14 Apr Successive Leadership

So much of the activity we see among leaders today is focused on reaching the masses. “Successful leaders” speak at big conferences, host popular television or radio shows, publish bestselling books, write successful blogs, or engage in social media. Simply put, their goal is breadth. They want to extend their influence to as many people as possible. However, does only increasing the base of our influence make a successful leader, especially when it comes to defining a good leadership in the ministry of God?

The Bible is filled with portraits of many leaders. Apart from the life of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, there are numerous other leaders like Moses, King David, Paul the missionary, and many others. To be a true leader in a ministry, it is essential for one to understand what it means to be a true leader. Leadership is not merely about our current position vis-à-vis others, and the state of the community we are leading. It is about living and thinking beyond our “TODAY”, i.e., “What is next?”, even when we are not around anymore.

Jesus, though He is God Himself, didn’t take the yoke of spreading the good news on Himself, and leave it at that. Jesus had always intended to take His ministry further. He called out the twelve disciples for the ministry. Many others also came to follow Jesus, and we know from Scripture that over 500 followers witnessed His resurrection in Jerusalem (1 Cor 15). All of them would go on to tell of their time with Jesus and spread His teaching and declare the kingdom. But the twelve were a special sub-group, and Jesus especially devoted Himself to them so that they could become the people they would need to become. Herein a principle is established: a good leader personally prepares his successors.

A successful leader is one who has a vision for the community even after their tenure. A successful leader is one who moulds a leader when in power so that the community continues to bear more fruits. The goodness of the Lord our God that we enjoy today is all because of the succession of Jesus by His disciples and so on in an unending continuity.

Hence, the essence of being a good and successful leader is marked by not only what we have accomplished in our tenure, but our ability to raise a successor alongside accomplishing the aims and maintaining stable functioning of the society. Let us put effort and be prayerful as leaders to mentor our successors, in UESI’s core values: Personal care, Relationship with God and Shared Leadership. It is not just about how much we, as leaders, could accomplish, but more about how we set up our legacy for the vision we have for the future. Can we guide our EU units for this tomorrow? May this Psalm encourage us all: “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” Ps 78:72

Wangka E Konyak, is the President, EU RIPANS Unit, Aizawl, Mizoram. He is doing BPharm from Regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences (RIPANS), Aizawl, Mizoram. He is also an assistant Prayer Secretary in Aizawl Inter-Collegiate Evangelical Union (AICEU)