Leadership Is Compassion

Leadership is Compassion

Compassion as exhibited by Joseph:

Genesis 43:28-31   They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.  ²⁹ And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!"  ³⁰ Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there.  ³¹ Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, "Serve the food."

Genesis 43:30 WrÜm.k.nI-yKi (niphal perfect, 3ppl Niphal verbs express a state or feeling that                                                                     acts upon the subject

Compassion as exhibited by Jesus:

Matthew 9:36  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matthew 9:36  vesplagcni,sqh Aorist passive indicative, 3ps

Compassion as exhibited by the Prodigal’s Father:

Luke 15:20  And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Luke 15:20  evsplagcni,sqh Aorist passive indicative, 3ps

Compassion as expected of all Christ-followers:

Colossians 3:12   Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

Colossians 3:12  spla,gcna Noun, accusative neuter pl

Compassion has three components:

1. A cognitive component: “I understand you”
2. An affective component: “I feel for you”
3. A motivational component: “I want to help you”

The practice of compassion is about going from self to others. In a way, compassion is about going from “I” to “We.” So if switching from “I” to “We” is the most important process of becoming an authentic leader, those who practice compassion will already know how and will have a head start.

But wait, there’s more. I found the work of Jim Collins, documented in his book Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t, to be even more illuminating.

The premise of the book is itself fascinating: Collins and his team tried to discover what makes companies go from good to great by sifting through a massive amount of data. They started with the set of every company that has appeared on Fortune 500 from 1965 to 1995, and they identified companies that started out merely as “good” companies that then became “great” companies (defined as outperforming the general market by a factor of three or more) for an extended period of time (defined as fifteen years or more, to weed out the one- hit wonders and those that were merely lucky). They ended up with a set of eleven “good to great” companies and compared them to a set of “comparison companies” to determine what made the merely good companies become great.

The first and perhaps the most important finding in the book is the role of leadership. It takes a very special type of leader to bring a company from goodness to greatness. Collins calls them “Level 5” leaders. These are leaders who, in addition to being highly capable, also possess a paradoxical mix of two important and seemingly conflicting qualities: great ambition and personal humility. These leaders are highly ambitious, but the focus of their ambition is not themselves; instead, they are ambitious for the greater good. Because their attention is focused on the greater good, they feel no need to inflate their own egos. That makes them highly effective and inspiring.

While Collins’s book convincingly demonstrates the importance of Level 5 leaders, it (understandably) does not prescribe a way to train them. I do not pretend to know how to train Level 5 leaders either, but I am convinced that compassion plays an essential role.

If you look at the two distinguishing qualities of Level 5 leaders (ambition and personal humility) in the context of the three components of compassion (cognitive, affective, motivational), you may find that the cognitive and affective components of compassion (understanding people and empathizing with them) tone down the excessive self- obsession within us, and thereby create the conditions for humility. The motivational component of compassion, wanting to help people, creates ambition for greater good. In other words, the three components of compassion can be used to train the two distinguishing qualities of Level 5 leadership.

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/compassionate_leaders_are_effective_leaders

Pastoral Tenure

Yesterday we began a review of pastoral tenures. We concluded based on research completed by a number of formal surveys that pastorates of 5-14 years are the most fruitful and beneficial for both the pastor and the church he serves.

The following are the six (6) observations that Thom Rainer made on this topic. 

1. Our research continues to show a strong correlation to pastoral tenure and church health. Of course, correlation is not the same as causation. Nevertheless, the evidence is strong, if not overwhelming, in favor of long tenure.

2. The breakout years of pastoral tenure typically begin after years 5 to 7. In other words, the best years of a pastor’s tenure, both for the pastor and the church, do not begin until at least five years have passed. Unfortunately, the majority of pastors in America do not stay at a church for five or more years.

3. Relationships take time, particularly in church leadership. Keep this perspective in mind. When pastors begin ministry in a church, they are the newest people at their respective churches. Relationships are already established among the members. That is why I’ve heard from many church members that a pastor did not seem like “their pastor” until about five years passed.

4. Nearly nine out of ten churches in America are in need of turnaround leadership. Turnaround leadership is most often methodical and incremental. It can’t be accomplished in just a few years.

5. Community relationships and impact take time as well. In most communities, pastors are not considered a part of the locality until they have been there at least five years. A church, to be effective, must have a positive presence in the community led by an accepted pastor.

6. Pastors and churches will have had time to go through a crisis or conflict. The typical period for significant conflict is in years 2 to 4. The longer the pastorate, the greater the likelihood that the church and the pastor have gotten to the other side of the conflict.

There is an important principle associated with local church effectiveness. As the pastor goes, so goes the church. I relate this to the high ratio of Bi-Vocational pastors. Pastors are not ubiquitous. They cannot be engaged in community connection and person to person evangelism when they are occupied with other employment responsibilities.

Justification

The gospel brings justification. We have been focused on what the gospel does. The sin of Adam brought condemnation. The gospel brings justification. 

Romans 4:23-25 But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

What is justification? Justification is the forensic declaration of God that a sinner by virtue of the finished work of redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ is declared to have right standing in the very presence of God. It does not make the sinner righteous. That is sanctification. But the forgiven sinner is viewed by God the Father as having right standing in his presence. When the father looks upon a forgiven sinner he sees not the persons sin and guilt. HE sees the sinner standing in his presence wearing the robe of total and complete righteousness purchased by the redemptive work of Christ.

Romans 5:1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

I believe that Romans 3.21-26 stands as one of the most important passages in the entire Bible. Leon Morris calls this passage “possibly the single most important paragraph ever written.” Its shortness is hardly an indication of its value, any more than the brevity of the resurrection accounts in the Gospels truncate the importance of that truth!

In 1.18 through 3.20, Paul got us lost. He first showed that the gentiles were lost. Then he showed that the Jews were lost. “No one does good, not even one.” “No one seeks God, not even one.” All of us are dead because of sin. That is the devastating reality of our spiritual condition before God. Now Paul tells us the good news!

But before he can, he must wrestle with a dilemma: because we are utterly sinful and because God is utterly holy, how is it possible for us to get saved, for us to ever stand in God’s presence without being condemned? The answer to this question is the heart of Romans and is found in 3.21-26.

Thank God for justification by faith. Apart from this we all stand condemned.

Why I Love The Church!

In spite of all the flaws, the decline, and the struggles and frustrations I face in working with the church, I love the church. Here are some of the reasons.

1) The church is just plain messy. The church is messy because the church is people. All people are broken by sin. This is why I love the church. The church doesn’t ask for perfection. The church doesn’t claim we must get it together before we are accepted. The church, instead, acknowledges there is only one who is perfect…Jesus. He is the head of the church, and the church clings in repentance and faith to him.

2) The church is God’s instrument to repel darkness in the world. The church is the light of the world. Followers of Jesus have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The church is not some weird club with secret handshakes. The church has a clear mission. Those who become Christians are called out of the world, and they join a cause greater than themselves.

3) My Savior, Jesus, died to establish the church. I love Jesus. I am not perfect. Far from it. But every piece of who I am belongs to him. And my Savior, the one who gave his life for me, also gave his life for the church. Again, not the church as an institution, but the church as His elect. We are a group of Spirit-filled people.

4) The church has often led the way in meeting the needs of the world. From the earliest days of the church, people have been the recipient of God’s grace and justice. The church, unlike any other collection of people, has released the oppressed, brought healing, and restored hope, to millions. This is because the church is led by the Spirit. And where the Spirit is present, justice is a priority and there is true peace.

So, in the roughly 2000 years of the church’s existence, game changing ideas like hospitals, public education, and orphanages have been birthed by the church.

There are many more reasons to love the church. God’s people will endure for all eternity. Jesus is coming again. He will make all things new. Are you ready for his return?

Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!