Leadership Principles

As leaders in YWAM and if you are involved in another organization there are principles of leadership that must be developed in your life if you are going to be successful.  There are differing styles of leadership and each one has advantages and disadvantages. What each person in leadership must do is find the style of leadership that fits their personality, giftings and the needs and goals of the organization that they are working with or for.  There are certain qualities that every leader in a Christian organization must have in order to conduct themselves in a manner that is first pleasing to God and secondly effective in moving the people they work with toward the mission and goals of the organization.

We can study many biblical leaders to learn principles from their lives that will help us develop as leaders.  One leader who has impacted my life is Nehemiah.  He was one of the men taken captive by the Babylonians to serve in the court of the King as his cupbearer.  He had to be a man of good character in order for the King to entrust him with this position.  One of the fears of the King was that someone would poison his food or drink and that would cause him to die.  Nehemiah's job was to make sure this did not happen on his watch. Death to the King would result in death to Nehemiah.

Preparation for Leadership: Nehemiah established himself in his work and won the favor of the King.  He was faithful in his job and this was noted by the King.  Nehemiah did not have a character issue that would ban him from any position of leadership God would desire for him.  How we live our lives each day in service to those placed in leadership over us is very important.  If we are not in submission to leadership and operating within the standards, values and ethics of the leaders we will not be qualified to lead others and expect them to be submissive to us.  Nehemiah learned how to serve the King and did it in such a way that the King trusted him and gave him opportunities that he probably would never have received.

There are many people who would love to leave their secular jobs to work with a Christian organization.  This is a noble desire but the proof of being ready to leave a job is how well you performed your job with your current or previous company or the secular organization.  The work habits you develop, the attitudes toward your work and fellow workers will be carried over into your new work place.  If you have not been a faithful worker and have not worked well with others, you will not find it easier to work within a mission and positions of leadership will not be instantly granted to you. If your previous work record has not been good or pleasing to the Lord, steps will need to be taken to make changes. God is the God of second opportunities but when they are presented we must do everything we can to allow God and those he places over us to bring about the changes.

Nehemiah was placed in a leadership position because of his faithfulness to serve the King. 

A Leader must have a God given vision: When he heard the news of how Jerusalem was in desperate need of repair, it became a personal challenge to him to do something to bring about a change.  His heart’s desire was to go himself and do whatever he could to rebuild the walls of the city and restore God’s people.  He knew that he would need permission from the King to take a leave of absence to do what was in his heart to do.  He knew that the King had the power to release him or retain him but he also knew that God has the ability to change the heart of a King through the prayers of his people.

A leader must have a God given vision, a vision that God will bless and support and provide the people as well as the resources that are needed to see the vision come to pass. If God is not in the vision, it will fail and result in great frustration.  A good idea is not the same as a God idea but a God idea is a good idea.  God had a claim on the city of Jerusalem.  It was his city, he had chosen to have a temple built where the people from many nations could gather to worship him.  His zeal for his name and the name of the city he had chosen would accomplish the mission.

Nehemiah became the man God would use to restore the city and the people.  He had proven himself faithful in his secular job and was ready to be given a God sized vision of what he could do for God and his people.

Leaders must be people who pray:  Nehemiah’s first priority was to seek God in prayer and ask him to give him favor with the King when he presented his petition.  It was obvious to the King that Nehemiah was not his normal self.  Something was bothering him and the King was concerned enough for him that he asked him what was going on.  The King could have replaced Nehemiah but because he had developed his relationship with the King, he wanted to know what was going on.  The burden Nehemiah felt for his people and for the city of Jerusalem brought him to his knees in prayer and fasting.  If this burden was truly from God then he must pray and seek God’s intervention to make it become a reality. Nehemiah's prayers paved the way for his petition to be presented to the King.

Prayer demonstrates our need for God’s intervention and our lack of ability to accomplish on our own what God has placed in our heart to do.  Prayer is God’s channel to communicate to us his desires and strategies that he wants us to use to accomplish the vision. Throughout Nehemiah’s leadership, he focused on prayer.  He knew that task was greater than his abilities and he needed God’s wisdom and favor to accomplish it.  The vision was birthed in prayer and sustained by prayer.  Prayer keeps us in the position God wants us to be.  When we fail to pray, we act on our own wisdom and experiences that often are not in agreement with how God wants us to act.  Whatever ministry we have been given we must constantly be praying for God’s direction, his provision and favor among those we are ministering to.  One of the principle values of YWAM is to pray and seek God before attempting anything and then to continue to pray.  God does not have any auto pilot control feature in our lives.  We can’t sit back and neglect prayer, we will fail or the results will not be what they could be or should be.

Throughout this story of Nehemiah we witness his prayer life.

Neh 1:4  As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Neh 2:4  Then the king said to me, "What are you requesting?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Neh 4:4  Hear, O our God, for we are despised

Neh 5:19  Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.

Neh 6:9  For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done." But now, O God, strengthen my hands.

Neh 6:14  Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.

Neh 13:14  Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

Neh 13:29  Remember them, O my God, because they have desecrated the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and the Levites.

 Leaders have to be initiators and planners.  They have to know where they are going, what they need, who they need, how long it will take and how they can best do it.  Nehemiah knew what he wanted to do in Jerusalem to preserve the city and reunite the people under God’s leadership.  He planned his route, asked for permission to pass through safely and asked for some of the building materials he needed. When he arrived in Jerusalem he surveyed the area to determine the condition and know more clearly what was needed to get the job done.

Leaders have to be able to convince others of the need to accomplish the vision.  People have to know why you are doing something before they will commit to joining you in accomplishing the vision.  When Nehemiah talked to the leaders of the community he explained to them why they should partner with him.  He emphasized his commitment to the project, he was going to be involved to see it carried through.  He emphasized the need to have the walls constructed for the protection of the city as well as to remove the reproach it was among the nations.  He also explained how he had been given favor and permission by the King as well as Asaph who could give him the timber he needed. He recounted how God’s hand had been upon him to give him favor.  Nehemiah won their hearts, gained their respect and received the response he needed. The project was more than just a wall, it was the opportunity to restore the dignity of the people, reestablish their identity and preserve the city that they loved for the God who had given it to them.

Leaders must also know how to motivate people to do the work. Nehemiah had motivated the people to build the wall through his organizational skills.  He organized the people to rebuild the wall in the area that would be most identified with them.  He placed families in the section of the wall that would be a benefit to them.  The people had motivation to work because they saw the benefit that they would receive from it.  Nehemiah organized the work in such a way that it kept the people motivated.  They took ownership in the work because they saw the benefit it would be to them personally but also to the entire city. They were “all in”.  He entrusted the work to them, having confidence that working together as a team they could do the work.  The people were highly motivated to do the work and accomplished rebuilding the wall in only 52 days.

Leaders must also know how to handle opposition. There will always be people who the enemy will use to try to stop you from accomplishing your vision. Nehemiah had a couple of people Tobia and Sanballat who did not want the walls rebuilt and they tried several things to distract Nehemiah to cause him to stop the work.

They ridiculed the work. 4:1-3. But Nehemiah relied on God to help and defend them.  They were going against God not just Nehemiah.

Plotted resistance to the project to bring confusion. 4:7-8  Nehemiah took their threats seriously and set guards to protect the people.

Used rumors to discourage them. 4:10-11 Nehemiah encouraged the people to not be afraid and to realize that what they were doing was something God had called them to do and he would be with them.  The work they were doing was going to leave a legacy for future generations and for this reason it was worth continuing the reconstruction.

Nehemiah’s story continues but we are just focusing on the first chapters that establish specific principles of leadership that we can put into practice in our lives.

1. God uses our past as well as our present situations to prepare us for the future positions of leadership.  What is your past and present record say about you?  Are you faithful in what you are doing now to demonstrate that you are ready for a greater leadership role? Nehemiah had established himself as a faithful and dependable worker for the King. 

2. Leaders lead with a God given vision.  What Nehemiah wanted to do was birthed in his heart by God.  Many people must have seen the rubble but only Nehemiah saw the opportunity to bring change. If God is not in the vision do not pursue it.

3. Leaders must be dedicated to prayer.  Nehemiah sought God in prayer and fasting.  He knew he was not able to do the work without God’s involvement through his prayers.

4. Leaders are initiators and planners.  Nehemiah took the initiative to plan the work and carried out his plan to completion.

4. Leaders know who to motivate others. He motivate the people to join in the work by appealing to the benefits it would provide for them and the honor it would bring to God and his people.

5. Leaders know how to handle opposition.  Nehemiah did not give in to the threats of the enemies but relied on God, took appropriate action and encouraged the people.