Talking About Leadership Doesn't Make You a Leader...
As one who has spent lots of time over the years with leaders crafting mission statements, planning strategic initiatives, and interacting with a variety of ministry models, I find the statement above correctively refreshing and embarrassingly true and funny—all at the same time.
As Homer Simpson would say: "Doh!"
But there is something more here too.
Think about it.
"Mission statement." "Strategy." "Ministry model." "Strategic initiatives."
That's a lot of leaderspeak.
And one of the problems with leaderspeak is that it makes the person speaking feel like a leader without actually leading.
Why is this a problem?
Talking about leadership doesn't make a leader.
In the words of the Apostle Paul:
"For the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God's power." —1 Corinthians 4:20
And three verses earlier in 1 Corinthians 4:17, Paul explained that the power he had was a multiplying Jesus-like disciplemaking "way of life."
If you're wondering what a Jesus-like mission, strategy and model looks like—not as someone who merely talks about leadership—but as one who leads a Jesus-like disciplemaking "way of life," then... THIS IS FOR YOU.
Following Jesus is a way of life. If leaders aren't first livers, then it's merely leaderspeak.
Do we really need more of that?
Talking leadership—does not a leader make.
Talking about disciplemaking—does not a disciplemaker make.
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