the reluctant leader

Blinded by Success

In ministry, business, sports, entertainment, and politics it is common for people who reach the top, to gradually become blinded by success.

Observation has taught me that the more impressive the title - Rev, Senior Pastor, Department Head, Regional Director, Apostle, Bishop, CEO, President - the more difficult it becomes to keep a firm grip on reality.

There are two reasons lofty titles pull leaders toward unreality: 1) very few are willing to speak the truth in love to bigshot leaders, and 2) many at the top actually believe their own bio. (I cringed when I was recently introduced as a "best-selling author." I think they misread the que card that said "Steve once read a best-selling author.")

In my own experience I have noticed that the larger our church (Victory Manila) has grown, the more people tend to exaggerate my importance in the growth. When Victory passed the 20,000 attendance mark after 18 years of team work, it was as if I suddenly became an overnight success in the eyes of the church world. I started receiving invitations to teach and speak like never before. In my mind I was the same dude as a few years before, but "somewhere out there" I was somebody important, some kind of discipleship/leadership guru.

The more impressive our title and the bigger our church, the more people who don't really know us will tend to overestimate us. This is a dangerous thing for successful leaders. And this is why success is often a blinding experience.

Impressed with success and rumors of success, people wrongly project greatness on individual leaders. It would be good for ministry leaders to remember that true success results from team work and God's grace, not individual brilliance.

The moment we believe otherwise, we are in big trouble.

REMEMBERING 911: Crashing Planes & Crushing Myths

This was originally written for Evangelicals Today magazine. I repost it every year on September 11.
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September 11, 2001. As always, I phoned my dad to wish him a happy birthday. I was getting ready for bed in Manila. He was getting ready for work in Mississippi. After a brief discussion about the US stock market, I handed the phone to my three sons so they could speak to their grandfather. As soon as we hung up, I heard my wife calling, "Quick, you have to see this. A plane just crashed into a building in New York!"

Like thousands of others around the globe, I was glued to CNN for the next few hours, watching in disbelief as three more planes crashed, killing thousands, wounding a nation, and terrorizing the world. Over the next few days the news moved me to tears, to anger, and to prayer.

I was amazed that the same news producers who usually mock and vilify preachers, were now putting them on primetime asking their perspective on the attack. The line-up included Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, TD Jakes, Dr. James Dobson, and others. Courtesy of CNN, these men probably preached the gospel to more people that week than at any other time in their lives.

Of course, the newscasters interviewed plenty of "experts" who had nothing to say, but kept talking anyway. I did not know whether to laugh or cry when they interviewed novelist, Tom Clancy. I suppose he qualified as an expert on terrorism because he once wrote a novel about a hijacked plane that crashed into a building. It's a sad commentary on contemporary culture when all it takes to be an expert is the ability to make up a good story. Here's what Mr. Clancy had to say about the situation: "We need to be careful not to overreact to this. We must realize that WE ALL SERVE THE SAME GOD OF LOVE."

Do we all serve the same God? Do all religions present a God of love?

Tom's comments about the tragedy are typical of most post-modern pseudo-intellectuals. Unfortunately even Christians get sucked into this pagan way of thinking. It is my hope that the events of September 11 will forever expose and crush the following myths that corrode the foundations of the Faith.

THE MYTH OF RELIGIOUS SINCERITY
Anyone who was ever attempted to be a witness has heard some variation of this statement: "As long as you are sincere, it doesn't really matter what you believe or which religion you follow." It seems that sincerity has replaced truth as the ultimate religious issue of our day. Unfortunately, many today are sincerely wrong.

Suppose we are both on a sinking ship and neither of us can swim. We are told to get into the inflatable lifeboats and we will be safe. We both sincerely believe what we are told and act accordingly. You get in one boat and I get in the other. One problem: my boat has a hole in it and sinks. It does not matter how sincerely I believe the boat will save me, if it has a hole then my sincerity is useless. Unfortunately many people sincerely believe in religions and philosophies that are filled with holes, destined to sink.

Don't ever forget that the pilots who crashed into the World Trade Center towers, killing thousands of innocent people, were very sincere in their service to their god. This is the result of elevating human sincerity above divine truth. Let September 11 be a reminder that truth, not sincerity is the ultimate issue.

THE MYTH OF RELIGIOUS EQUALITY
Another common myth everyone engaged in evangelism has heard goes something like this: "All religions lead to the same God."

If one person studies and practices the teachings of the Bible, another the Koran, another the Veda, another the Book of Mormon, will their values, beliefs, and lifestyles be the same? Of course not, because all religions are NOT basically the same, they are fundamentally different.

For example, Jesus taught his followers to love and serve pagans in hope that they will voluntarily turn to the true God. Even if this has not been obeyed in history, this is what Jesus taught. And it is a far cry form declaring holy war on infidels and unbelievers.

So, do all religions ultimately lead to the same God? Do all roads really end up at the same place? Does it matter which road you take if you are trying to go home? Of course it matters because all roads do not lead to the same house. If you take the wrong road, you will not reach your destination, no matter how sincere you may be.

When Thomas said to Jesus: "Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" (John 14:5) Jesus did not answer: "Thomas, my son, it does not matter which way you go because all paths ultimately lead to God."

No! Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) Jesus was very narrow. He said there was only one way, not several options.

May the same acts of violence that took the lives of thousands of innocent people also destroy the myths that blind the minds of millions around the world.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: What is an Every Nation Church (partIV)

Here's part IV of my blog series that attempts to describe what an Every Nation church or campus ministry looks like. If you missed the first three posts, here they are:
1. What is an Every Nation Church?
2. What is a Christ-centered Church?
3. What is a Spirit-empowered Church?

Every Nation Churches and Ministries exists to…
Honor God and Establish 
Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, Socially Responsible 
Churches and Campus ministries 
In Every Nation

What does a "socially responsible" church or campus ministry look like? First of all it looks different in every culture and community because the needs and opportunities are different in every culture and in every community. What's important is that we demonstrate the compassion of Christ to hurting people.

Here are a few questions that all pastors and campus missionaries should think about: What if our church or campus ministry suddenly vanished from the earth -- would our community even notice? Would they care? Do we engage our community and culture in a way that they know we are here, and want us to be here? Unfortunately many communities would not even notice if a church or campus ministry disappeared. But we are called to engage our cultures and communities and to establish churches and campus ministries that are socially responsible.

- In Manila being socially responsible means, among other things, that we fight poverty through education by providing scholarships to disadvantaged youth through the Real Life Foundation.


- In Nashville, DC, Orlando, Jacksonville and Raleigh it means we provide an after school program for at-risk students that focuses on academics, character development and life skills through Youth Life Learning Centers in the poorest areas of our cities.


- In Johannesburg it means we take care of orphans through Baby Haven.


- In Cape Town and other South African cities, it means we help develop self-reliance through pre-schools, adult training programs and health care services through the Thembalitsha Foundation.

These are just a few of the examples of what "social responsibility" looks like in Every Nation Churches and Campus Ministries in different communities and cultures.

A couple of Bible verses about social responsibility:


Matthew 24:40 Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did  for me


Proverbs 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

What are you doing for the least? Are you kind to the poor in your community? What should socially responsibility loo like in your context?

A Simple Solution to the Leadership Shortage

Churches and other volunteer-based organizations are always plagued with leadership shortages. Too many good people are waiting around for a title, a position, a salary, or an invitation to lead. But that's not how real leadership works.

Consider the leadership lesson in Judges 10:18.

"The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, 'WHOEVER WILL TAKE THE LEAD in attacking the Ammonites WILL BE HEAD over all who live in Gilead.'"

In other words:
Whoever acts like a leader will be recognized as a leader.
Whoever takes responsibility will get authority.
Whoever takes action will get a title.
Whoever leads will be the leader.

You want to be a leader? Start leading and you will be.