Not long ago I was asked my thoughts on the verse in the Bible “must be above reproach” which is one mandate for Christian leadership found in 1 Timothy 3:2 (NIV)  For those of you that don’t know I have a grandson named Isaac. Isaac is 2 years old and his favorite sentence is “It’s a mess”. And He is right because he usually made it. A couple days back, and I don’t remember the reason for his statement, maybe it was because of the way I was dressed but he said,“papa you a mess”.  

Yes, as hard as it is to admit especially as a pastor of a growing and exciting church like LifePoint, I’m a mess. I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, but not a very good one. I love God more than anything else, but I don’t have it all together. My deepest desire is to live a life just like Jesus Christ, but in all reality sometimes I’m successful at it and sometimes I’m not. I pray and I read the Bible but I know I should pray and read more, but I don’t always do that.   As hard as this is to say I don’t have life all together. I am flawed, broken, incomplete, under construction, unfinished, unfixed, a work in process, I’m a mess.  

By the way I am not alone when it comes to being a mess; I am in good company or bad company, depending on how you look at it…Noah the drunk, Moses the murderer, David the adulterer, Eli the screwed up priest, Samson the lustful hunk. The disciples were not exactly models of discipleship either, or should I say they were models of real discipleship. Trouble is, over the centuries we’ve tried to make them something they weren’t. The real disciples were inconsistent, erratic, confused, frustrated, afraid, had doubts, and argued with each other. IMPORTANT: Don’t forget most of them “messed up” while in leadership positions!  

That’s very encouraging because if what I just described is a real discipleship of Christ while being a leader, then I can be one

We can address problems, we can clean up the particular mess we’re in, but we are all still a mess, still imperfect and flawed. We can do better, but we’ll never be perfect. That’s the truth. That is reality. And, for some reason, the church doesn’t like to admit it.

Now don’t misunderstand me, a person’s life style and relationships provides a window into their character. If have a lifestyle of being honest, not stealing, not cheating people, not a drunkard, then I would say you are living above reproach. Remember our life style (not one mistake or even one act of sin) provides a true look at the person we are.  Sometimes it is easy to confuse “living about reproach” with “living above sin”. If that were the case why would we need Christ? The fact remains according to God we are all “a mess”, “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV).  As old fashioned at it sounds, it is only when we have the blood of Christ applied to our lives can we truly say we are “above  the mess” because when God looks at us, he sees the blood of HIS SON, not our faults.  So with all that said, for my life I have concluded that being a Christian, and even a Christian leader is not about getting rid of the mess (being sinless), it’s about living a life with Jesus being present in the midst of my mess.     Pastor Larry

It’s easy to focus on the things that people do wrong. Leaders must learn to “catch” people doing something right then praise them for their actions of goo performance. A simple “Good Job” will go a long way in developing people.
 
Thank you for the Christian leadership that you exemplify each day.
 
Sid

Dr. Gene Bottoms with the Southern Educational Regional Board (SREB) has conducted extensive research and years of field studies in local high schools across the country. His research consistently shows that student performance increases when high expectation are set and they are held accountable. Even students with a history of low performance consistently meet high expectations when they are held accountable.
 
This is a valuable lesson as leaders. Adults are no different that high school students. We must hold high expectations and hold people accountable if we expect them to become more effective and productive.
 
Remember most people (young and old) like structure, they like to know what parameters they have to work within, and the want to know what are the expectation  As leaders, it is our responsibility to set the expectation. 
 
Thank you for the Christian leadership that you exemplify each day.
 
Sid

We know this is usually true when working on ‘pet projects’, but what about the people around us that we are helping to develop? The more attention you pay to productive behavior, the more it will be repeated. Focusing on the negative often creates situations that demoralize people. When good performance is followed by a positive response, people naturally want to continue that behavior.
 
Thank you for the Christian leadership you exemplify each day.
 
Sid

So many organizations are “wandering lost” simply due to the fact that the leadership has no vision. A clear vision is really just a picture of how things would look if everything were running as planned. A leader needs a vision for excellence. Leaders must have a strong vision and positive beliefs that support that vision. This kind of enthusiasm is contagious.
 
Thank you for the Christian leadership you exemplify each day.
 
Sid

As leaders, we make lots of decisions ourselves because we have the information and knowledge base to make a sound decision very quickly without input from others. Sometimes this process is necessary and effective leadership. We need to keep in mind that effective leadership requires working with other’s, leading them in the right direction. When people are given detail information about the impact of decisions and entrusted to make decisions, their self-esteem rises and ownership takes place.  People with information are empowered to make responsible decisions and help the organization succeed.
 
Thank you for the Christian leadership you exemplify each day.
 
Sid

Leadership is being pro-active rather than re-active. We should always be out front making the first move, setting the example, not waiting on the next move of others. When we get into a defense situation, we waste valuable time, energy and resources not to mention the personal emotional drain and sometimes scares it can cause. Leaders create that offensive culture in the organization that produces the momentum for positive results.

Thank you for the Christian leadership you exemplify each day.
 
Sid

It is very important to celebrate success and enjoy the fruits of our work as we reach benchmarks and milestones. As leaders we want our team to know when success has been accomplished so they will take ownership in the common goals of the organization. But as Leaders we should never be satisfied and always striving to make the organization better. The moment we are satisfied with “where we are”, this is the same moment that failure begins.   

Thank you for the Christian leadership you exemplify each day.
 
Sid

Every organization needs banks such as;

•      Purpose - what do we do?
•      Values - What are our operational guidelines?
•      Goals - Where are we headed?
•      Roles - Who does what?
•      Structure - how are we organized?

Start people on a journey of empowerment but don’t forget that they need boundaries.
 
Thank you for the Christian leadership you exemplify each day.
 
Sid