Reflections on Leadership

I’ve been reflecting on the leadership styles that Leonard shares in Leading from the Middle and how they have influenced my life. In the book and at our conference last week, he explained that there are three types of leadership: from the Front, from the Back, and from the Middle. Jesus did them all.

I have definitely benefited from strong leadership from the Front. I am drawn to leaders with a clear, articulated vision. I devour excellent Bible teaching. I decided to follow Christ, in part, because I heard a youth camp speaker powerfully speak on the crucifixion of Jesus. Leadership from the Front matters, and it impacts lives.

Looking back over the years, I have fond memories of people who compassionately led from the Back. I struggled with anxiety attacks for a season, and leaders powerfully prayed over me on three separate occasions. Their prayers made a difference. I have been fortunate to have received wise counsel from pastors multiple times. I have been ministered to by gifted therapists, too. Leading from the Back matters, and it impacts lives.

The clearest memories and deepest emotions come when I remember those who have led in my life - from the Middle. The memories with these leaders fill chunks of time in my life – mostly years. They are voluntary mentors who took it upon themselves to be present, invite me in, challenge me, and share their power. These are people who have expressed belief in my God-given abilities and then backed up that belief by giving me real responsibility – sometimes at their own cost. Leading from the Middle matters most of all – I would not be where I am without these people.

The Middle leaders showed that high school girl (me) what following Jesus looked like – even before I said, “Yes!” to following Him at the youth camp. Before their presence in my life, I thought God was distant and uninterested in me. By being near and interested in who I am, they showed me Jesus.

It was the Middle leaders who, by their ongoing commitment to me, spurred on the healing and growth that the prayer warriors, pastors, and therapists initiated. Their grace and patience in me helped till the soil for the change to continue.

Now, there are some key people in my life who have led from the Front, the Back, and the Middle. We all lead from all three places, and all three places are needed. I am seeing, though, that it is Middle leadership that ties all three styles together. It’s Middle leadership that drives the impact of the Front and Back.

Now, it’s your turn. Reflect on your life. Who has led you well from the Front with their vision, teaching, preaching, & decision making? Who are the leaders that led you from the Back, offering counsel, healing prayer, or consoled you in grief? And who are the Middle leaders – the mentors – the ones who got their hands dirty in helping you develop your gifts, the ones who showed you Jesus?

How Would You Lead a Movement?

Leading from the Middle

How the Leadership of Jesus Launched a Movement

In my new book, I ask, “How much does what we do to lead a movement called the church look like what Jesus did to launch a movement called the church?” Check out a few paragraphs.

Let’s go back to the question with a small twist. “Tasked with leading a movement that would take the mission of Jesus to every tongue, tribe, and nation globally, how would you lead?”

Jesus was leading a movement, and His strategy was to make friends and train them to further the movement. When we recognize that Jesus was leading a movement and understand His strategy, we can see the value He placed upon training His disciples. If we are honest, we will also have to admit that we do not lead like Jesus even though we are tasked with the leadership in the same movement.

We are in possession of the Gospel, the very power of God. We are in-dwelt by God the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God within us. We have been adopted by the Father, who has made us His very own and declared that He loves us, we are His, and He is pleased that this is true.

We are friends and partners with Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer, Who was dead and now lives, Whose sacrifice satisfied God’s holiness and justice. We are God’s ambassadors. We are in possession of the very words He spoke to His friends and partners in ancient times, and we even put Jesus’ words in red. If we are going to understand how Jesus leads, we must first recognize what Jesus led.

Jesus led a movement to tear down the very gates of Hell. He crushed the serpent’s head, defeated death, and proclaimed freedom for all enslaved by sin. Jesus led a movement to free generations of people who had been lost to sin, death, and the grave. Jesus led a movement to restore life to the world, to give hope to the hopeless, and turn darkness into light, death into life, and people into His very own.

Jesus led a movement that transformed prisoners into preachers, villains into heroes, masters into servant leaders, the lost into found, and orphans into children of God. Jesus led a movement that cannot be defeated and will stand in persecution, abandonment, and fiery trials without being abandoned, crushed, or burned.

Thanks for reading a few paragraphs from my new book. The question stands for all of us, pastor, church leader, and follower of Jesus. “What if we were tasked to take the good news of Jesus to every tongue tribe and nation?” We are, and the one who gave us the task is also the one who showed us how. Make disciples who make disciples.

(*Leading From the Middle - How the Leadership of Jesus Launched a Movement by Leonard Lee will be available for presale soon. Stay tuned for details on how to order!)

Along the Way

Leading from the Middle

How the Leadership of Jesus Launched a Movement

“Along the way” is a great way to describe how Jesus led from the Middle. It seems that Jesus was strategically opportunistic in making sure both his words and actions were inclusive to those around him and modeled for his friends what it looks like to lead from the Middle. Consider the following "along the way" moments in the leadership of Jesus.

Along the way, Jesus pointed at the golden grapevines on the temple and began to talk to His friends.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me." (John 15:1-4 )

Along the way, Jesus explained greatness to His friends.

"Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:43-45)

Along the way, Jesus explained parables to His friends.

Then He left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." (Matthew 13:36 )

Along the way, Jesus explained to His friends that Lazarus was dead, and He was going to do something about it.

After He had said this, He went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." Jesus had been speaking of his death, but His disciples thought He meant natural sleep. So then He told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." (John 11:11-15)

What will you do "along the way" as you develop your disciple-making leadership from the Middle? Take a few minutes to see how or where you can create space in your coming and going; ask God to show you what he wants done along the way.

(Leading From the Middle - How the Leadership of Jesus Launched a Movement, a new book by Leonard Lee, will be available for presale soon. Stay tuned for details on how to order!)

What Strategy Would You Use?

Leading from the Middle

How the Leadership of Jesus Launched a Movement

In Chapter 2 of Leading From the Middle - How the Leadership of Jesus Launched a Movement*, Leonard asks an important question of everyone who is a friend and partner with Jesus. Read this excerpt:

"Tasked with taking this mission (The Good News of Jesus) to every tongue, tribe, and nation globally, what do you do? What strategy would you employ?"

When I was a young youth worker taking a class on leadership, I was asked this question: "If you had unlimited resources, what would you dare to do in ministry?" I looked around the room as these gifted men and women dreamed of how their ministries would be changed "if only" they had cash and people.

I heard them speak of buildings, equipment, events, camps, and more. Some said they would open homes and schools to keep kids safe. Others dreamt of adventure camps that would remove kids for a season from all the messes of their lives.

Still, others dreamt of teaching parents how to parent, providing life skills for opening checking accounts and living, giving loans for businesses, and encouraging entrepreneurial endeavors. College funds, scholarship opportunities, music lessons, tutoring for struggling kids all made the list, and with each beautiful idea shared, we all smiled and made approving noises.

It is a great question, by the way, and these were great answers that came from sincere hearts. However, these strategic dreams all lacked one thing – unlimited resources. No person in that room had the funds to do what they dreamt. Now back to Jesus.

Jesus entered this world as a baby, born into a family that went into exile before He was three years old. When Jesus was about eleven, He returned to His own country. Training and working as a carpenter until He was thirty, Jesus stepped fully into His mission and became a nomadic preacher.

He did not have the unlimited resources to build, provide camps, tutor, give music lessons, or do parenting classes. When He needed food, He tapped into His divine power, providing meals for thousands and successful fishing for some of His friends, but this was not His strategy.

His strategy was to build a generational disciple-making organic team that would also do the same. He made disciples. That was His strategy.

He trained His guys to do what He wanted. He trained the three boys to whom He was closest, the twelve men He had chosen, and the hundred and twenty to two hundred or so people who were in His circle to be disciple-makers. He trained them so well that He confidently told them that they would exceed His ministry.

"You guys will do greater things than I am doing," He told them.

Did Jesus preach? Yes, and He was so good at preaching that when people heard Him, they were amazed. Did Jesus heal people? Yes, and He was so good at healing and caring for people that people brought the sick from everywhere just in hopes of getting close enough to Jesus' robe so they could touch it.

This was the ministry Jesus did, but I suggest that the preaching and healing portion of Jesus' ministry was not the core component to His strategy to launch a movement that would last until He returns.

The strategy of Jesus was to train His disciples to make disciples so that their disciples would make disciples and that their disciples would also make disciples.

Generations of disciples would be made, extending the mission of Jesus everywhere a disciple went, not everywhere a church was started. In the first few centuries, the order was disciples first and then churches. Today it is attendees first, then converts and systems to keep people coming.

I would offer this thought: Jesus' strategy was so dependent upon His ability to train and make disciples who also made disciples that He didn't have a backup plan. There was no "Plan B" for Jesus, and the brilliance was that He did not need unlimited resources, just well-trained disciples connected to the same mission, methods, and strategies.

Who are you investing in right now in order that their faith might bear fruit? Is there anything from the life of Jesus that you could model?

(*Leading From the Middle - How the Leadership of Jesus Launched a Movement by Leonard Lee will be available for presale soon. Stay tuned for details on how to order!)