A Call To

Leadership
Introduction
God calls for Youth Leaders and church elders
to challenge the young people with the word of
God. Many times we hear from those who work
with young people say “Youth are bored by
church stuff” contrary to this statement when
one asks youth what they are bored with at
church they say “bored with leaders who do not
challenge us”. Youth want to be challenged.
Give youth more than entertainment.
 “with such an army of workers as
our youth rightly trained, might
furnish, how soon the message of a
crucified, risen, and soon coming
savior might be carried to the whole
world.” – Education, Page 271.
 “If they would elevate their thoughts and
words above the frivolous attractions of
their world and make it their aim to glorify
God, His peace, which passeth all
understanding, would be theirs.”, “Our
young people need to be helped, uplifted,
and encouraged, but in the right manner;
not, perhaps, as they would desire it, but in
a way that will help them have sanctified
minds. Child Guidance, page 557
CALLED BY GOD FOR A LIFETIME
SERVICE
To be appointed a Youth Leader is more
than just answering the request of the
church nomination committee, but
should be responded to as a divine call
for a lifetime service, like the youthful
Isaiah responded, “Here I am, send me.”
Isaiah 6:8.
 Many are spiritually and emotionally
exhausted and hopeless because of family,
economic, and social problems and some of
the adult guides have only passed to them
their own excess baggage, confused
viewpoints and misrepresented spiritual
values.
 If a leader is unwilling to pay the price, he
rejects opportunity and the blessing of serving
God. Owen D. Young wrote, “There is nothing
magical about Leadership, but there are
certain penalties attached to it. Men with
conscience and judgment plus courage to act
and willingness to take the penalties of
responsibility, are the stuff out of which
leaders are made. Ninety nine out of every
hundred men are unwilling to pay the price of
leadership and assume responsibility”.
 WHAT IS
LEADERSHI
P?
It is defined as a set
of functions.
Leadership is Influence: Throw a stone into a dam
and one wave if formed and it is followed by
another and another and another until many
waves are formed. This is influence! The key to
successful leadership rests with influence not
authority or trickery. A great leader takes people
where they ought to go. A leader carries to main
characteristics which are; he is going somewhere
and influences others to follow him. Outstanding
leaders appeal to the hearts of their followers, not
minds.
Leadership is Responsibility:
Leadership is not a right but
responsibility. A sense of responsibility
is a clear indicator of mature
leadership. A great leader never sets
himself above his followers except in
accepting and carrying responsibility.
 Leadership is Sharing
Responsibility: Leadership means
sharing and sharing participation with
others. You cannot be successful if
you do all things by yourself or
getting credit for doing it. When the
best leader’s work is done the people
say, “We did it ourselves”.
 Leadership is Developing People and
Developing Future Leaders: Leadership is
Developing People and Developing Future
Leaders to make sure that when you are not
there the work continues. True leadership
must be for the benefit of the followers, not
for the enrichment of the leader. It is only
as we develop others that we permanently
succeed.
 Leadership is Serving and Obeying: You
will never be a leader unless you first learn to
follow. He that cannot obey cannot command.
The first step to leadership is servant-hood.
 Leadership is Leading by Example not by
Force: A leader is one who knows the way,
goes the way & shows the way. A wise
leader inspires & motivates rather than
intimidate. The quality of a leader is shown
by the standards he sets for self. The most
effective leadership is by example, not edict
(decree). Leadership is empowering people
not manipulating authority. The power of
my example will exceed the authority of my
rank.
 Leadership is Sacrifice: Leadership means a
cross now and a crown later. All leaders pay or
will pay the price to carry their calling. Real
leaders are ordinary people with extra ordinary
determination. Leadership means setting goals
and getting the job done. Leadership means
turning problems in projects. (Reminds me when
l was a pathfinder. I relaxed waiting for the
leaders to organize transport & food for me.)
 SIGNS OF
LEADERSHI
P
A low voice
A neat appearance in
moderate style
 Rarely in
a hurry
Easy going and moderate pace
Does not show all that he/she feels
and thinks
Looks you squarely in
the eye without staring
(judging)
Punctual
Orderly
Accurate
Laughs only when
he means it and
under control
 Rarely
interrupts
Rarely says ‘I’
Is not afraid to have
others think he doesn’t
know when he doesn’t
Be a good loser
A good winner
 Rarely tells
everything he
knows
Makes sure you know
the difference between
his opinions and his
facts
Easy to meet and
easy to leave
Quickly gets to the
point

Never takes himself

too seriously
 Does not like to do
all things himself,
likes to do what he
does through others
Likes people
Likes to read
 Has assurance
Not inclined to sit still
too long
Good memory
 LEADERSHIP
STYLES
 
 AUTOCRATIC OR
AUTHORITARIAN LEADER – 1
Kings 12:3, 4, 13, 14
Makes all decisions
Uses threats, fear and authority
“God never designed that His work
should bear the stamp of one man’s
mind and one man’s judgment.”
(TT3, pg.493)
 DEMOCRATIC OR
PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP –
Exodus 18:21.23
oConsiders the decisions of others
oEncourages involvement in making
decisions
oFirm by not hard or pushy
oSteers discussions and decisions
 LAISSEZ-FAIRE OR THE LED
LEADER – Judges 17:6; Hosea 4:9
Led by others or followers
Unable to lead or make decisions
Leaves decisions to be made by other
people
Every individual makes own decisions
about everything
 There are several things that influence the leader’s
behavior / style of leading:
Situational Leadership – Influenced by current
situation takes command of event e.g. fire or car
accident
Charismatic Leadership – Influenced by natural
character i.e. personality
Appointed Leadership – Influenced by position or
rank e.g. Army Officer
Functional Leadership – Influenced by qualifications
and experience
Traditional Leadership – Royal Families; Chiefs and
Kings
 CHRIST OUR EXAMPLE
– Mark 10:42-44; Matthew 20:25-28 –
 
“The one who leads must be like the one
who serves… And Iam among you as one
who serves.” – Luke 22:26-28. “Whoever
wants to become great among you must
be your servant, and whoever wants to be
first must be your slave.” – Matthew
20:26-28.
He led by His life: what he
taught, He lived, He lead
by example. From the
earliest years to manhood,
Christ lived a life that was
perfect, Luke 2:40-51.
He led a busy life.
Luke 2:40
 He was king and
thoughtful. Matthew
8:18-22
He was empathetic and
understanding of the needs of
others. Luke 8:1-9
He carried the burden of
the world of sorrow and
sin. Matthew 26:36-46
He saw everyone as a candidate of heaven.
Luke 19:1-10). IBM’s Tom Watson was
asked if he was going to fire an
employee that had cost IBM 600
000.00US. He said, “No, I just spent
US600 000.00 training him”. Why
would you want someone to hire his
experience” Would you want the devil to
hire all the experience of those whom
you think made mistakes which seem
unpardonable in their lives?
He had a sense of mission. Matthew
8:18-22
He carried responsibilities and a
contact worker. Matthew 19; Matthew
27:32
He was humble and dependant upon
his heaven father. Matthew 26:39-44
He gave a pattern for soul winning.
 
LEADERSHIP
FUNCTIONS
Task Functions:
Initiating – proposing goals, defining
group problems, making suggestions for
consideration
Information seeking (opinion) –
requesting facts on problems, seeking
information, asking for ideas
Information giving (opinion) – offering
facts, providing information, giving
suggestions and ideas
Clarifying or elaborating – interpreting or
reflecting ideas or suggestions, clearing up
confusion, indicating alternatives and issues
before the group, giving examples
Summarizing – putting related ideas
together, restating suggestions after group
has discussed them
Consensus –to test nearness of group
conclusion, noting when agreement is
reached
Maintenance Functions:
Encouraging – being friendly, warm and
responsive to others, accepting others and
their contribution, listening and showing
recognition
Expressing group feelings – sensing feelings,
mood, relationships within the group and
sharing own feeling with group members
Harmonizing – attempting to reconcile
disagreements, reducing tension, getting
people to explore their differences
Compromising – offering to compromise own
position, ideas or status, admitting errors,
disciplining self to help maintain group
Gate-keeping – seeing that others have a
chance to speak (3 way conversation)
Setting standards – expressing standards that
will help the group to achieve, applying
standards in evaluating group functioning
and promotion
 QUALITIES OF A GREAT LEADER

Initiator – Gets things started

Contributor – Proposes and contributes
Energizer – Expresses ideas with creativity
Information Seeker – One who asks questions
Coordinator – On who keeps things rolling
Harmonizer – One who keeps group members
working towards the same goal. Peacemaker.
Orienteer – One who points the way
 Consensus Tester – One who measure if agreement has
been reached
 Gatekeeper – One who keeps group aware of subject at
hand
 Limit Setter – Refers to standards and rules.
 Organizer – Harnesses, plans and structures.
 Perceiver – Hears and keeps communication lines
opened
 Encourager – Raises others’ status
 Evaluator – One who evaluates progress
 Decision Maker – makes good and positive decisions
 Follower – Follower of Christ
 PRAYER WORRIOR
LEADERSHIP

Nehemiah A Man of Prayer and a

Man of Action
 
 Nehemiah's overall response was: "I am
doing a great work, so that I cannot come
down. Why should the work cease?"
(Nehemiah 6:3). He had an appreciation of
the task in hand: the glory of God was
involved in it. Such was the man of prayer
and action. What an example to us all! So we
read in chapter 6 verses 15 and 16 that the
wall was finished in 52 days, and moreover
the enemy had to acknowledge that it was a
work of God.
GOD BLESS
YOU ALL