Since our first days in Lancaster, it has been my passion to develop a cohesive team at Lancaster Baptist Church and ministries. I praise the Lord that on our staff and among our church family there is a unified team spirit—a shared heart to exalt Christ and win the lost. I attribute the great team spirit in our ministry to the work of the Holy Spirit and the yieldedness of individual team members.

There was never a more cohesive and victorious time in the early history of the church than at Jerusalem around the time of Pentecost. An obvious reason for this was the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Yet there was another factor—the common convictions these Christians shared about the truth.

In the August edition of the Spiritual Leadership Podcast, we explore the convictions necessary to developing a cohesive team.

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Strong teams have an alignment of four leadership domains—the heart, head, hands, and habits. Each member must have a heart for God, the mind of Christ, a willingness to lend a helping hand, and a shared habit of soulwinning. These four areas are properly aligned when members of the team share the very convictions common to the early Christians in Jerusalem. (more…)

A passion for souls must be the norm for every biblical pastor, spiritual leader, and local church. It should be the focus of our entire life and ministry. Christ’s last command emphasized His priority for the church: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:18–20).

Staying focused on souls takes predetermined commitment. It takes constant attention. Satan will try to divert you, overburden you, and fill your time with other good things. He will try to distract your church in other matters. He will try to make you turn inward. You must constantly fight a natural drift away from soulwinning. (more…)

Most mature Christians know 2 Timothy 2:2 by heart: “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” We recognize the importance of training and mentoring young Christians, and we desire to develop a new generation of leaders in fruitful ministry.

Yet sometimes we miss profitable discipleship and mentoring because we don’t have a clear objective in mind. Leadership training isn’t merely about spending time together; it is about using that time intentionally. Every mentoring moment is a teaching moment; and as the mentor, you must predetermine how you will use each moment. What must you teach future leaders? Here are the basics: (more…)

Leadership can be a scary position, but not all fear is dangerous. There are healthy and and unhealthy fears of leaders. Let’s examine them briefly:

We must fear the Lord.

Psalm 111:10 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” The fear of the Lord helps us recognize our accountability to God for the stewardship of leadership. It motivates us to seek the Lord’s wisdom and understanding in difficult situations. And it challenges us to give our all to the Lord by serving those we lead with love and humility.

We must not fear perception.

Fear of man is the enemy of the fear of the Lord. The fear of man pushes us to perform for man’s approval rather than according to God’s directives. It encourages visible results at the expense of private worship and growth. It causes us to over-commit and spread ourselves beyond the Holy Spirit’s leading. It limits our ministry and stunts our walk with the Lord.

The fear of man is a terrible, binding trap. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”

While the fear of the Lord motivates us to give our best by His Spirit, the fear of man intimidates us into fleshly production. The fear of man strangles us, because we can never please everybody; but the fear of the Lord frees us, because it challenges us to live and serve for an audience of One.

Are you operating under the fear of the Lord or the fear of others’ perceptions?

Every person that will have a fruitful ministry for the cause of Christ will pay some price along the way. Many Christians want the blessings without being willing to bear the burdens; they want the crown without carrying the cross. Yet whenever there was a great work done for God in Scripture, someone was willing to pay a great price. Noah, Moses, David, Daniel, Nehemiah, and Paul all experienced the fruit of spiritual success—and the expense of personal sacrifice.

In the June Spiritual Leadership Podcast, we explore the unique costs involved in building a growing church.

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Ministry that costs nothing, accomplishes nothing. God used Paul to accomplish great things in ministry, but it wasn’t without cost. (more…)