leads to a lack of discernment and disastrous leadership decisions. This will compound the pressure even more and create more work to get out of the mess they are in! Sometimes less is more!

I am not saying leaders shouldn’t be very busy or have a lot of responsibility. But what I am saying is there always has to be enough time in between events and days of meetings for daily reflection, prayer, and seeking God, so that our level of discernment is high and we are walking in the grace and power of God to do His work instead of our own will power and strength!

Secondly, I have noticed that before falling a leader avoids intimate contact with their peers or overseers who can speak into their life. They live a life of isolation which is very dangerous!

As busy as I am, there are a number of mentors and spiritual sons that I open up to who give input and prayer; I am always open to hearing God’s voice through their prayers or exhortations to me. The more responsibility I have the more community I need to keep myself on track!

We also need intimate relationships to keep the human side of us active. It is very easy to go from one productive business meeting or anointed service to another and always be in front of strangers or crowds of people or with leaders who don’t know us well. There is no real community in those settings; even in the midst of a crowd we can still isolate ourselves because in a crowd a leader doesn’t have to be intimate or accountable since they are the ones calling the shots, doing the leading and speaking instead of the other way around.

Third, a leader is heading for a fall when he or she is not spending adequate time with their spouse and/or family. God told us that it is not good for man to be alone. I have seen many leaders, especially those who travel a lot, who are not in regular touch with their spouses and who rarely ever spend time at home. Being with family helps keep a leader grounded. Without that, they will be surrounded by superficial relationships related only to their productivity as a minister or business person, where they are always receiving accolades (from sycophants), as opposed to being a father, mother, husband or wife who has to constantly strive to work hard at intimacy in their family relationships—which God intended for us to keep us humble and grounded. A leader may get praise from everyone around him but the spouse really knows them and will tell them like it is and keep them in touch with reality!

Fourth, leaders are heading for trouble when they don’t exercise self-discipline in eating and indulging their pleasures. If a leader cannot control their eating patterns then most likely that is a reflection of a larger issue; that is, they are medicating themselves with food and most likely are vulnerable to other lusts of the flesh that will enable them to escape from the pressures of reality. Obesity is a social sin that has become acceptable in the Body of Christ even though Jesus warns against it (Luke 21:34).

Furthermore, when we as leaders have bad diets it begins to affect our minds, emotions, and spirits in negative ways because it creates sluggishness, fatigue, and clouds our spirits with our carnality. Many leaders have died or have serious health issues once they hit their forties and fifties because of a poor diet. God will judge us if we prematurely meet Him and miss half our lives because of our lack of discipline and obedience.

Fifth, leaders are heading for trouble when they don’t seek God for God and only pray and read the Bible when they have to preach a sermon or minister. Worse than our lack of intimacy with the Lord is the fact that we are only using Him to make a living or using His word to achieve certain outcomes. However good they may be, our highest call in life is to know and love God. Matthew 7:22-23 teaches us that we can minister for God effectively and still fail if He doesn’t know us! Leaders who only seek God for a sermon have a professional relationship with the Lord and will eventually not have the grace and spiritual power to deal with all the pressures of marriage, life and ministry, which can lead to moral failure.

Sixth, leaders who love titles, positions, recognition, constantly join boards, and get involved in large events for public prominence are heading for a fall unless they repent. When we exalt ourselves God says He will humble us (Luke 14:11) and he who seeks his own glory is not glory (Proverbs 25:27).

We are not far from a fall when we try to lift ourselves up, promote ourselves, or get involved in events without hearing from the Lord; we are like the Pharisees who loved titles, prominent positions, greetings in the marketplace and to be called leader or reverend or bishop or doctor (Matthew 23:6-7). Leaders who are broken have learned not to try to create names for themselves by marketing their accomplishments and hype; they have learned that only when God exalts a person does it really last (Psalm 75:6).

Lastly, when leaders use people as objects for their businesses or ministries instead of having a motivation of empowering people to walk in their purpose—when leaders put programs over people and tasks ahead of relationships—eventually they will have no one around them who is loyal or who they can trust. They will have burned many bridges behind them because, eventually, their followers will become weary of them and leave them! Leadership is a lonely road to walk; leaders more than anyone else need to minister to people with a servant’s heart. When leaders come into the ministry with the attitude of being served instead of serving others they develop an entitlement mentality that can lead them to pride, arrogance and eventually to destruction.

May God help all of us who serve the Kingdom as leaders to glory only in knowing Him (Philippians 3:7-11; Jeremiah 9:23-24)!

To subscribe for a weekly teaching click here.

The post Seven Warning Signs Before Leadership Failure appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

The post Twenty-five Signs You Are Leading from Your Dark Side appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

Unfortunately, in every level and realm of life we have all witnessed serious leadership failure! It is no longer a surprise when we read about a high-level pastor, celebrity, sports figure or politician who is disgraced because of ethical or moral failure.

As one who has worked with many struggling church and marketplace leaders on a very personal level for the past 30+ years I have made the following observations regarding warning signs before a fall, which I teach younger leaders so they will avoid the mistakes of the present generation of many leaders.

All of us have fallen into the following in one way, shape, or form. Hopefully we will have learned the hard leadership lessons of life so we can pass on wisdom to the next generation!

Here are seven warning signs before leadership failure:

First, often before falling a leader will cram so much into his or her schedule for a prolonged amount of time that they don’t get enough time for personal renewal and rest. Much activity is not always Kingdom productivity; when a person is constantly running around from meeting to meeting, from state to state, from event to event without seeking God and personal times for reflection, they do violence to their soul and will eventually be operating on will power and fumes instead of the Spirit of God. This can lead to them being tempted to escaping from the pressure of life with adulterous relationships, pornography, excess entertainment, and foolish endeavors.

Activity without clarity will also lead to making poor decisions. When we are always in a rush we will not have the proper time to process things, which leads to a lack of discernment and disastrous leadership decisions. This will compound the pressure even more and create more work to get out of the mess they are in! Sometimes less is more!

I am not saying leaders shouldn’t be very busy or have a lot of responsibility. But what I am saying is there always has to be enough time in between events and days of meetings for daily reflection, prayer, and seeking God, so that our level of discernment is high and we are walking in the grace and power of God to do His work instead of our own will power and strength!

Secondly, I have noticed that before falling a leader avoids intimate contact with their peers or overseers who can speak into their life. They live a life of isolation which is very dangerous!

As busy as I am, there are a number of mentors and spiritual sons that I open up to who give input and prayer; I am always open to hearing God’s voice through their prayers or exhortations to me. The more responsibility I have the more community I need to keep myself on track!

We also need intimate relationships to keep the human side of us active. It is very easy to go from one productive business meeting or anointed service to another and always be in front of strangers or crowds of people or with leaders who don’t know us well. There is no real community in those settings; even in the midst of a crowd we can still isolate ourselves because in a crowd a leader doesn’t have to be intimate or accountable since they are the ones calling the shots, doing the leading and speaking instead of the other way around.

Third, a leader is heading for a fall when he or she is not spending adequate time with their spouse and/or family. God told us that it is not good for man to be alone. I have seen many leaders, especially those who travel a lot, who are not in regular touch with their spouses and who rarely ever spend time at home. Being with family helps keep a leader grounded. Without that, they will be surrounded by superficial relationships related only to their productivity as a minister or business person, where they are always receiving accolades (from sycophants), as opposed to being a father, mother, husband or wife who has to constantly strive to work hard at intimacy in their family relationships—which God intended for us to keep us humble and grounded. A leader may get praise from everyone around him but the spouse really knows them and will tell them like it is and keep them in touch with reality!

Fourth, leaders are heading for trouble when they don’t exercise self-discipline in eating and indulging their pleasures. If a leader cannot control their eating patterns then most likely that is a reflection of a larger issue; that is, they are medicating themselves with food and most likely are vulnerable to other lusts of the flesh that will enable them to escape from the pressures of reality. Obesity is a social sin that has become acceptable in the Body of Christ even though Jesus warns against it (Luke 21:34).

Furthermore, when we as leaders have bad diets it begins to affect our minds, emotions, and spirits in negative ways because it creates sluggishness, fatigue, and clouds our spirits with our carnality. Many leaders have died or have serious health issues once they hit their forties and fifties because of a poor diet. God will judge us if we prematurely meet Him and miss half our lives because of our lack of discipline and obedience.

Fifth, leaders are heading for trouble when they don’t seek God for God and only pray and read the Bible when they have to preach a sermon or minister. Worse than our lack of intimacy with the Lord is the fact that we are only using Him to make a living or using His word to achieve certain outcomes. However good they may be, our highest call in life is to know and love God. Matthew 7:22-23 teaches us that we can minister for God effectively and still fail if He doesn’t know us! Leaders who only seek God for a sermon have a professional relationship with the Lord and will eventually not have the grace and spiritual power to deal with all the pressures of marriage, life and ministry, which can lead to moral failure.

Sixth, leaders who love titles, positions, recognition, constantly join boards, and get involved in large events for public prominence are heading for a fall unless they repent. When we exalt ourselves God says He will humble us (Luke 14:11) and he who seeks his own glory is not glory (Proverbs 25:27).

We are not far from a fall when we try to lift ourselves up, promote ourselves, or get involved in events without hearing from the Lord; we are like the Pharisees who loved titles, prominent positions, greetings in the marketplace and to be called leader or reverend or bishop or doctor (Matthew 23:6-7). Leaders who are broken have learned not to try to create names for themselves by marketing their accomplishments and hype; they have learned that only when God exalts a person does it really last (Psalm 75:6).

Lastly, when leaders use people as objects for their businesses or ministries instead of having a motivation of empowering people to walk in their purpose—when leaders put programs over people and tasks ahead of relationships—eventually they will have no one around them who is loyal or who they can trust. They will have burned many bridges behind them because, eventually, their followers will become weary of them and leave them! Leadership is a lonely road to walk; leaders more than anyone else need to minister to people with a servant’s heart. When leaders come into the ministry with the attitude of being served instead of serving others they develop an entitlement mentality that can lead them to pride, arrogance and eventually to destruction.

May God help all of us who serve the Kingdom as leaders to glory only in knowing Him (Philippians 3:7-11; Jeremiah 9:23-24)!

To subscribe for a weekly teaching click here.

The post Seven Warning Signs Before Leadership Failure appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

As somebody who has served in executive leadership and with many senior level leaders for many decades, I have observed the following twelve hazards. By hazard I am speaking about a common proclivity all executive level leaders need to monitor, lest they stumble.

1- Constant stress

Stress in and of itself is unavoidable. Every time a person has a responsibility to fulfill, some level of stress comes with it. Not all stress is bad. However, often there is a high level of mental and emotional stress that never lets up that can cause physical, spiritual and emotional ailments. Leaders need to make sure they take regular time off to decompress and unplug, or their effectiveness in life can be cut short.

2-Maintaining boundaries

Often it is difficult for leaders to make a distinction between home and work. A boundary is an invisible marker that creates safety zones for each component of a person’s life. For example, if one person’s spouse is constantly interrupting and calling them at work during business hours then they will not be effective on their job. Also, if a person is constantly bringing the problems and challenges of work and ministry into their family life it will interfere with their ability to connect emotionally with their key relationships and may cause long term damage. For long-term sustainability, we all need boundaries (and set hours whenever possible) for work, family, personal renewal and seeking God. Each component of our life should be protected with an intentional plan by carving out the necessary time to devote to that particular assignment.

3- Relational conflict

The higher a person goes up the leadership ladder the more conflict and tension they will experience with others. Relational conflict is inevitable and unavoidable, especially when the senior leader upholds standards of excellence and challenges others to excel.  Furthermore, leaders have to navigate through many egos, logos and agendas and are often misunderstood, judged, and spoken against behind their back. If a leader is not careful, he or she can easily get discouraged because sometimes it seems as though there is always an issue with somebody.

4- Loneliness

It has often been stated, “it is lonely at the top.” This is a true saying because many times nobody can understand what it is like to be in the shoes of the top leader. Fewer still care to know!  This causes many leaders to feel lonely. Lonely leaders can aid themselves if they seek out peers in the same industry they can relate to for input, encouragement, prayer and accountability.

5-Being misunderstood

One of the hardest things about serving in senior leadership is when your words or actions are taken out of context and/or misunderstood.  I have found that we can limit this from happening by having a culture of transparency and dialogue with fellow workers; however, no matter how hard a person tries, being misunderstood is bound to take place from time to time.

6-Competing agendas on the team

The key to having a successful enterprise is by developing oneness on your team. This is a very difficult process since every person has their own perceptions, way of doing things and agendas when they come into a new position. Often a leader has to play politics just to get things done so as not to offend the sensitive egos around him or her. This lack of unity, fragility of egos and competing agendas makes being a senior leader very difficult at times.

7- Lack of soul care

Most senior leaders are so busy that it is very challenging for them to take care of themselves! I have met many leaders who have terrible diets, (to save time they often consume fast foods) rarely exercise, rarely take days off, and rarely do things that give them (emotional and spiritual) life. I have personally found that I have to prioritize prayer and seeking God every day or else my plans will go awry! I also force myself to eat right, exercise, and spend quality time with friends and family. Practicing things that give me life will actually sharpen my focus, give me more energy, and make me more effective for my divine assignment.

8- Constant transition

I have learned over the past four decades that “the only thing that never changes is that change is constant.”  It seems as though I am always in either a minor or major transition. This is typical for entrepreneurial leaders who are always creating new things and challenging the status quo. Although I have come to expect transitions in life, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that it creates a level of uncertainty that will either instill fear in me, or inspire me to have more faith in God. This is a constant struggle for senior leaders.

9- Feeling under appreciated

Another thing I have learned a long time ago is that most people are only concerned with being appreciated and not in showing appreciation. Furthermore, most people do not care about your accomplishments and sacrifice unless what you do is blessing them directly. That being said, the level of sacrifice it takes to lead an organization or church is so great that most people will take the work you do for granted. Feeling under appreciated can be corrected by creating a culture of honor, service and celebration in your church or organization. However, at the end of the day, we need to get our full affirmation from the Lord and not from other people.

10- The lack of proper compensation

Most pastors are under paid and most small business owners are working inhumane hours and are putting most of their capital back into their company to sustain it. Not having compensation commensurate with the amount of work a person puts out, can cause relational stress with a spouse and incite great feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. In light of this, a spiritual leader has to always know if they are focusing on what God has for them, because Jesus promised that seeking first His Kingdom will eventually release His reward (Matthew 6:33). This reward can come in the form of financial compensation, favor, or things too numerous to mention based on the ways of God.

11-Lacking self-awareness

Senior leaders can often have tunnel vision and not notice the mistakes they are making. Intense focus on one thing can often make a leader blind to many areas of their life. This lack of self-awareness results in many casualties, both in key relationships and in productivity. Leaders can protect themselves from this by having the right people around them who will speak honestly to them and help them map out strategic plans for the future.

12- Being surrounded by people without passion for the mission

Last but not least, one of the greatest emotional challenges leaders face is when those around them do not exhibit the same passion and commitment. There is nothing worse than to have people with a mere title without a concomitant function. There is nothing worse than having people around you who want the perks of the job without investing the time necessary to get the job done. Constantly being surrounded by people like this causes the senior leader great frustration, stress, and resentment. Truly it is a hazard to their emotional and spiritual health! Leaders can avoid this by having regular reviews regarding standards of performance, along with group accountability so that the senior leader is not the only one correcting slackers.

Finally, whether in the marketplace or church, all senior leaders need to be filled with His Spirit and grace and depend upon His mercy every day. Only by depending upon Him, learning from mistakes and listening to wise counsel, can leaders avoid getting hurt by these 12 common hazards.

To subscribe for a weekly teaching click here.

The post Avoiding 12 Hazards of Senior Level Leadership appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

Having been involved in some capacity with pastors for over 30 years I have come up with some personal observations regarding the different kinds of pastors I have either worked with or to whom I’ve ministered.

Since all of us (including pastors) have broken places in our lives, we can all struggle with and identify with some of the following categories. However, in this article each category represents a lifestyle or habit pattern of pastors, not an occasional struggle.

My objective in this article is to help pastors and leaders become self-aware and allow the Lord to deal with those broken places, as well as understanding our strengths and weaknesses. These categories should also be applied as much as possible to any person and/or leader lest folks in churches become judgmental of their pastors.

1. The Emotionally Sick Pastor

Many people have reported over the years that a large percentage of pastors feel depressed on Monday mornings, whether due to fatigue, lack of attendance on Sunday, low offerings or other disappointing things related to their Sunday services. Depression is probably anywhere from 35-40% among pastors. Emotional health is usually not a priority for many pastors because, in their minds, their heavy workload doesn’t give them a lot of time for self-renewal and introspection.

2. The Driven Pastor

Driven pastors are trying to prove something to themselves or to others. Ministry does not come out of a pure heart as unto the Lord but is related to an innate need for success. Hence, these pastors often fall into presumption regarding pushing their congregations to finance building projects and other endeavors that are subconsciously motivated to help inflate their own sense of self-worth. This results in them attempting to do things the Lord never led them to undertake, which causes them to operate outside the grace and power of the Spirit.

These kinds of pastors not only continually drive themselves but their congregations to accomplish great things. Often they are also driven to excel beyond any other pastor in their community because their identity is wrapped up in being the most successful pastor instead of their identity being anchored in Christ. Of course, many of these pastors eventually burn out emotionally because they are operating on their own gifts and abilities instead of through God’s leading.

3. The Fleshly Pastor

This is a person who never fully dealt with their issues of the flesh before entering the ministry. Hence, they begin to fall into a lifestyle of sin as a coping mechanism to deal with stress and/or emotional pain. The more successful the pastor the more temptation this kind will have to deal with, since the more influence they have the more stress and challenges they will experience.

Also, the more popularity they have the more opportunity they will have to engage in immoral behavior due to the mutual carnal desires between themselves and congregants enamored with them who are also trying to medicate their stress. This is why it is extremely important that people do not enter full-time church ministry as pastors until they have allowed the Lord to work inward holiness and spiritual maturity in their lives.

4. The Faddish Pastor

This kind of pastor is always attending conferences, reading books and talking to successful pastors trying to discover the next new thing God is doing. Consequently, they are always changing either the vision of their church or implementing church growth strategies according to the latest fads. These are unstable pastors who are unsure of themselves, their own walk with God, and their ability to hear from God.

They will also have a lot of turnover in church leadership because many of their key leaders will get tired of going from one thing to another and will look for a more stable church. These kinds of pastors really need to focus on universal, trans-historical and trans-cultural biblical principles of local church practice and mission and not try to copy every other successful model they see.

5. The Angry Pastor

This is the kind of pastor that has undealt with anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness from past wounds that are either self-inflicted or the result of real betrayal. Instead of taking responsibility for their own failures they justify their lack of success by continually shifting blame towards others. Often their sermons are filled with angry denunciations about sin, different behavioral issues and even about specific people. Instead of ministering grace and faith in the power of the Spirit they are ministering guilt and condemnation. They are always fighting something and someone and always seem to be a victim of satanic plots and/or people who are against them. They also tend to blackball those who leave their churches and speak badly about anyone who doesn’t agree with them.

6. The Superstar Pastor

These kinds of pastors always have an entourage surrounding them, are hard for individuals in the congregation to access, always wear the most expensive clothes, drive the best cars, demand huge honorariums to speak in other churches, and are generally superficial in relationships. They speak as if they have the most important ministry in the world and as if they are the most important man of God in the world! In their sermons they emphasize passages that illustrate how the anointing comes by serving the man of God (for example, Elisha and Elijah) but neglect passages in which Jesus speaks about not coming to be served but to serve (Matthew 20:28). Protocols related to honoring the pastor (or bishop or apostle, etc.) have to be strictly followed (legalistically) rather than folks honoring spiritual authority from the heart as unto the Lord. They may talk and preach about humility but their lifestyle contradicts what they say.

7. The Professional Pastor

This kind of pastor has no real passion for the Lord or His people but views their pastoral ministry as a mere job and/or profession. They clock in and clock out and will move from one congregation to another depending upon who can pay them the highest salary or provide the best benefits. These are the “hirelings” Jesus spoke about (John 10) who run when the wolves come to devour the sheep because they are not true shepherds but mere professionals. Those who look at being a pastor as merely a business or a profession instead of as a holy calling fit this category.

(Of course, by this point I do not mean that a pastor should not make a decent salary or be professional in how they conduct business. I am referring to the motivation not the method in this particular point.)

8. The Compromising Pastor

This is the kind of pastor that will only preach popular messages that ruffle no one’s feathers. They will attempt to draw crowds, make people feel good, never preach anything negative, and will go with the cultural flow and avoid controversial issues like abortion and biblical marriage. They will also placate their top tithers and give them positions of honor they do not deserve. These are the kind spoken of in the Gospel of John (12:42-43) who love the praises of men more than they love the praises of God. Compromise and the fear of man is also what caused the downfall of King Saul (1 Samuel 15).

9. The Legalistic Pastor

This is the kind of pastor who puts all sorts of man-made rules, traditions, and regulations upon their congregations. Since they have no real revelation of grace, and lack a deep relationship with God, they have unreasonable standards and place burdens on men’s shoulders they are unwilling to lend a hand to help lift. These pastors are confused and mix biblical commands with man-made tradition and place the latter on the same level as the former (read Mark 7:9-13).

10. The Progressive Pastor

A progressive pastor is always on the cutting edge of culture, technology and new things happening in the church. While this is often a good thing, sometimes this kind of pastor does away with the old for the sake of the new, even when the old works best (whether it is replacing old leaders with new ones, certain church practices or structures of worship services, etc.). These pastors need older, more seasoned leaders speaking into their lives so they do not make unnecessary changes that will hurt more than help their congregations in the long run.

11. The Traditional Pastor

This is the opposite of the progressive pastor in that this kind of pastor is a protector and maintainer of the old ways of doing things, whether they are effective today or not. Their love for tradition exceeds their love for souls and actually hinders them from hearing a fresh word from the Lord. Oftentimes, these pastors lead dying churches that are answering questions no one is asking anymore!

12. The Isolated Pastor

The isolated pastor has no deep relationships, tries to work out every situation on their own, and is very lonely, all because of a lack of trust in their heart towards other people. They do not work well with other church leaders and have only superficial accountability with their overseers. Since they lack the proper relational accountability and input, they tend to make decisions without seeing the full picture, which results in unwise decision making.

13. The Independent Pastor

This is the alpha leader who thinks they have the best ideas, the most knowledge, and are not open to having oversight, peer-based accountability, and are not a functional part of an association, network or denomination. Not only is this kind of pastor independent but also their congregations function independently as well, even if they belong (in name) to a denomination. These pastors lack the knowledge of the New Testament model of one-church one-city as we see in the epistles and in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.

14. The Seasoned/Balanced Pastor

This is the kind of pastor who is balanced and mature, who doesn’t neglect their walk with God or their family, and is anchored in the Lord regarding their identity. This person ministers out of the overflow of their walk with the Lord because their cup overflows! They have strong, transparent, and accountable relationships with their secondary leaders, peers and overseers. They are not using ministry to prove anything to themselves, thus they do not compromise the gospel they preach nor do they need ministry to feel good about themselves. They are ministers, not performers or professionals, and God can trust them with the sheep because they long to present every person mature in Christ.

15. The Mystical Pastor

This kind of pastor always says they are “hearing from God” and “thus saith the Lord.” Many in this category also have frequent spiritual visions and dreams. They usually have an allegorical or mystical approach to biblical interpretation and don’t usually exegete Scripture with the intent of discovering the original intent of the biblical authors. Pastors in this camp emphasize certain kinds of prayer, worship, and spiritual ministry but have a difficult time connecting the dots and applying the Bible in a practical way in life and ministry.

16. The Soulish Pastor

The soulish pastor is the opposite of the mystical pastor in that this kind depends heavily on their intellect, rarely believes they hear from God in the Spirit, but generally thinks God only speaks to them through the Scriptures. They usually have a very weak prayer life, are very analytical and doctrinal in their approach to preaching, and are afraid of spontaneity and unplanned moves of the Holy Spirit. They usually oversee a church that emphasizes the Word but has challenges with corporate and personal prayer participation.

These pastors also tend to split hairs over doctrine and often have a critical spirit of the charismatic movement and preachers who don’t agree with them theologically.

17. The Caretaker pastor

This kind of pastor builds a strong relational church, loves being with the sheep and has an extensive counseling ministry. Their congregation is inwardly focused rather than outwardly focused and they usually have smaller congregations because they like to minister in a church where they know every person’s name. Thus they do not really desire exponential growth although they will receive it, if it happens to come. Their greatest weakness is a lack of soul winning and community outreach to the unchurched.

18. The Evangelist Pastor

This kind is the opposite of the caretaker pastor because they are outwardly focused. They have a gift of gathering large crowds and have an emphasis on soul winning more than on shepherding and discipleship. Their preaching is usually very powerful but is centered on the basics of the gospel message of love, hope, healing, deliverance, justification by faith, and the eternity to come. The content of their messages is very basic, they are great storytellers, and win a lot of people to Christ. But their preaching doesn’t feed more mature Christians who will tire of these messages after a few years, since their messages are not deep and not meant to feed mature saints but are designed to win the lost and encourage faith in the congregation.

19. The Prophetic Pastor

The prophetic pastor usually has very deep messages, is strong on commitment, tends to have longer worship services, and spends a lot of personal time seeking God for vision and direction. They have high quality and high content services with a strong presence of God and do not hesitate to preach uncompromising messages that may offend some in attendance.

20. The Apostolic Pastor

The apostolic pastor is not generally a good caretaker, is concerned with big picture items regarding reaching their communities, raising up leaders, planting other church campuses, expanding their facilities, and rarely gets involved with counseling church members. Their churches have good systems, strong government and stability combined with a good balance of outreach and in-reach. They need the ministry of the prophet to come in regularly to make sure the fire and passion of God is imparted to the congregation.

Finally, there are many more categories and subcategories of pastors I can probably think of, but these are some of the main ones I have observed. May the Lord use these categories to make us more self-aware in our leadership so we can continue to grapple with life’s issues, and grow into the mature leaders our churches and communities need.

To subscribe for a weekly teaching click here.

The post Twenty Different Kinds of Pastors appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

With over 32 years of full-time ministry, I have been around many older ministers. I noticed that very few seemed satisfied with the way they had prioritized their time related to their ministry and personal life. Because of this, I often spend my time thinking many years ahead  when I will be nearing the end of my earthly sojourn and try to envision the types of activities and fruit I would bear that would most please me to eventually realize, based on the Scriptures and my calling. The following are observations that I have made for myself from the numerous discussions I have had with veteran and near-retirement ministers, so that I may press ahead with wisdom and not live my last days with regret, cynicism, and denial:

1. “I sacrificed my spouse and children on the altar of ministry.”

• People come and go in a church, but there is only one guaranteed set of people for which a minister will always be responsible: their spouse and children.
• Most ministers are so ambitious they try to build a ministry with folks that may or may not be with them a few years down the road.
• The spouses of ministers are usually the neediest people I meet in a typical congregation. Statistics show that most wives of senior pastors blame the ministry for their marital difficulties. Do we need to talk about what pictures come to mind when we think of the term “P.K.” (meaning, pastor’s kid)? The children and spouse of senior pastors often become embittered because the senior pastor’s focus is constantly on the needs and vision of the church, yet to the emotional neglect of the ones he is most responsible for.

2. “I put programs before people.”

• Getting new programs off the ground can often be exciting since doing so often promises to greatly add to the life and vision of the church. Unfortunately, most of the time the amount of energy and focus needed to properly implement a program takes the energy and focus of the senior pastor away from spending time with the key people he is assigned to mentor, develop, and release into their destiny.
• By the time most pastors realize being program-based has unnecessarily robbed them from the greatest assets for their church’s vision — key committed leaders and emerging leaders — they have already passed their prime and spent their greatest energy.

3. “I spent most of my time attempting to nurture the whole church myself instead of mentoring potential leaders.”

• Senior pastors are often spending unnecessary time either lamenting the loss of one of their members or spending many hours with high-maintenance people that usually never mature into high-output, fruit-bearing saints.
• I learned a long time ago that Satan will often try to wear me out with countless hours counseling someone who really has no interest in changing, but loves my attention because of their emotional need for affirmation.
• Since the late 1980’s I have made up my mind that I would build our local church based on the priorities laid out by Paul the Apostle in 2 Timothy 2:2, in which he instructed Timothy to spend his time with people who were faithful, called and capable to teach others.
• If any one of these three components Paul laid out is missing in a person, a senior pastor should not spend much time working with them. For example, a person may have ability but if they are not faithful, then their character is not commensurate with their gifting and they are a train wreck waiting to happen. Or, a person may be very faithful but does not have much anointing or calling on his or her life to be a leader. Thus, this person should be delegated to one of the small group leaders or lay ministers that can and should spend adequate time nurturing them.
• Also, every church has folks in attendance that are either part of the “A” team or “B” team; the “A” team is made up of people totally committed to the discipleship process and vision of the church, while the B” team is made up of those who want to attend church but do not really want to be discipled or be held accountable for growth. They just want to come to church to fulfill the minimum requirements of their Christian obligations. Those in the “B” category should never be the priority of the senior pastor’s time unless the Lord clearly gives a leading to focus on them. Sometimes people respond greatly to the attention of the senior pastor. Some do not think they have much of a calling or ability, meanwhile all they need is the senior pastor to speak a few words of activation to them which begins a great acceleration toward their Christian growth.

4. “I never befriended young people.”

• Rev. Billy Graham said one of his regrets is that he never prioritized making friends with younger ministers. He said this in his late eighties, when many of his friends had already gone to be with the Lord. (This statement made a great impact on me.)
• By incorporating a strategy to speak into the lives of much younger men than myself, I have now started another mentoring group composed of emerging leaders in their early twenties to late thirties. My goal is not only to develop great leaders for the Lord but to have a well-rounded life in which I am surrounded by people half my age and not just my peers.

5. “I raised up faithful church members instead of ‘sons and daughters.'”

• Years ago a minister once told me not to get too close to people in my young and growing church because it would create jealousy and division among church members who witnessed my favoritism. Thank God I never agreed with or took his advice. The Gospel accounts are replete with Jesus showing favoritism with the 70 disciples, then the 12, and then His inner circle of three, which He took with Him everywhere He went.
• I have many titles in my life: doctor, bishop, pastor, reverend. But the title I appreciate most and believe to be most important, by far,  is when someone in our church calls me dad. God is never referred to as doctor, apostle, bishop or the “great general in the sky.” He is known as “Father” because a father (or mother, if you are a female senior pastor) is by far the most important relationship any person could have with other people in a church. (I am not counting the role of husband or wife because you are only supposed to have one of those in a lifetime.)
• In his twilight years, John the Apostle once said the greatest joy he had on earth was knowing that his children walked in the truth (3 John 4).
• A few years ago I was in a hotel room speaking with two ministers who were at least 20 years older than me. I asked them two very important questions during our very meaningful dialogue, which were: In your opinion, do most ministers end well? And, if not, what is the number one reason they do not? I had expected them to answer the first question as they had, but I was not ready for the other reason they both gave. They said that older ministers they meet are dissatisfied with their lives, with some even being bitter and cynical. But their reason for “why” was the result of having few or no spiritual sons and daughters around them in their latter years.
• When we do not prioritize and facilitate meaningful relationships that transcend ministry and membership of a church, we will regret it when we are in our twilight years! Members come and go but sons and daughters remain part of your life for eternity, whether you stay in full-time church ministry or not.

Finally, when all is said and done and you are breathing your last breaths on Earth, the only fond memories you will have and the things that matter most to you will be the key relationships you were responsible for! After all, in eternity we are not going to be able to take beautiful cathedrals, homes, cars, money, etc. with us — only the people we have won to the Lord. Woe to the person who realizes this when it is too late!

To subscribe for a free weekly teaching click here.

The post Avoiding the Top 5 Regrets of Veteran Ministers appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.

As someone who has been involved in some form of leadership and studied this subject for over thirty years, I have observed certain non-negotiables in regards to what makes a person an effective leader. When it comes down to it, the most important elements of leadership are very simple. I have summarized these in ten fundamental commandments:

1. Thou shalt model what you preach

The most powerful leaders are those who walk in private what they preach in public. Those leaders who personally live out the principles they expect from others maximize their influence and effectiveness as leaders.

2. Thou shalt develop leaders of leaders who can succeed you

As soon as a person becomes a senior leader they need to start working themselves out of a job by empowering others to do what they are already doing. Those they pick should fulfill the qualifications Paul laid out in 2 Timothy 2:2. Consequently, when a person is able to do a job about 80% as good as the senior leader, the senior leader should delegate the job responsibility over to them.

Those who don’t have this attitude are never entrusted with more by God because they limit their capacity due to having too much responsibility, and thus no leverage to go to the next level of assignment. Those who refuse to delegate will only produce followers who don’t mind being limited in regards to leadership capacity because they don’t like to think for themselves.

Conversely, the highest and hardest calling for senior leaders is to develop leaders who develop other leaders of leaders. Most leaders never develop anything more than followers. Leaders who develop leaders of other leaders are able to produce themselves in those who leave a legacy of developing leaders for many generations.

3. Thou shalt prioritize investing in people more than programs and marketing

It is very tempting for a senior leader to put all their focus on implementing programs and marketing that will draw more people into the church or organization. Yet our first priority should always be pouring into people. Those who spend most of their time administrating programs will never develop strong and deep disciples because the biblical discipleship process takes years and can only be done through personal interaction (both intense and informal).

4. Thou shalt communicate a divine, compelling vision worth following

It doesn’t matter how gifted a leader, a speaker, or a strategist you are — if you do not have a compelling vision from God, then other key leaders with potential will not follow you. Those with high leadership caps not only look at the leader they want to follow but they need to feel an emotional and divine tug regarding vision that speaks to their need for having a purpose (Acts 11:23).

5. Thou shalt learn to release others to help fulfill the vision

Effective leaders are not lone rangers and do not try to accomplish a vision without a team. After investing in the lives of other potential leaders, the next priority is to discern where to place those you are mentoring. Like a sports coach, the key to high performance in an organization is to release each person to serve in a team in the areas best suited for their personality, gifts, and calling. The leader’s vision must become a shared vision if it is to come to pass!

Some are more suited for administration and minutia, and others are more suited for the big picture and people. Trying to put a big picture person you are mentoring in an administrative role would not only hurt the organization’s performance but could crush that person’s confidence and frustrate them.

6. Thou shalt hold yourself and your followers accountable

All effective leaders allow for much freedom when it comes to ministry but have high standards of personal accountability when it comes to their marriages, families, and walk with God. Those who don’t hold their leaders accountable in their ministries and home life could eventually lose the respect and focus of key people in their organization. In the worst case scenario, people might begin doing their own thing and developing their own vision, which will result in division.

7. Thou shalt practice Matthew 18:15-17

Along with holding other leaders accountable, senior leaders need to insist that everyone who serves in the ministry with them must walk in the principles outlined by Jesus in Matthew 18. This has to do with walking in the light and in transparency with one another, without which people who work closely together will eventually develop bitterness and resentment, and give themselves over to gossip, which could destroy the culture of an organization.

Senior leaders who are too afraid or passive to confront other people in their organization will eventually self-destruct due to holding back bad feelings. This could lead to physical and emotional stress, marital failure, and deeply rooted resentments and bitterness.

8. Thou shalt affirm those who bear fruit and redeem those who fail

Effective leaders learn to praise those who minister effectively and try to redeem those who are failing. If you quickly throw those who fail under the bus without trying to redeem them, then you will not develop the loyalty needed to have a strong core. This could result in a lot of turnover on your staff. Those people senior leaders successfully process out of failure into success will more likely be loyal to the senior leader for believing in them instead of dropping them. This kind of gratitude and loyalty will then spread and become part of the culture of the organization.

9. Thou shalt hold to high standards of excellence and integrity in service

Along the lines of accountability, every leader needs to hold high standards both for their own life, ministry and performance as well as those who are serving along with them. Everyone and everything in the organization must have a spirit of excellence: the administration, communication, accountability systems, teaching, and physical appearance. If any of these areas become sloppy it could bring down the quality and culture of the entire organization.

10. Thou shalt walk in wisdom and humility regarding the future

All effective leaders must be able to see where their organization needs to go in the future based on demographic and cultural shifts. Leaders who do not change their approach with changing times will eventually be bypassed by the next generation who will gravitate towards those who speak their language and meet their needs.

In order to do this effectively, leaders must always be humble enough to question themselves regarding their personal walk, their goals, their methods and the way they are attempting to meet the needs of their community. Those that are presumptuous and too arrogant to ask themselves these questions will eventually marginalize their influence.

To subscribe for a weekly teaching click here.

The post The Ten Commandments of Effective Spiritual Leadership appeared first on Mattera Ministries International.