“Be filled with the Spirit”
(Ephesians 5:18)
These words to the church at Ephesus are not so much invitations to individuals as they are words of openness to communities, to churches. How are our churches being led by the Spirit?
Several years ago, one of our Presbytery Education leaders was Tim Geoffrion. He spoke about how the Holy Spirit impacts our leadership of our churches. Tim wrote a book entitled “The Spirit-Led Leader”. He wrote, “To be the leaders God intends us to be and to lead in ways that honor God and bear the fruit God intends what is needed is nothing short of personal transformation – a true inner change of heart, mind and soul – that ultimately leads to a transformation of our leadership. Though many external factors may influence our effectiveness as leaders, it is the internal ones that we must come to grips with if we want to become the leaders we are called to be• we need to value developing emotionally, socially, psychologically and spiritually, believing that as we grow as people, we will grow as leaders.”
Geoffrion then communicates 9 Leadership Practices of spiritual leaders. They are:
1. “Envision your leadership flowing out of a deep spiritual life.”
Do you have spiritual vitality in your life that flows from experiencing the presence of God or are you on auto-pilot?
2. “Actively cultivate your own spiritual life.”
Effective spiritual leaders take responsibility for connecting with God and give conscious attention to what God is doing and wants to do in our life.
3. “Develop specific spiritual disciplines.”
Spiritual disciplines or practices deepen one’s spiritual vitality and power-up our leadership. Do you have two or three practices that you engage with daily?
4. “Always seek to serve God’s purposes first.”
Are you in alignment with God’s hopes and dreams for you and your church or is your ego or clinging to the past leading the way?
5. “Create a vital spiritual environment within your workplace”
Are your Session and Committee meetings business meetings or are they spiritual gatherings in which God is actively sought and God’s way is pursued?
6. “Make change a personal priority.”
God is “making all things new” to bring all creation into God’s alignment. How are you embracing and engaging change?
7. “Lead by listening well.”
Are you open to listen to the Holy Spirit? Are you listening to all the voices on the team? The spark of the Spirit often comes from unexpected places.
8. “Always trust God.”
Are you on a faith journey like the Hebrews 11 cast of characters or are you just going along doing your own thing in the name of Jesus?
9. “Open yourself fully to the love and grace of God.”
Two weeks ago I wrote about being in Christ vs. Christ being in us. Are you fully, or working towards fully being in Christ? It requires openness.
Take a minute or two or five and evaluate yourself, ranking yourself from 1 (being lowest) to 10 (being spiritual). What do you discover about your spirited leadership and where God may be sprouting up something new?
Cultivating Transformational Leaders,
Steve
