Page 5 - Principles of Leadership - Nehemiah

College by saying, “Saving the soul and saving the mind, that is, converting people not only spiritually but
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intellectually as well… is lagging dangerously behind with respect to this second task” They go on in this
introductory chapter to lament the fact that about one-third of Americans claim to be Christian and yet these
Christians have so little influence upon the culture. I quoted from Making Disciples in Africa and many other
authors who recognize the enormous conversion rates to the Christian faith in my above comments. However,
like in America, these Christians in Africa only have a minimal effect on the culture. Jack Chalk says, "The fact
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that it is not happening should be of great concern to the church in Africa.” Another leadership writer says,
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“In the Third World, the church is growing so fast it outstrips its leadership.” Therefore, it is of utmost
importance that we beg God to help us fulfill the commands found in II Timothy 2:2 and Matthew 9:37.

As you study these lessons on leadership, you place just as much emphasis on the second half of this book as
you do on the first half. The first half will focus on rebuilding the walls, but the second half will explore
reforming the community. David Wells laments that “Christian beliefs lie largely at the periphery of their
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existence rather than at the center of their identity.” I submit to you that far too many professing Christians
allow their beliefs to lie at the periphery in America and Africa and, therefore, have become hollow men in their
testimonies and abilities to change the culture. Nehemiah recognized that he may have led the Jewish people
to rebuild the walls, but that spiritual reformation of the mind must take place! I adamantly agree with the
observations of the above Christian writers and call for a reformation of our thinking after we come to faith.
Evangelicals cannot continue to live as hollow men who live on the periphery and are responsible for our
intellectual existence. As Hosea 4:1 says, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Let’s rise to the
challenge of developing a Christian intellectual view of leadership and obedience to His commands.

Leadership Styles

As we begin our study of principles of leadership based upon the book of Nehemiah, it’s necessary to remind
you about the evolution of leadership in general. In the last 20 years, scores of Christian books on leadership
have flowed off the printing presses. Some writers, such as those from Liberty University, teach us that "there is
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no one leadership trait that all people can use to lead all groups in all situations." I agree with these writers
from Liberty University, and from experience, this point cannot be emphasized enough. “Many individuals and
organizations remain unaware of cultural leadership differences. Often leading to confusion and bitter
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misunderstandings.” “Cultures with a low tolerance for ambiguity clash with those embracing a high tolerance
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for ambiguity, which can lead to tensions among leaders in planning and evaluation.” Most churches from
America, which travel to Africa to teach leadership, assume that they are teaching a “Biblical model of
leadership, not realizing that the way they read the Bible is already influenced by their cultural theories about
leadership.” This point is again emphasized in The Leader's Companion when they write, “Much can also be
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learned about leadership by getting away from one’s own culture and examining how leaders in other
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circumstances go about motivating and mobilizing others.” Much more could be written on this matter, but
remember that cross-cultural leadership is a school from which you never graduate! Or, to word it another way,
it’s what you learn after you know it all that really counts.

Commenting on that, leadership is a school from which you never graduate. John Maxwell and Chuck Swindoll
have these observations. “Growth is a great separator of those who succeed long term from those who do not.
As time goes by, the gap that separates those who grow intentionally and those who don’t widens. If you are
young now, you may not see a gap. As you age, you will… It’s the capacity to develop and improve skills that
distinguishes leaders from followers. So, the short answer is that if you want to be a leader, you need to keep
growing. What got you to where you are today will not get you to where you want to go tomorrow. You must
grow into your tomorrow. The choice is yours whether or not you will… (Swindoll). A piano sits in a room,
gathering dust. It is full of the music of the masters, but for such strains to flow from it, fingers must strike the
keys, trained fingers, representing endless hours of disciplined dedication. You do not have to practice. The
piano neither requires it nor demands it. If, however, you want to draw beautiful music from the piano, that
discipline is required… You do not have to pay the price to grow and expand intellectually. The mind neither
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