Several years ago I wrote a book on decision-making in the local church, in which I addressed how to know when to be decisive. Many leaders struggle with discerning when they should make a unilateral decision versus when to pause and listen to the views of other members of the leadership team. The question becomes, “is this a situation that requires me to lead unilaterally, or is it better to allow others’ perspectives to shape and guide the final outcome?”
To be completely honest, I’m surprised that we even need to focus on the topic of daily devotions. It is an obvious practice that all Christians ought to be utilizing. In our churches we encourage new believers to develop this foundational practice. So it should be second nature for God’s leaders to have a daily time alone with God. Yet we at IBL know by experience that many leaders skip right past this crucial time as they head into the hectic workday serving Christ and His Kingdom. Unfortunately, it is commonplace as we counsel couples having significant personal spiritual struggles, or as we coach individuals stressed by the weight of leadership decisions, that we find ourselves needing to give counsel about the practice of daily devotions.
Focus. How elusive it is. Demands of ministry. Urgent needs. Crises. Schedules full to overflowing. Never-ending stress. Intensity! Those of us on the IBL team face these conditions more often than not. I’ve often said to my wife, “We’re so busy we don’t know how to cram one more thing into our schedule.” How about you?
In our pursuit of serving biblical leaders, we are starting several series of practical articles covering a variety of topics helpful for ministry leaders. Today’s article is the first in a series called Shepherd to Shepherd. This series will feature pastors writing honestly about the varied challenges of faithful service.
In April 2017, we will travel to Kijabe, Kenya to continue a training program with thirty-one pastors and church leaders. The week-long training event consists of fourteen sessions in specific areas of Christian theology, pastoral ministry, and biblical leadership. These classes have been designed to meet the specific needs of church leaders in Kenya.
