The Dangers of Popularity
Christian leaders should never base their leadership on their popularity or saintliness. Those who do, risk damaging the faith of their followers in the event the leaders fall morally. A church leader who as the ruling elder had baptized some of the children of the church divorced his wife and married his secretary. Some of the parents wanted their children rebaptized because they felt the baptisms were invalidated by his behavior.
Oswald Chambers warns us to beware of the temptation to stay between God and the person we are leading. He points out that as soon as the person sees Christ, we should get out of the way. Our cause is Christ.
Values or Virtues?
Unless our values are rooted in scriptural virtues, they are not Christian. Our need is not to return to family values or historical values but to scriptural virtues.
We talk about values because subconsciously we like to be in control; we set our values. Virtues, however, hold their authority because they are not under human control but come from revealed truth. Our society could return to the values of our forefathers, and we could still have human values.
When we return to virtue, we return to God.
The Power of Flattery
Flattery subtly used has immense power.
While addressing a large group of supporters for a Christian college, I said that one gift of some leaders of large Christian organizations is their ability to make the irresponsible comfortable. How else, I said, could large Christian organizations be as ineffective as they are? As an example, I pointed out that some of the largest churches in this country are larger than all the early church was, except they aren’t turning their city upside down, much less the country.
I tried not to be meanspirited, using my criticism as medicine for a disease rather than a dagger for destruction. Scripture says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”
A popular minister immediately followed me and removed the sting by flattering the assembly. He indicated that they were the kind of people the world needs and if everyone were as good as they, there would be no problems. When he got through talking about the “dear, sweet people,” I understood for the first time the power of subtle flattery.
The Power of Passion
Respected church consultant Lyle Schaller has said that if a pastor does not have a passion for the mission, he can forget the rest of leadership. A passion to make a worthwhile difference is indispensable to effectiveness. Passion and vision need to work together. Passion energizes vision, and vision disciplines the passion. The clearer the vision, the greater the passion. The closer we get to the goal, the more it demands of us and the more it means to us.
The Proper Use of Power
Power comes in many forms. It can be coercive or constructive. Power is necessary to get things done. It is the gasoline for the engine. Power can be used negatively to induce fear or positively as an affirming influence. There is both human power and spiritual power. Either can be used correctly or abused. Our character determines our use of power.
Here are a few examples of power a leader may use:
- The power of responsibility—conferred by authority or title.
- The power of persuasion—the ability to move an organization.
- The power of a charismatic personality—which can unite an effort.
- The power of a great vision (e.g., George Mueller’s vision for the care of orphans).
- The power of verbalization—the ability to express an idea in simple terms so people are moved to act.
Power correctly used is always a means and never an end.
Picking the Right Enemy
Great leaders have known the power of uniting against a common enemy. The enemy must be defined vividly, urgently, and must be current. America was united against Russian communism. Ever since the collapse of the USSR, the United States has been casting about for a new unifying enemy, with limited success.
Christian leaders are fortunate in having a common enemy, but too often we direct our shots not in his direction but toward others. Our eternal enemy is Satan, but he, like some of our political leaders, is a great spinmaster and gets us to perceive other believers as the Enemy. If he has a sense of diabolical humor, he must be laughing while we wound each other.
Answering the Wrong Question
I often hear people question the goodness of God by saying, “How could a loving God let my dear one die of cancer?” But disease came as a result of the Fall, not the callousness of God. The question is “What evil did we bring on ourselves when Adam and Eve sinned?”
Too seldom do I hear Satan blamed. He has become the practitioner of transference, ascribing to God his nefarious activities.
Beware of the Celebrity Syndrome
The celebrity syndrome is one of the ruling principles of our present society. It isn’t so much what you are known for as it is that you are well known. Moral tramps sell more books than saints.
Our son Fred invited a Christian layman who was experiencing a phenomenal rise in popularity to attend a meeting Fred was holding for laypeople. This Christian leader accepted. A friend of the man remarked to Fred, “You know he will expect to speak.”
Fred had not put out the program, and before he did Fred called the assistant of this Christian layman, asking if he expected to speak. The assistant said, “Nothing could be further from the truth. He doesn’t want to speak. He just wants to attend.”
The experience was so unusual, Fred called his entire staff together and cold them, “We have found a real one,” meaning, “a humble one who has not yet accepted the celebrity status.”
Before a person becomes a Christian celebrity, he realizes that God is working through him. After he becomes a celebrity, he thinks he is working for God and that he’s doing God’s work. He may even delude himself into thinking his will is really God’s will.
Those working to be celebrities are tempting God.
Is God Using Me or Am I Using God?
I met Torrey Johnson when he first started Youth for Christ. At that time I was asking certain people I admired for their picture and autograph. He gave me his with the inscription: “To Fred, God’s man in God’s place.” I never felt I could hang that on the wall. I kept it in the desk drawer. I was always condemned by how seldom I felt that I was truly God’s man in God’s place. During the times I felt God was using me, I felt extremely small and extremely secure. When I felt big, I felt insecure, because then I was depending on my own strength.
Recently when I asked a friend the usual question, “How’s it going, Ron?” he answered in the best possible way. He said, “Fred, I feel God is using me.” What a wonderful feeling to realize God is using us rather than our using God. So long as we keep that spiritual dimension in our leadership, people will see God in us.
Two great epitaphs come to mind: Someone told me he found the small gravestone of Fanny Crosby, which was located in the same cemetery as the large monument to Barnum, the circus king. Crosby’s said simply, “Aunt Fanny—she did what she could.”
The other great epitaph is the one for A. W. Tozer: “He was a man of God.”
Inner Success
Once a young preacher said to me, “I can be happy just being a man of God, but that isn’t enough for my family. It isn’t enough for my board. They want me to be successful.”
If we let others define our success, it is truly a slippery slope. If we follow Christ’s example, then we simply go about doing good.
I suggest to any Christian who wants to be successful that he or she explore Scripture and try to find someone who started out to be successful and then made it. I can name five or six who tried it, and each was cursed. Remember the man who offered the apostles money for the spiritual gift? He probably intended to help people with it, but he wanted to take the credit instead of seeing that God got it. Peter told him, “May your money perish with you.”
You may remember that Mother Teresa said she would not accept any more honors because it took time away from her work. Caring for the dying was more important than receiving the Nobel Prize. She knew inner success.
Narrowing the Gap
A linguist with Wycliffe Bible Translators once told me that in twenty primitive languages the word for belief and do is the same. As we become more “sophisticated,” we divide it into two words.
When our behavior contradicts our stated belief, it doesn’t mean that we don’t hold to the belief, but rather that it has become an intellectual position instead of a behavioral one. We can become so astute in the study of belief and the statement of belief that they become disconnected from behavior.
I’ve thought a great deal about the dichotomy of belief and behavior, and I find mine can result from a criminal arrogance. I say “criminal” because a common denominator of criminals is their belief that “the law doesn’t apply to me.” The dichotomy is also part of the spoiled-brat syndrome; I think I don’t have to respect authority. Or I think like the politician—I make the laws, not obey them.
I can think the belief is right for everyone else but rationalize an exception for myself. This is not just sophistry, it is sin.
What Are You Becoming?
Those around us will always judge us by our accomplishments. They will know what we have done, what we have built, where we have been, the jobs we’ve held, the titles we have worn, and the honors we have garnered. But on the inside, we continually ask ourselves, Am I content with who I am becoming or who I have become?
In east Texas we have the large pine beetle, which, when it dies, remains clinging to the bark of the pine tree. The insides dry up, and though the body of the insect appears to be alive, when you approach it, expecting it to fly away, you find it is but a hollow shell.
Occasionally I meet someone whose life has evaporated; he has become a walking hollow shell. His living has used up his life.
What Feeds the Soul
I’m fond of reading the saints of old. (The original saints were, of course, Southern Baptists.) In their writings and meditations, I see nothing of planning to be successful or significant. They were not motivated by human ambition. The glory of God was their joy.
They were concerned not with God’s plan for their life but his presence in their life. They seemed to feel that if they had a guide they didn’t need a map. Both Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach have written inspiringly on the presence of God.
Occasionally I speak to a Christian leader who seems hard and metallic. The more ambitious they are, the more metallic. Some with whom I have shared intimate moments seem dry on the inside. The soul can’t be fed with ambition, accomplishment, and acquisition. The soul is fed by the Spirit and the words that proceed from God.
Activity or Accomplishments?
I have learned that if I end my day feeling beat, I probably didn’t accomplish much of anything worthwhile. Accomplishment gives me such a joy that it actually restores my energy. Activity for its own sake, on the other hand, is draining.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found the less I do the more I enjoy it because I’m more selective, more thorough, more conscious of what I’m trying to do. I’ve learned that activity is not the mark of accomplishment. The more I can delegate tasks that are not uniquely mine, the more attention I can pay to those that are.
A pastor may feel he doesn’t have the luxury of doing a few things well, but the principles still apply. I have run small organizations, and I have run large organizations. I’ve never been short of time, because I believe I’ve been given an ability to prioritize what I’m trying to do. I retain to myself the things that only I can do and delegate the rest. It is easy to make the mistake of feeling important when people are depending on us.
I don’t get joy from feeling needed. I have told my family that when I die, I hope they will not feel I was needed, but only loved. I want them each to mature to the point where they don’t need me. To me, this is a proper leadership philosophy.
Phony Confessions
Beware of self-serving confessions. Often confession can be used as advertising, such as the young man who confessed to buying expensive clothes. He didn’t stop buying them, he just wanted them noticed. Another person in a small mixed group confessed to high sexual desire. Again, that was advertising, not confessing. He was dropping bits of honey hoping to find hungry flies.
The self-serving confession is often augmented according to audience reaction. I’ve heard Christian leaders use confession as a way of proving they are “one of the boys.” The wisdom literature of Scripture tells us that “a fool exposes his folly.” For a leader to say, “I’m a sinner, saved by grace” is different from laying out the proof of his sin.
Bishop Fulton Sheen conducted a retreat for priests and nuns. He stressed the point that if you are a priest, you must pay the price to be extraordinary; don’t buy cheap comfort by confessing things you should keep to yourself. A leader should not be lured into the trap of exposing weaknesses as a way of saying, “Look how humble I am.” Whenever we call attention to our humility, that is the ultimate in pride.
Overcoming Cynicism
Cynicism has no integrity. Cynicism often properly evaluates the present, but it has no hope for the future. As Christians we are not without hope for the future. Christians believe in the possibility of the future. Our responsibility is to make a difference, not to drop out.
Recently a bright, young executive asked me to lunch. He opened the conversation by saying, “I serve on several Christian boards and have been invited to join two national ministry boards. But as a businessman I have become cynical at what I see. You have been in it all your life. How have you avoided cynicism?”
I freely admitted that I have a certain amount of cynicism—I hope, healthy—I doubt that you can be in Christian service as long as I have without it. Nevertheless, I assured him that there is an antidote, which comes in two parts:
Maintain your sense of humor. I have found that any human activity, whether in religion or not, contains the frailties of the race. To me, healthy humor eases the tension between where we are and where we ought to be. Too often in the most serious business of the kingdom, we act as clowns in the court. We play games, indulge in politics, defend our errors, deny our temptations. All of these situations can be a great source for humor. Sins garbed in ecclesiastical raiment are ridiculous. In such situations, it’s much better to laugh than to cry or criticize.
At the risk of being thought irreverent, I will tell you about an experience in which you wouldn’t expect to find humor, but I did. It was at my father’s funeral, held in a large church with many local ministers in attendance. Officiating were the new minister coming into the church and the older, longtime pastor who was leaving. They were both great showmen, and the situation was too overpowering for them not to try to outshine each other.
Shortly into the funeral, I wrote my brother a note: “Watch these two clowns outdo each other.” One was known for his tremendous memory of Scripture. He reeled off reams of it. The other, older man was a great orator, and coming after the young preacher, he preached in high style, causing the angels to fly off the ramparts of heaven.
I wasn’t offended, for I knew if my father could suddenly come alive, he would enjoy this as a delightful show; his Irish laugh would have been heard throughout the church. Both were men of fine spirit and sincerity who just got caught up in a situation that became a contest.
Look for the reality amid the counterfeit. The more counterfeit there is, the more I am convinced of the reality, for only reality promotes and protects counterfeit. Counterfeiters don’t make $1 notes, they make $100 notes. Where I see counterfeit, I look for reality, for I know it’s there.
Fight the Right Fight
When Paul said, “I have fought the good fight,” he didn’t mean with other Christians. Yes, the Christian life is a fight, but it isn’t a fight against other believers. They are not the enemy. Satan is the Enemy. We lose integrity by fighting other members of the body. We are forbidden by Scripture to do this.
For years I was friends with a theologian who happily accepted credit for starting a major conflict in his denomination. Once when he was castigating not only the views of the opposing leaders but also the leaders, I asked him, “Are they going to heaven?”
“Oh yes,” he answered.
I asked, “Then what scriptural right do you have for kicking another member of the body? If they are going to heaven, they are a member of the body of Christ, and if I understand Scripture, it says we are not to pit one member of the body against the other.”
A historian said that few battles over theology are ever caused by theology; they are power struggles, they are ego positions. They are strong leaders against strong leaders using theology as the basis for the fight, not the reason for it. Power, not theology, is at the heart of the struggle.
Well-meaning Christian leaders can be drawn into such battles because when dealing with bureaucracy, religious or corporate, the politically smart thing is to stay on the side of power. Therefore, we tend to identify ourselves with the interests of those in power. While I was in management, the union once had an organizing theme with the phrase “The banana that leaves the stalk gets peeled.”
One Sunday I heard a brilliant young preacher take on a denominational fight that I had reason to believe he did not believe in. He was encouraged by an older pastor to jump into the fray. In the sermon, this young preacher smoked the opposition. I felt sad to see the animosity with which he used his great talent. Unfortunately, the man has now left the ministry and has had a rather disastrous life. I wonder whether part of it dates back to when, in order to gain favor, he took a position under duress.
The greatest defense we can give of the gospel is to personify it, not to argue it.
From Function to Friend
Years ago I met John Stein, the famous impresario who brought several of the great stars to Broadway. When I asked him if there was a secret to the stars’ popularity and longevity, he said, “They go on the platform as an entertainer; they come off as a person.” He explained how they moved from function to friend. They were not interested in image; they were interested in the function and becoming real as individuals to the audience.
This is an important lesson in leadership. The great doctors I have known have been able co move from function to friend. Some remain scientists and others become friends. This applies, of course, to other fields of work as well. Anyone who has to maintain an image will suffer loneliness and alienation. The important thing is that there be a real person, a real friend, behind the competent function.
Political Positioning
To place an individual for political purposes in a position outside his gifting is leadership prostitution. God has endowed each person with a gift that can glorify God. When we use the person for political security for ourselves, regardless of that person’s gift, we are using what should be for the glory of God to secure our political position.
I have listened to several Sunday school teachers who had no gift for teaching. They were loyalists within the organization. Sometimes ministers are promoted to denominational administrative work, though they have no gift for the work. They hold the title while someone else does the work. Their function is loyalty to the ecclesiastical union.
Once I was asked to join a corporate executive committee by a friend, but when I told him I didn’t think he was completely honest in his leadership, he agreed we should stay friends but that I should not be on his board. Political structuring based on loyalty to a leader and not to Christ lacks integrity.
A Successful Condition
Most of us view success as fame, accomplishment, and acquisition. Our society has chosen personality over character. Christian success must be built on character, not personality or skill. The great qualities in life are involved in the character of a person, such as wisdom, integrity, honesty, loyalty, faith, forgiveness, and love.
The Everyday Bible gives an interesting translation of Psalm 131: “Lord, my heart is not proud. I do not look down on others. I do not do great things and I cannot do miracles. But I am calm and quiet.”
How can we claim Christian success unless our hearts are calm and quiet? Thomas Kelly, the eminent Quaker philosopher, said that inside each person there should be a quiet center that nothing can disturb. The great Catholic mystics continually talked of the throne of God, which is in the innermost pare of our heart, where no storm, tribulation, or temptation can disturb.
Scripture says, “Greater is he that controls his spirit than he who takes a city.” Obviously our condition is more than our accomplishment. In other words, our greatest accomplishment is our condition.
The Wisdom Process
There is a process to wisdom. First there are the bits of data that coagulate according to subjects into information. Then use is made of the information, which becomes knowledge. From knowledge we gain perspective of divine principles, which is wisdom. The greatest wisdom is revealed truth, not discovered truth.
Before knowledge can become wisdom, it has to pass through the mind and into the heart. With deep practicality, the Old Testament writings show the understanding of wisdom by referring to it as in the heart rather than in the mind—”out of the heart are the issues of life.” Wisdom can be taught as principles, but it cannot become personal until it is practiced.
Wisdom is truth, and truth is eternal, and eternal is current. Therefore, there is no updating or out-of-dating of truth.
Copyright © 1998 Fred Smith, Sr.
