Leading

Wise Leading

Wisdom psalms teach wise living, in contrast to psalms of praise or lament. Psalm 1 instructs us about creating a godly context for spiritual growth. As a wisdom psalm, it…

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Why People Resist Change

Why People Resist Change “We never did it that way before!” You have sought the Lord’s guidance and are now leading his people in a new direction of ministry. But,…

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Visionary Eldership

"VISION" - that's the catch word of the 90's. It's a good word. One that Webster defines as unusual discernment or foresight. Some people have it, some don't it seems.…

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Letting Go Of Criticism

Letting go is absolutely required of elders. That is, letting go of offenses against us. This is related to forgiveness (see ESN Volume 7 Numbers 3 & 4—May & July,…

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Leading by Faith

As elders, we must lead the people of God in walking by faith. Of course, in order for an elder to lead he must be “out in front!” It does…

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Leading From The Heart

He made it to the top, power and prestige were his. No record exists of his having any problem with women. Spiritually he was chosen and gifted by God as…

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Humbleness, An Example

Humbleness is a critical, but elusive character for elders. I, who am ill-equipped to speak on this subject, as one who falls continually short, come as an admirer of Christ’s…

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Being Elder or Doing Elder?

“Many men want to be president, but very few want to do president,” says Steve Sample, president of the University of Southern California. He continues, “Some of the unhappiest people…

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Beating the Joy-Sappers

One of the greatest challenges for an elder (and for the church) is to remain positive and joy-filled in the ministry. There are many joy-sappers that suck away spiritual vitality…

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Accepting Criticism

Criticism is one of the sharpest tools God uses in molding us into humble and effective servants of his. How we handle the negative feedback of others can affect our…

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A Model to Follow

Learning to function as an elder is not the most important thing. More important is the elder’s character. The qualifications in 1 Timothy & Titus are well-known. But a good…

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Feeding and Leading

In his book, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," Alexander Solzhenitzn's insight into leadership conveys a huge truth that is applicable in leading God's people. Speaking of life…

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Be Careful of Spiritual Hype

As elders and teachers of the Word of  God, we need to be careful about trying to hype up the Christian life to an unatainable ideal.  Consider Mark Galli's observations…

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Roadblocks to New Elders

At a recent conference, I took an (admittedly unscientific) survey of what people thought to be the main hindrances to raising up new elders. Here is the list and the…

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Avoiding the Emperor Syndrome

After the American revolutionary war against Britain was over, there was a ground swell to make General George Washington the emperor of the new united colonies that became the United…

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