Leadership is a hot topic these days, even in churches – with persons exploring such things as its secrets, how to earn it, how to exercise it wisely, what leadership style is best suited for the gospel cause.
Leadership is a hot topic these days, even in
churches – with persons exploring such things as its secrets, how to
earn it, how to exercise it wisely, what leadership style is best
suited for the gospel cause.
As far as Rick Warren is concerned, the Apostle Paul
revealed the most fundamental leadership secret in 2 Cor. 1:12, which
reads – “This is our boast. Our conscience testifies that we have
conducted ourselves in the world, especially in our relations with you,
in the holiness and sincerity that are from God.”
In other words, Paul was affirming that he has a
clear conscience and had acted with integrity, says Warren, pastor at
Saddleback Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of the
best-selling book, “The Purpose-Driven Life.”
The key word is integrity, which forms the foundation of leadership, Warren notes in a Baptist Press column.
“You only lead people if they trust you,” he says.
“If you lose people’s trust, you’ve lost it all. That’s why the right
to lead is earned, and it’s earned by being trustworthy. I think the
most damaging sin a leader can commit is to betray the trust of his
people.”
But how can one maintain moral integrity in the ministry? Warren offers several biblical strategies:
• Never consider oneself somehow to be above temptation.
Warren has a word for the idea some people have that
such things never could happen to them. “That’s a bunch of baloney,” he
says. “I think we need to be aware how vulnerable all of us are. The
first defense is an attitude of humility that says, ‘I’m a human
being.’ We need to watch out. … None of us are invulnerable. None of
us are immune.”
Warren compares the idea of invulnerability to the
person who is convinced he or she never will be robbed. Thus, they
leave their money and valuables lying around and never lock their doors.
That is the first person who will get robbed – and the same truth holds regarding temptation, Warren says.
“Given the right circumstances and set of events,
you can’t tell what you’d do,” he cautions. “Me either. I think we
should have a holy fear of ever thinking we’re beyond temptation.”
• Keep a close watch on one’s spiritual temperature.
Persons should take note of their level of spiritual
commitment each day, Warren says. “Maintaining that daily walk with the
Lord is absolutely imperative,” he insists. “I find that in temptation
of any kind, I need to continually remind myself of God’s omniscience
and omnipresence. God sees everything in my life, and he is always with
me. …
“(And) If God is always with me and he sees
everything, then that is a motivation for me to practice his presence.”
• If a person is married, maintain one’s own marriage.
“The greatest insurance for moral integrity is a
happy home life,” Warren states. “I think it’s important that if we’re
married, we make sure that our marriage is growing and developing.”
Citing an old saying, Warren reminds persons that
the grass is not greener on either side of the fence – it is greener
only where one waters it.
“It’s very important that we maintain our own
marriages, …” he says. “There’s a danger in ministry of spending more
time repairing everybody else’s marriage and neglecting your own. …
It’s important in the ministry, if you’re married, that you do not
develop separate lives.”
• Develop healthy outlets for emotional and sexual energy.
“Satan loves to play on pent-up emotions, …”
Warren points out. “You’ve got to have outlets for balance in your
life.”
• Guard your mind.
The Bible is clear – the battle for sin always
begins in the mind, Warren says. Indeed, James 1:14-15 notes that sins
begin with desire, then brings forth sin and leads to death, he notes.
“If you lose the battle in your mind – your thoughts – you’ve lost the battle, …” Warren warns. “It always starts there.”
• Remind oneself regularly of the consequences of moral failure.
The key is to minimize the pleasure of sin while
maximizing the consequences, Warren explains, acknowledging there is a
pleasure element in sin. “There is no doubt about it – sin is fun,” he
says. “Nobody would do it if it were not fun. … Even God says there
is pleasure in sin, but it’s just for a season. You have your kicks,
then, you have your kickbacks.”
It is wise to consider those kickbacks or
consequences, even to list them, Warren says. He notes that one
ministry leader did just that regarding sexual temptation.
His consequences included spiritual ramifications,
the loss of respect from his wife, the damage to his children, the
impact on his credibility and ministry and the strain it would place on
his relationships with others – “and on and on.”
• Take the necessary precautions to protect oneself.
Warren urges persons to go the extra mile in this area. He reminds them
that in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus did not caution the disciples
to pray so they would not fall into sin, but so they would not even
fall into temptation.
“In other words, don’t even put yourself in a
situation where you can be tempted,” Warren asserts. “It’s not an issue
of, ‘Are you going to give in or not,’ but, ‘If you don’t want to get
stung, stay away from the bees.’ Don’t put yourselves in situations
where you’ll ever be tempted. … Be careful. We’ve got to take
precautions.”
Indeed, Warren cautions that when it comes to sexual
temptation, it likely will come from persons one cares about, not from
strangers. He calls on persons to follow the example of Paul and be
jealous for the ministry, so that not even a hint of sexual immorality
is present in one’s life.
The bottom line is integrity, Warren concludes,
noting that the Bible promises a victor’s crown to those who persevere
against temptation and stand the test.
“When I get to heaven, I want one of those crowns,”
Warren says. “I want to be able to look the Lord in the eye and say,
‘Lord, you know that I was pure through all my years of ministry and
that there was never even a hint of impurity in my life.”