There seems to be quite a chasm between public leadership and private devotion. The more successful a leader becomes, the more responsibility is given. The more responsibility that is given, the busier life becomes.

It can be extremely difficult when, in the course of a week, a leader is constantly relied upon to give direction, to inspire, and to breathe vision numerous times. How does a leader keep his private devotion to Christ fresh? How does one ensure that his leadership and vision is coming from a place of honesty with Christ?

Is it possible to properly balance the public and the private?

Well, I happen to be a young leader, so I hardly claim to have the corner on this topic. But here are a few things that I would recommend:

• INVITE ACCOUNTABILITY – Being a leader can be lonely because you are providing care and direction to people but rarely getting that same attention for yourself. Find a close friend you trust, or another leader/pastor who you can vent to. Preferably someone older and more experienced who can be a listening ear and coach you in your leadership.
• DON’T COMPROMISE YOUR HOME – The more leadership you take on, the more temptation you will have to neglect time at home, date nights with your spouse, time with your kids, etc. Increase your vigilance when it comes to guarding these priorities. Don’t allow your public leadership to kill your leadership and availability at home.
• INCREASED LEADERSHIP = INCREASED PRAYER – another temptation when faced with more leadership, is the tendency for your prayer life to weaken. You find yourself so busy that prayer seems a waste of time. Bible reading just has to wait until life slows down a bit. You start to rely on cranking through task lists. Resist this urge with vengeance. I would say the most important thing you can do is to increase your prayer life with any increased leadership. A posture of dependance on Christ is essential to remain humble and ensure you are hearing from God for your people.
• READ – always increase in learning. A leader is a learner because he wants to know where to take his people.
• REST – be sure to take adequate breaks. I love Rick Warren’s philosophy – Divert daily, Withdraw Weekly, Abandon Annually. Easy to remember, sometimes difficult to apply. Your ministry will not die if you obey this principle; if anything, it may strengthen as you delegate to other capable leaders you are raising up.

QUESTION: What has helped you in your leadership? Anything you would add to this list?

I’m currently enjoying the book, “Making Ideas Happen:Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality” by Scott Belsky. I really love the practicality of Scott’s insights and what he has done to help organize creative teams and individuals. One of the points that he makes is how it’s easy for creative leaders to isolate themselves from others. We want our ideas to be original and we like to work alone so as not to encounter conflict. The problem with this is that there is zero accountability and many of our ideas never see the light of day because of it. Herein lies his idea of “Circles”. A circle is a team of creative individuals that have chosen to meet and work together on projects.

• Limit circles to fifteen members or less
• Establish a clear and consistent schedule for meeting
• Meet frequently and stay accountable
• Assign a leader
• Extend your circle online

What I love about this idea is the goal is always action. I think our small groups can easily lack this essential component. I mean, if we’re not actively making a difference than what are we doing?

What else would you say makes an effective small group?

As a staff we are reading through the book Exponential by Dave & Jon Ferguson. I thought these 12 indicators of poor leadership were incredibly helpful.

Leadership is lacking when…

1. I wait for someone to tell me what to do rather than taking the initiative myself.
2. I spend too much time talking about how things should be different.
3. I blame the context, surroundings, or other people for my current situation.
4. I am more concerned about being cool or accepted than doing the right thing.
5. I seek consensus rather than casting vision for a preferable future.
6. I am not taking any significant risks.
7. I accept the status quo as the way it’s always been and always will be.
8. I start protecting my reputation instead of opening myself up to opposition.
9. I procrastinate to avoid making a tough call.
10. I talk to others about the problem rather than taking it to the person responsible.
11. I don’t feel like my butt is on the line for anything significant.
12. I ask for way too many opinions before taking action.

• In my walk with Jesus, I don’t want to just apply and mimic someone else’s experience with God. I want to have a personal encounter with Jesus.
• In my ministry I don’t want to just mimic what other churches and ministries are doing. I want to catch God’s heart for my people, my areas.

It is possible to be in ministry but never pray. You just copy. It is possible to “walk with Jesus” but never read His Word for yourself, just the latest books.

I’m not against resources and learning from others. Matter of fact, if you think you don’t need others, that’s another problem.

But what about you? Are you living a secondhand faith, copying what’s happening around you but not seeking God for yourself?

Are you creating Cinnamon Crunch Squares?