for all of the joy we have in the presence of our God because of
you?” (1 Thess. 2:19; 3:9)
I am humbled and awed over how God has graciously used our early
fledgling efforts to raise up many faithful saints – and some wonderful
Christian leaders! They only verify the truth of what Jesus told His first
disciples: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you
to go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (Jn. 1516).
Today, I continue to do what I have always done – evangelize the lost, and
then encourage, equip, enable, and empower Christians. The only difference
is that today my leadership development is primarily focused on key
national leaders God has sovereignly linked me with around the world.
Since those early years of discipling and mentoring American young
people, I have taken time to do a lot of reading and studying on the
subject of leadership – both from respected spiritual and secular writers.
That ongoing study has greatly clarified my own thinking and continues
to sharpen my approach to leadership development. I have also tried to
pause and reflect over the things I have personally learned, experienced
and taught about training leaders through the years. I have realized
that mine has been far more of an unconscious and unstructured relational
approach – than a formalized and institutionalized program of training
leaders.
The principles I have written down in this book are the result of my past
experience and current ministry of discipling and mentoring people –
interdenominationally, interracially, and internationally. I have found these
mentoring principles to be true and effective regardless of the class, race,
culture, sex, education, or age of the people involved. Whether consciously
or unconsciously – formally or informally – these principles have guided
me in my lifelong ministry to help people move from where they are, to
where God wants them to be. As a result, we continue to have the joy
of seeing scores of bottled-up, insecure, inadequate, inferiority-ridden
people – just like me – move toward their full potential for the kingdom
of God!
In these following chapters, I want to look at a number of principles of
leadership. Some writers would include more, others less. Regardless of
the number used to describe leadership, no leader perfectly embodies all of
these characteristics! There was only one Perfect Leader, and that was the
Lord Jesus. He alone is the perfect Incarnation of all of the characteristics