I want to share a classic post from our good friend Dr. Bob Whitesel. Bob describes a Strategic Leader as one who sees the big picture, and envisions outcomes before the battle commences. They intuitively know what the results should be, even though they are not experts in getting there. In the military, strategic leaders are generals, admirals, etc. Here he identifies the characteristics that distinguish leaders in the church:
I have routinely witnessed that pastors can be drawn into the ministry by two competing roles.
1. The shepherd. Many pastors enter the ministry due to a desire to help fellow humankind with a hands-on, relational, personal and mentoring type of leadership style. This is analogous to the guidance of a shepherd, and is reflected in scriptures about nurture, care and cultivation such as in Isaiah 40:11, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” And, this is exemplified by Jesus who is described as “our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20). Pastors drawn by this role often become operational leaders.
2. The visionary. Pastors in this category have an overriding desire to make a significant impact for Christ and His kingdom. They are impassioned by statements such as John 4:34-38, “’My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor’.”
Visionaries have what Church Growth researcher Win Arn called “church growth eyes … a developed characteristic of individuals and churches who have achieved a sensitivity to seeing possibilities….” Pastors drawn by this leadership role usually become strategic leaders.
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Your partner in ministry,
Nelson
P.S. As Bob mentions in his blog, Strategic Leaders see the big picture. Strategic leaders are the first to notice that change is needed.
The best strategic leaders have a tool kit of proven leadership principles at their disposal. I’ve been a long-time student (Okay, you can call it an obsession) of these kinds of ideas and strategies – and have spent hundreds of hours pouring through books, case studies and most importantly – field testing with my own ministries – to boil it all down to the 10 strategic concepts that will best help YOU and YOUR CHURCH.These strategic – and Biblical – concepts will guide you from where you are to where God wants you to be. I promise you they will give you more time, energy and attention – with a whole lot less stress!
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