June 10 2011, 4:37 pm | Danny Jones
Most of the mentoring in my life came from men and women I never met, though this reality was the result of a challenge from Lewie Clark, the man who mentored me daily from 1982-84, and has followed my life until today. Lewie @ imitatingjesus.org challenged me as a 19 yr. old to read, read, read, and especially biographies. And so for years I have sat at the feet of Charles Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, Isobel Khun, Franses and Edith Schaeffer, Oz Guinness, Elisabeth Elliot, Hannah Hernard, Leonard Sweet, Dallas Willard, Brennan Manning, and others. Few have formed various aspects of my ministry philosophy and communication practices from a distance more than Chuck Swindoll. As few others he has always left me loving life and ministry. And in pithy ways that painfully cut to the quick as you smile in full agreement, Swindoll calls reality what it is, as he did in the following thought, which is a great word for those who are both equipping and being equipped for ministry.
“I’m grieved when I see strong leaders who walk over people. We wonder how people like that make it into significant places of influence. Here’s some free advice I give from time to time: If you don’t enjoy people, please do us all a favor, don’t go into leadership! Stay away from ministry! Choose another career stream. Everyone will be better off. Say no when you’re offered an opportunity to lead. I’m dead serious. Neither the world nor the ministry needs more bosses. Both need more leaders – servant-hearted souls to lead as Paul led... with character, affirmation, and affection toward others.”
And so, when we become aware of situations where such misleaders have slipped into places of influence, can we not help them figure out who Christ is and who he has made them to be, and spare a lot of people and communities of people the pain of poor leadership. And if the man in the mirror falls into that category at any point along the road, may we find the grace to humble ourselves and make space for those who need to be called to a new place of leadership.