When A Leader Comes Of Age

Maturity in leadership comes at a personal price. Sooner or later, every CEO of a Christ-centered ministry will have to make a moral decision that will define his or her legacy of leadership. We call this moment a “critical incident.” It comes as a surprise, poses a moral conflict, requires a risky decision with the possibility of failure, and results in long-term, even eternal consequences. President Barack Obama made that kind of decision in his executive order to assault the compound of Osama Bin Laden. Whatever our politics, we recognize the weighty consequences of leadership at any level and in any context. The news of the day should drive us to our knees. Only the Spirit of God can help us sort out the differences between our self-interest, the common good, and the will of God. Christian leadership is affirmed, compromised or denied in this defining moment.

Follow the Money!

When my wife asks my opinion on current events, such as international revolution or domestic protest, my stock answer is “Follow the money.” If you start with that assumption about the motivation for leadership, whether in business, politics, education, international affairs or even religion, you will be right 90 percent of the time. The other ten percent can be subsumed under the corollary “Follow the ego.”

Leadership decisions are always made with mixed motives. CEOs of Christ-centered organizations are not exempt. Even when we make decisions to do what is good for our organizations and what is right for the people involved, we will probably have a bit of “Follow the money” and “Follow the ego” in mind. In fact, most of us develop a predictable character of decision-making based upon our motives. We are fooling no one if we claim to have the mind of God, but are known for our underlying motive of money or ego. Isn’t this why the Paul said that he had to die daily? Even his fiery, all-consuming passion to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles could be subverted by self-interest. We, too, need the discipline of death for the start of our day. Our motive for decision-making may never be wholly pure, but it can be so Christ-centered and Spirit-filled that no one will say of us, “Follow the money” or “Follow the ego.”

Is Your Business Plan Biblical?

To be in vogue, Christ-centered organizations must have a credible business plan. This is a far cry from the times when our ministries flew by faith and the seat of our pants. What have we gained? As a guy who prizes rational planning and outcomes, the business plan makes sense. It is rational, strategic, and productive. But what have we lost? When I hear about core values, organizational brands, consumer tastes, market share, competitive advantage, and measurable success, I cannot help but asking, “Are we still in line with Biblical values and the Spirit of Christ?” Bear with me while I ask these follow-up questions.

• Are core values the same as Biblical convictions?
• Is organizational branding reflective of the image of Christ?
• Are consumer tastes equal to our need to confess our sins?
• Is market share consistent with the Great Commission?
• Is competitive advantage synonymous with total sacrifice?
• Does measurable success include the reward for faithfulness?

Words can change us. That is why Paul’s job description for a “workman approved of God” included the responsibility for “rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15). Boards of Christ-centered organizations have the same responsibility. To be approved of God, we may have to make some corrections.

Thank You, President Mubarak!

The Egyptian dictator deserves credit for one thing: He gives us a forceful reminder that CEOs can overstay their welcome. Even in Christ-centered organizations, the words are often heard, “It’s time for him to go” or “She should leave while she’s still loved.” Why do successful CEOs persist on overstaying their welcome? Mubarack gives us the answer. After 30 years in office, his identity is in his position and his timing is in his ego. A sad state, to be sure, but no different than CEOs of Christ-centered organizations whose identity has shrunken to the limits of a position and whose timing is self-serving. Under these conditions, there is no life after leaving.

CEOs of Christ-centered organizations need to be stewards of their own identity. While giving themselves fully to their calling as Christian leaders, they should cultivate personal interests and create professional options beyond the limits of their executive position. They should also be self-monitors of the time and tide of their ministries. Isaiah warns against leaders who create gods in their own image to justify their success and take God’s timing into their own hands to assure their legacy. We dare not succumb to that temptation. To go out on the high tide of God’s timing with freedom to explore options is not retirement from ministry, it is redeployment in ministry at its very best.

*See The Leader’s Legacy and Retirement Is Not for Sissies by David McKenna

Swimming Naked in an Ebb Tide

Billy Graham continues to have Spirit-guided wisdom far beyond his 91 years. When asked what cautions he had for evangelicals today, he warned us about being “victims of our own success.”

Billy is so right. Evangelicals handle poverty better than prosperity. When our faith-based ministries are struggling in the margins, we depend on God, make sacrifices, focus our energies, exercise creativity, and multiply the effectiveness of our ministry. In prosperity, however, we tend to let the good times roll.

Think about the long-term, strategic plans of Christ-centered organizations today. More often than not, they are based on the assumption that the growth of the future will equal or exceed the growth of the past.

Robert Putnam, however, echoes Billy Graham’s caution in his book American Grace. According to demographic studies, the halcyon days of evangelical power, growth, and influence are waning. Leaking out of the bottom of the statistics is a younger generation of evangelicals coming to adulthood who reject politicized faith, tolerate theological diversity, and put individual spirituality over institutional loyalty. If so, boards and executive leaders of Christ-centered organizations had better give our plans a reality check and rethink our strategy according to the disciplines of sound management. Otherwise, as crusty old Warren Buffett put it, “When the tide goes out, you discover who’s swimming naked.” We dare not let good times mask bad management.