Series One: Developing Courageous Churchmen

The purpose of this series is to drive home foundational convictions. These convictions are what help give men the courage to stand on and apply the truth in their lives. Furthermore, this portion of the training is intended to help men build a stronger commitment to the bride of Christ, the church.

It has been said that when looking for potential leaders we must find those who are available, devoted to Christ, and teachable. Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:2 that leadership should be entrusted to the “faithful” and “able.” Some basic premises:

• No one is irreplaceable.
• People do not always see their own potential.
• Leadership qualities surface with leadership opportunities.
• Maturity and skill are developed through experience.
• The best in people emerges when they know they are being counted upon.

We look for the following qualities in men. We are not looking for perfection, but we are looking for the raw materials. Even in raw form, they will be there.

1. Reliability and faithfulness in little tasks (Matt 25:14–29; Luke 16:10; 2 Tim 2:2)

The reliable and faithful person takes small responsibilities and turns them into effective progress.

• Sometimes it needs to be tested.
• You may uncover laziness, limitations, or lack of self-control.
• Testing identifies how much supervision is necessary.

2. Accepts responsibility for failures/mistakes
   1. It has often been said, “Wherever God’s grace is operative, human failure is never final.”
   2. No excuse-making/blameshifting
   3. Failure works to his advantage (Prov 28:13)
3. Team player (He doesn’t see himself as the answer to every issue.) (1 Cor 3:5–19; 12:14–27)
   1. Comfortable around other gifted/talented people
   2. Able to praise the giftedness of others
4. Patient with the idiosyncrasies of others
   1. Can work through difficult personality clashes (e.g., Paul and Barnabas)
   2. Can tolerate the inadequacies of others
   3. Can give people time to develop (Jesus waited patiently for disciples to develop).
5. Knows own limitations
   1. Recognizes his own weaknesses
      1. Staffs to his own weaknesses
      2. With patience, allows others succeed and fail so they may also learn and grow
   2. Asks others to help for the common good
6. Able to graciously accept criticism
   1. Doesn’t carry personal baggage (Prov 4:23; Matt 7:1–5; 18:21–35)
      • Most people need to grow to release personal baggage. This is especially true of leaders and would-be leaders.
   2. Deep down, there should be a softness/gentleness (Gal 6:1).
7. Solution-focused rather than problem-focused
   1. Uses good judgement (Prov 11:14)
   2. Bad decisions can be avoided with teachability (Prov 19:20).
   3. Able to assess challenges and find solutions—not a whiner and complainer
8. Enthusiastic and optimistic
9. Enjoys serving people (Mark 10:44)
10. Trusted by close friends