Leadership: Improving Your Spiritual Service

All leadership skills are learned. No Christian has the edge over anyone else. In other words, believers are born with equal abilities to lead. Spiritual leaders must have a moral compass on which to build these skills. Spiritual leadership provides the moral compass to broaden one’s sphere of influence, to empower people and to create teamwork among their church members, families, friends, staff members, and co-workers. Teamwork is a necessity in life, for it accomplishes personal and ministerial goals.

Many negatives can distract leaders daily. Consequently, they may fall prey to these external influences, lose their vision and become spiritually powerless. But leaders can regain power over their lives by focusing on their main goals and ordering everything else around those goals. Then they can succeed in their ministries or personal lives. But that is only the beginning. To truly be influential, leaders should duplicate their successes in church members’ lives by improving their “serve.” Serving may cause leaders to feel like slaves, not realizing how church members perceive them. But, often, church members perceive such leaders as heroes. It is the art of serving that makes leaders out of ordinary people. Spiritual leadership teaches the art of serving, which is really the art of helping others succeed and fulfill their dreams.

Servanthood begins with identifying customers and then attending to them. Leaders should see, not only church members, but also everyone within their spheres of influence as their customers. A customer is anyone with whom a leader comes into contact. This outlook facilitates these three things: expanding one’s sphere of influence for Christ, being charismatic, and developing a spiritual edge. These things attract new church members and opportunities to serve. The best customers are repeat customers. And the best church services are those that attract repeat customers. Spiritual leadership empowers church members to develop their own customer base through offering outstanding services to those within their own sphere of influence and expanding their sphere of influence in the body of Christ.

The lack of tools prevents many leaders from ministering and serving their best. There is a myriad of tools to assist leaders in gaining self-esteem, confidence and leadership skills. Shy believers can speak in public with poise and confidence. The experienced leader can fine-tune their Power Point presentations. Indecisiveness can wane as spiritual leaders emerge with biblical decision-making techniques, lead ministry teams through change, and master church presentations, such as dramas, speeches, music, sermons.

When I attended Southern California College from 1975-1979, Mario Murillo was our guest chapel speaker one morning. Afterward, as he greeted students outside the chapel doors, I asked him, “What is the greatest way one can glorify God—through witnessing, or other ways?” Mario replies, “The greatest way to glorify God is in your heart.” I took this to heart. I believed and received it, and have been acting on it to this day. That truth impacted my life and made a difference in me, my ministries, and all I do.

So, I would like to challenge spiritual leaders to deepen their walk with the Holy Spirit, and see what Christ will do for you and those you impact.