So I have had the burden of re-reading Nehemiah lately on leadership. Nehemiah I believe is by far one of the greatest books on pastoral/ministry leadership and motivation. I know there have been several books authored on the topic of Nehemiah here are a few
Nehemiah: Becoming a Disciplined Leader
Nehemiah: Experiencing the Hand of God
Becoming Nehemiah: Leading with Significance
So my ‘goal’ is to write a little bit each week about what I think are some good take aways that week in reading from Nehemiah. Today I wanted to look at Nehemiah chapter 1 to give some insight and take away’s for church leaders. I ask that you’d either pull your Bible out with you and read along here and see where things jumped out for me and what jumps out for you.
Chapter 1 Reflections
The First of many things that stands out is found in the second verse. Nehemiah runs into some of his people and asks them questions about how things are going and what is happening in their lives. He asked about how people were doing. Nehemiah inquired about others! This is a huge leadership quality as it means you need to be aware of and always willing to ask, how is this going, how is that doing! These inquiries in leadership help you reevaluate and know if something is needing to be done in your ministry or life of others & yourself
The response they give jumps out to me as well. The respond with, the walls are broken down, and the gates have all been destroyed. This stands out because I think in our always be positive society honesty and urgency is sometimes lost and not wanted to be heard. We try to sugar coat a failure or something that didn’t go quite right, or don’t address something very harmful or negative which ends up misleading the intent and need for action. In our ministry we need to hear honesty and speak it even when its hard, because of the call and style of ministry we are called to
the next few verses are by far the most important for a christian leader…PRAYER. Read verse four and see the urgency and passion that takes place as he hears the response. Now there is a lot here in this one verse that I want to bring to light. The first is that he CARES & is MOVED by what is happening in the lives of his brothers and sisters. This concept of compassion is huge as a leader will need passion/compassion and love/reason to be motivated to lead and to lead others. The next piece is his RESPONSE, he prayed and fasted. He took time for self reflection and guidance from God & did not immediately start making changes or heading in a direction! You see this through his prayer found in verse 5-11.
How he prayers is very important. He starts by acknowledging that ‘first things need to be first’. First being praise to God for his love and keeping in the forefront of his mind Who God is, What God has Done and What is wanting to do. Then there is acknowledging of sin, weakness, and need for help. He realizes he is not perfect, very important to be a humble leader, which we will talk about later. As a leader he doesn’t just pray for himself, but Prays for his people and their needs. He is aware of others need for repentance and need for grace.
And lastly in his prayer he lifts up the immediate urgency in front of him of him that calls for action. He prayers for Success in his mission to accomplish change. How and What he prayers for is very important. He doesn’t pray right up front for the walls and city to be restored. He prayers for repentance, for help in knowing what needs to be done, and in the first step.
I know I sometimes (most times) miss these steps of wanting to jump to the end success of having the project completed. But there are the steps that need to take place in their order so that the mission may be truly successful for the Glory of God. The prayer is a huge piece in the place of a great leader. He/she is called to know God’s will in the midst. the will in this prayer is found 9-10, to bring the people back into His (Gods) love to establish His name, or His Kingdom. This is ministry at its simplest thought, to establish His name and His kingdom.
Lastly as a leader its to know your place. Nehemiah new he was a simple cup bearer that had a dream for restoration. This is where leadership is born, out of a dream for something great! This will be discussed more in the next few posts, but to ask your self a few questions
- what forms of leadership am I being called to where I am
- do I put the first things first
- do I have a dream for something great for Gods kingdom
- how do I approach this dream
There are many other questions but these will help you begin to wrap your mind & heart around Gods call for you as a leader
in overview for leadership:
- be ready to inquire and ask the hard questions/be ready to hear the hard responses
- understand the need & importance of honesty & urgency
- be compassionate and sensitive to the things around you and the needs for others
- know the following about your self & God: the past, present, desire for future// Heart, Passion, Desires, Reasons
- Pray, Pray, Pray for…everything and everyone
- Listen to what needs to be done/don’t just assume
- Define what SUCCESS looks like in small steps
- Dream for greatness, not in yourself but in the mission of what God has for you and His people
Add your own thoughts and gleanings from this reading, things you agree or disagree with!
