Leadership & Evangelism Workshop 1/3
Originally I signed up for the Leadership workshop, however, God wanted me to do the evangelism workshop so much, that he had the AYC organizers merge the two workshops, this means that rather than benefiting from the experience of the gifted leader Neale Schofield alone, I was also able to be blessed by the vast knowledge of the evangelist, Pr Gary Webster.
In the first session, we dealt with the nature of leadership itself.
Leadership is…
- The ability to inspire or influence
- To have foresight
- Being able to act under pressure
- Total commitment to the cause.
In a Christian sense, all of these ideas as to what Leadership is and requires, are well summed up in the following statement:
“The spirit filled ability to help people know and lovingly follow the will of God”
Other necessary qualities for effective leadership:
- To have a selfLESS cause
- Peaceful
- Tenacious
- Humble
- Willing to die for the cause
- Lead from behind the scenes until there is a dangerous or unpleasant situation. ie:let others have the glory, you take the risks.
The Greatest Leader in history was Jesus, what were the hallmarks of his ministry and leadership style…
- His Spirituality was quickly discerned by others
- He was a visionary (Heb 12:2 | Zeph 3:17 | John 4:35)
- He was mission driven
- He was authentic (integrity)
- He was a people lover
- Selfless
- Focussed on unity (a team builder)
- He was an affirmer
- He involved others
- Was trusting
- Was always present, with his followers not sitting back or being aloof
- He was Humble
- An active an able practitioner of the principles he championed
- He Trained and equipped others
It should also be noted that there is a chasm of difference between Leadership and Management, to illustrate the contrasting mindset:
- Leaders Have Convictions not preferences
- Leaders seize opportunities while managers wait for them
- Leaders amplify strengths when managers minimize weaknesses
- Leaders prepare beyond their limits, while managers prepare within their limits
For example, evangelists have to be leaders, they have to lead the team and lead people to Christ. Not only that, but they must be prepared to be shot at, it is always the leader who will bear the cross-hairs first.
