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We Need New Leaders!

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Earlier this year I was asked to contribute an article to the Lausanne Movement as they prepare for their global congress in South Korea later this year. It was a privilege to have my article published in July.

The Lausanne Movement has been at the cutting edge of global missions since the 1970s. Their website states,

With a rich history spanning over five decades, the Lausanne Movement has been at the forefront of global mission through fostering Christian collaboration, platforming missional strategy, and equipping leaders and influencers to fulfil the Great Commission.

I have greatly admired the Lausanne Movement – though largely as a consumer of their content rather than an active participant. It was, therefore, an incredible privilege to be invited to attend the African and Middle East regional conference in Ethiopia in November 2023. I’m really looking forward to participating in the fourth global congress in September 2024.

Michael Oh, the Global Executive Director of the Lausanne Movement says:

Lausanne 4 is a multi-year, global, polycentric process facilitated by the platform of Lausanne, towards catalytic collaboration of the global church, for the discipling of all nations and the shaping of the world in 2050.

I feel this is a compelling vision and one that requires a high commitment to partnership and collaboration. The movement’s fourfold vision is to see ‘the gospel for every person, disciple-making churches for every people and place, Christ-like leaders for every church and sector, and kingdom impact in every sphere of society‘. It is encouraging that Christ-like leadership lies at the heart of Lausanne’s vision. So, although my article is just one contribution to a larger body of work that has been developed over many years, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to encourage everyone within the Lausanne movement to grab a towel and follow Christ’s example.

It was also great to have my article translated into multiple languages. Well, hopefully I’ve whet your appetite. Please click here to read the article: We Need New Leaders: Responding the cry of the 21st Century.

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Detoxing my heart

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The Message Trust international CEO, Andy Hawthorne, often recounts a story about Salvation Army founder, William Booth. During a period when the burgeoning global organisation was particularly strapped for cash, Booth had limited resources with which to send his regular telegram to the Salvation Army ‘troops’ around the world. As sending a telegram was charged by the letter, Booth sent a message that encapsulated the foundational purpose of the movement – OTHERS.

Focusing on others is a critical hallmark of Christ-centred servant leadership. In Grab a Towel, I write that servant leaders put people before projects, programmes and profit. Servant leadership both focuses on loving God and loving people. The two are intrinsically linked.

This past week I was on a leadership retreat and was once again challenged in this area. Do I genuinely put people first in my own life and calling?

You see, there is an insidious threat to Christian leaders that looks like we’re putting people first, but it is actually the antithesis of servant leadership. Rather than putting people first, we succumb to the disease of being a people -pleaser.

The people-pleasers’ existence and purpose is wrapped up in what people think of us. The orientation of a people pleaser is self-centred, rather than other-centred. As someone who is prone to being a people-pleaser, I realise that it comes with a parallel track… that of being an affirmation addict. Again, rather than living to serve, we live for the applause. Instead of focusing on God and serving others out of love, we become addicted to affirmative words and actions from those we are influencing. We crave for other people to love and accept us, fuelling our own ego and using other people to make us feel good about ourselves. As mentioned, this is the very antithesis to the example of Christ who lay aside his status, rights and entitlement to be worshipped, in order to show us the love of God.

I believe it is almost impossible for leaders who are people-pleasers and/or affirmation addicts to genuinely put people first. The heart that longs for affirmation is in danger of becoming a toxic environment that contaminates it from genuinely being able to love and serve other people.

 So what is the remedy? It’s impossible to give an exhaustive list… but here are some pointers I find helpful in order to detox my heart.

I would suggest the first step is some introspection – the kind of opportunity that I had this week. Taking time out is sometimes the only way to allow God to assess the condition of our heart. We can only love other people if we are willing to ask some hard questions of ourselves. Deep questions about our ultimate motivations and sense of well-being – do we lead in order to fulfill our own needs and inadequacies – or are we genuinely seeking to love others? Alongside this introspection, we need to confess and repent – firstly to God, and quite possibly to some people that have been hurt by our toxicity.

The next step is to come back to Christ and remind ourselves of his affirmation of us: he loved me enough to die for me. He values me, considers me his friend, and is pleased with me. When my toxic heart takes me away from this sense of security in Him, then I need to ask Jesus to do some heart surgery… to remove my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh. I find that when I invite him to do this, he does it with a love and tenderness that brings me to a point of restoration.

A further step is to remind yourself that, as a Christ-centred servant leader, this is not about how strong your determination is, exerting your will-power, or a matter of self-motivation. Rather, it’s all about submission to the Holy Spirit. God knows that, left to our own, we cannot faithfully love Him or others. He has, therefore, provided us with the inner-power necessary to genuinely overcome our people-pleasing orientation and our affirmation addiction through filling us with his Holy Spirit. The good news is that the Holy Spirit is still the empowering personality that enables 21st century servant leaders to love people with the love of Christ.

The final prompting I had this past week was a reminder of the key role that listening plays to be an effective servant leader. Christ-centred servant leaders take genuine interest in other people. The discipline of listening opens up our hearts to hearing the soul-cry of other people. This fuels our love, empathy, prayers and ability to serve. Listening is therefore a critical ingredient if we are to put people before projects, programmes and profit… to genuinely grab a towel and serve others!

Keep Your Head

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I recently introduced my teenage boys to one of my favourite films – The Matrix. Released in 1999, the film describes a future in which reality perceived by humans is actually the Matrix, a simulated world created by machines in order to pacify and subdue the human population. Upon learning this, computer programmer,Neo, is drawn into a rebellion against the machines.

There’s a scene in The Matrix where Neo first enters the computer-generated world and is learning to live counter to what he has been programmed his whole life. He is with his mentor, Morpheus, and they are walking against the tide of hundreds of people on a city’s streets. Morpheus, overcoming the confines of his mind, is able to walk without bumping into anyone – parting the proverbial Red Sea of people. Neo, on the other hand, bumps into everybody and is unable to avoid all the tide of people in his path.

I believe that the experience of a Christ-centred servant leader is more like Neo’s experience than Morpheus’s. In Grab a Towel I argue that servant leadership is counter-cultural to the norms of leadership prevalent in the West today. The reality is that servant leaders have to go against the flow of contemporary wisdom and cultural norms. But going against the flow inevitably means encountering obstacles and opposition. The task of Christ-centred servant leadership means going against the tide of popular opinion, standing up for righteousness, and calling others to do the same. This is a call that will inevitably result in opposition and criticism. At times, it will unavoidably lead servant leaders to question their sanity. It is a bumpy and tumultuous road. Jesus called it carrying our cross – the cross being the ultimate symbol of self-sacrifice and self-denial.

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul gives these words, “Keep your head in all situations” (2 Timothy 4:5) Keep your head! Don’t lose the plot; don’t succumb to the temptations that periods of intense stress and opposition bring. Seek to remain calm under pressure. Maintain your poise. Guthrie says we are to “cultivate unruffled alertness.” I like that… the equal and opposite dangers in times of immense pressure is that we “zone out” or we “stress out.” Rather, we need to find the middle ground where we are alert to the dangers, but continue to keep our cool and navigate the storms with faith, hope and love.

The wonderful Rudyard Kipling poem, “If” opens with the words, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…” It is a big and important “If” because the damage can be disastrous if we lose our heads. Leaders who rant or sulk, leaders who are inconsistent, leaders who are prone to losing their temper; these leaders break the trust of their followers. And trust is a priceless commodity, particularly when navigating difficult waters. The leader that keeps their head, and who maintains dignity and poise, gains the confidence of those in their care and will have their influence elevated as a result. 

When everything seems to be falling apart; when going against the flow takes you into turbulent waters; when the people you lead are beginning to feel disconcerted and under threat… then, keep your head! That is the way to serve others. Cultivate unruffled alertness! Avoid flapping. Don’t panic. Grab a Towel and remember why you are doing what you’re doing. Keeping the bigger picture in mind will enable you to keep your head and face the challenges you are facing with dignity and poise… a Christ-like quality that should be a hallmark of leaders following in his footsteps.

This post has been adapted from a section of my first book, The Pace Setter. Click here to order on Kindle or contact us to order a physical copy.

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Superhero or Servant?

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Grab a Towel presents a contrast between two types of leadership: the superhero and the servant. I am constantly reminded of the importance of this distinction – whether considering leadership in politics, business or church ministry.

In the extreme, the superhero is the problem-solving, all-knowing, charismatic character who secures a following in order to accomplish their goals and dreams. Servant leaders, on the other hand, exist primarily to help other people fulfill their potential. Robert Greenleaf, writing on servant leadership in the 1970s, describes the contrast as follows:

The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions… The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

In Grab a Towel, I present the following contrasting extremes between Superhero and Servant leadership.

The challenge is, in a culture that expects leaders to be superheros and where many leaders get caught up in the aspirations of personal success and climbing the corporate ladder, how do we begin to adjust our thinking with regards to becoming a servant leader?

Maybe it begins with each of us engaging in some introspection. What is our motivation to be a leader? Are we seeking the applause of others? Do we think of ourselves more highly than we should? Are we genuinely looking out for the interests of others? Who are we seeking to emulate? What do our followers really think of us?

And so I give you a challenge. Revisit the table above and consider where you are on the continuum between being a superhero leader and being a servant leader… and consider what adjustments you could make to better serve others and, in consequence, become a better leader.

Grab a Towel is a resource to help you grow as a Christ-centred Servant Leader. For purchasing or to contact me, click here.

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Five gritty decisions that Christ-centred servant leaders will make.

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In Grab a Towel I write that Christ-centred servant leaders need to have ‘steel in their spine’ – the gritty resolve to persevere through all the challenges they face. One way that God develops our grit is through tough circumstances and situations which test our character and strengthen our resolve to follow Him through thick and thin.

As with many things about being a Christ-centred servant leader – I have learned that this doesn’t happen automatically but involves making the right choices when testing times come. Gritty leaders choose to dig-deep, press on, and keep moving forward… knowing that how they respond to difficult circumstances will define their legacy as a leader.

What follows are the words of five phenomenal leaders who certainly had steel in their spine… and they provide us with five decisions that gritty leaders will need to make if they want to stick it out for the long haul.

1.       Decide to persevere: William Carey

‘If one should think it worth his while to write my life, I will give you a criterion by which you may judge of its correctness. If he gives credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.’

2.       Decide to never give in: Winston Churchill

Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in… never yield to any force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

3.       Decide to fight for others – particularly those less fortunate than ourselves

While women weep, as they do now, I’ll fight. While little children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight. While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight. While there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight – I’ll fight to the very end!’

4.       Decide to finish well: The Apostle Paul

‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.’

5.       Decide to count the cost of obedience: Jesus Christ

‘Not my will, but yours be done.’

These words were spoken by Jesus Christ (see Luke 22:42) just before he was arrested, tried and crucified – he made a conscious decision to obey God no matter what. This is the ultimate decision we need to take… to obey God’s call on our life. It’s a daily decision to count the cost and realise that, obedience to God, is always the best decision we can make.

 When we make these gritty decisions, it builds the confidence of those who look to us as leaders. That’s a great act of service! When people see that you can persevere, not give in and fight for others – then it inspires them to also stick it out when the going gets tough. The decisions we make can inspire faith in others… it puts steel in their spine!

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Taking serving seriously (by Andy Hawthorne)

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We live in the age of personal branding and self-promotion… where people are serious about making a name for themselves. How, as Christian leaders, do we avoid the temptation of pride and selfish ambition that can so easily ensnare us?

The following extract is from the book ‘Being the Message’ where Andy Hawthorne (International CEO of The Message Trust) advocates that, in order to avoid the danger of being a people-pleaser, we need to take serving seriously and focus on following the example of Christ…

Jesus was the perfect role model of living for an ‘audience of One.’ Surely, as the person who spoke the whole earth into being, it would have been reasonable for him to expect a bit of service and respect when he became flesh and visited the planet he had made! But instead, he constantly took on the role of a servant, even washing his disciples’ smelly feet as an example that we should follow, and teaching that will be blessed if we can be similarly servant-hearted. I want to experience the kind of blessing that comes from having that favour of God on my life. I believe that comes as we take the gospel seriously – but not ourselves.

Michael Baughen is a former Bishop of Chester, and as such would have all kinds of people address him as ‘Lord Bishop’ and other fancy titles. He admitted that he also quite liked dressing up in the outrageous bishops’ robes (which to be fair, are about as far from the Carpenter of Nazareth’s garb as you could possibly get). So in order to keep himself grounded, he would always keep a small piece of towel in his pocket to remind him that he was here to serve and not be served, and that he, as the leader, needed to constantly work out what it looked like to wash other disciples’ feet.

I get the feeling that the reason that Jesus was able to say of John the Baptist that ‘among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater’ (Matthew 11:11), was because he didn’t believe his hype that he was the new Elijah or the prophet they had all been waiting for. John’s life and ministry were defined by his conviction that ‘He [Jesus] must become greater, I must become less’ (John 3:30). Indeed, when it was time to give away two of his own disciples to Jesus’ ministry, namely Simon and Andrew, he did so unhesitatingly…

The Message is home to some incredibly talented and creative mission teams who often perform in front of large numbers of screaming young people. Even though the object of these gigs is always to create a clear platform for the gospel, there will still be a number of these young people who love to tell our bands for hours after how awesome they are, whilst desperately seeking selfies and autographs. This little bit of fame can actually be very bad for the soul, and unless the guys and girls are really rooted in Jesus, they can start slipping down the slope of pride. We simply can’t afford for this to happen. The Bible repeatedly says that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble – and I know for sure which one I want.

Reference:

Andy Hawthorne, Being the Message (2017), p. 60-62. Available from https://shop.message.org.uk/product/being-the-message/ or see https://amazon.com/author/timtucker

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Why Grab a Towel?

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A common question I’ve been asked since releasing Grab a Towel is, ‘why did you write the book?’ Clearly asking why is always a great question before embarking on an enterprise or project. Simon Sinek has written a book called Start with Why, and argues that knowing why we do something engenders the passion necessary to motivate action and change.

So maybe it will help you to understand why I wrote Grab a Towel and encourage you to not only read the book, but consider how the concepts in the book should not remain words on a page, but motivate you towards action and change.

Why I’ve written the book can be summarised under three headings:

1.       Provoke a conversation

In spite of the plethora of leadership books, courses, conferences and even graduate study programmes, there appears to be a dearth of exemplary leadership. In Grab a Towel I’ve grappled with the question, ‘what kind of leaders does God want us to be?’ This question provides a foundation for a second question, ‘what kind of leaders are worth following?’ Ultimately, Jesus Christ is the central character and hero of the book… providing an example for servant leaders to follow. Grab a Towel considers the model Jesus has given us and has been written with the intention to spark dialogue and interaction to enable his followers to develop a biblically based philosophy that can shape their approach to leadership.

2.       Provide a critique

It doesn’t take depth of research to recognise that we are faced with huge leadership challenges in the 21st Century. Umar Haque says, ‘We need a new generation of leaders. And we need it now… Leadership – true leadership – is a lost art’. I agree!

I live, serve and work in South Africa, and the country is reeling from a regime of self-interest and corruption that has permeated the leadership structures in this country. Clearly, a critique of contemporary leadership is required. Grab a Towel provides a metaphor for servant leadership that enables us to question, and reject, the prevalent leadership culture that drives pragmatic leaders towards unethical practices due to an “ends justifies the means” approach to leadership. I wrote Grab a Towel to present a biblical alternative that may empower Christians to have the courage to stand as an example that there is another way.

3.       Present a context

Finally, Grab a Towel is written within a specific context – my own journey of leading The Message Trust in South Africa. We are an organisation that seeks to identify leadership potential where others don’t see it… in former gang members and ex-offenders… and in young people seemingly trapped in tough neighbourhoods. Together with my team, we seek to provide an environment for emerging leaders to flourish in faith and in life. That is our context… and Grab a Towel presents the lessons I’ve been learning.

But what is your context? Leadership does not happen in a vacuum. Ultimately, I have written Grab a Towel to help you grapple with how you can become a Christ-centred servant leader within your environment… and, if the book in some ways helps you serve God better, then I’ve accomplished my why!

References:

Simon Sinek https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action

Umar Haque https://hbr.org/2013/07/how-and-why-to-be-a-leader-not

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The hitchhiker’s guide to servant leadership

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I was at work a couple of weeks ago preparing for the launch of Grab a Towel… when a colleague came up to me to ask about the origin of the name. “Oh,” she said – rather disappointedly when I told it was from Jesus’ example in John 13, “I thought it also referred to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”.

I was intrigued… she went on to explain that in Douglas Adams’ classic books, a towel was considered the most important item that any galactical hitchhiker should possess. So I did some research (a grandiose term for a Google search)… and was amazed to discover how integral the simple object of a towel is for an interstellar traveller. In the series of books we learn that it has both practical– as well as “immense psychological value” – see the links below if you are now intrigued yourself!

How wonderful that a 20th-century author confirms what Jesus’ demonstrated in John 13 when Jesus grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and knelt to wash the Jerusalem dung and muck off his disciples’ feet. In the context of servant leadership, we see that the towel has both practical and spiritual value.

Just as interstellar travellers in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy always carry a towel to aid them on their adventures, so Christ-centred servant leaders should metaphorically grab a towel and daily wrap it round their waist before we interact with the world. The symbolism is clear… the spiritual impact of carrying a towel in readiness to serve others will help us maintain a humble disposition, be ready to do tasks that we think are beneath us, acknowledge our equality with all people, prepare us to think and speak well of others, and resist defending ourselves when we’re accused. Grabbing a towel will help us maintain a Christ-like disposition when faced with an avalanche of daily situations that can tempt us to operate out of pride, selfish gain, or any other traits commonly associated with power and position.

I cannot personally claim the credit for the name Grab a Towel… that goes to my editor – Alastair Metcalfe. But I trust the image will fuel our passion to serve as Jesus served, and that we’ll adopt the same spiritual attitude that He had, in order that we can practically lead from a position of servanthood.

As Christian leaders, we recognise that, as we hitchhike through this world, we will encounter daily challenges that can destroy our credibility, impact our effectiveness, and compromise our witness. The towel, therefore, becomes a vital piece of equipment to enable us to go-the-distance as Christ-centred servant leaders.

The Grab a Towel blog will seek to add value to help fellow hitch-hikers on their journey of Christ-centred servant leadership. It will draw from a variety of sources that contribute and build upon the content of the book. I anticipate that it will become a valuable resource for 21st-century leaders who grab a towel and seek to follow Jesus’ example.

References:

For Douglas Adams’ quote see: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/24779-a-towel-the-hitchhiker-s-guide-to-the-galaxy-says-is

For more information on Towel Day see www.towelday.org.

Image credit: 

http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/471962-date-specific-memes

Happy World Towel Day!