OK, David. Why Church Leaders?
Haha! I can read your thoughts.
I’ll tell you why.
It’s because successful church leaders need to be great at a lot of things.
Skills such as…
- Leadership
- People-focused
- Communicators
- Pioneering Spirit
- Drawing a crowd
- Growing people
- Building a loyal group
Just like in business, eh?
I’m privileged to know some successful church leaders.
So I asked a few of them to answer this question:
What’s the one habit in life which has contributed most to your success?
Now you’d expect a good church leader to say: “Prayer”, or “Reading the Bible”.
Haha! I anticipated that.
So I told them they couldn’t pick those two answers!
Sneaky!
Oh, and I told them to keep it short. You know what some preachers can be like, eh?
Fortunately, none of my friends are long-winded nor boring. They’re pioneering, relevant and cutting-edge.
So let me share some of their secrets to success…
Unlearning
Dave Belfield
I suppose the obvious ingredient towards reaching success would be the habit of learning.
However, in my experience, there is another habit that eats this for breakfast when it comes to building a successful life.
This habit is UNLEARNING.
Often the very thing that stops you being successful isn’t what you DON’T know, but in fact what you DO know.
To unlearn some stuff is the power to unleash great potential.
Unlearning curves have been a major contribution to the measure of success I have experienced in my life.
“It’s the art of unlearning forward”.
Self-Discipline
Ann Strickland
Why are some people more successful than others?
The answer is SELF-DISCIPLINE
Here are 7 ways the power of self-discipline can change your life:
- Goals – written and dated
- Daily Action Plan – to monitor with experienced mentor
- Stretch yourself – get out of your comfort zone
- Health – diet, exercise, rest, attitude
- Ego – don’t let it control your actions
- Character – “Do the right thing”: treat people with respect
- Belief – I can do it!
What we do every day creates our future.
So set yourself a goal, then put legs on it!
Divine Solitude
Stephen Matthew
Reflecting back on over 30 years of Christian ministry and leadership, one habit has consistently enriched my journey.
I call it Divine Solitude.
Being an introvert I need solitude to think, refocus, energise and gain perspective at some point each day and a longer period every few days.
That’s why I love walking my dog!
But I treat the time as a Divine space; it is Divine Solitude for spiritual renewal too.
It is not my focused prayer time or study time; it is just clear space to be me … but with God.
It is Divine Solitude.
Connect with Steve on his website
Grit
Phylip Morgan
GRIT (simply being determined and not quitting too early in any endeavour) is the one life habit I think has contributed most towards success.
I think this is true of leadership everywhere, not just church.
A belief that what you’re doing will eventually get the results you require is a key function of an insightful leader.
Success in the Bible is spelt “faithfulness” and so often I find that people quit and give up on things way too early.
I love the way Paul puts it in Galatians 6:9; “We will reap a harvest if we do not give up”.
Connect with Phylip on Twitter and the church website
Predictability
Ben Tarbuck
Predictability is underrated.
I’m not talking about the boring kind, but a steady and consistent presence that people can depend on.
People can follow a leader who they know will stay calm in rough seas and balanced in the best of times.
Extremities of emotion don’t create a stable environment.
Predictability creates approachability.
Surrounding Yourself with Trusted Leaders
John Leese
If I have been successful in my ministry the UK, Luxembourg & DR Congo over the past 45 years (and ultimately, that’s for the Lord to decide), I think the ‘habit’ of surrounding myself with trusted leaders who exercise spiritual oversight over me comes high on the list.
My wife comes top of this list, but I thank God also for those men that were willing to get close enough to me, to know me and speak the truth to me.
Many other ‘habits’ could be mentioned of course, but for me the blessing of constructive accountability is of vital importance to every minister.
Successful People
A huge thank you to everyone who sent me their personal habits of success, and for allowing me to share them on the blog. I really appreciate you!
I hope the article delivered some inspiration, and you managed to pick up some good habits that you can emulate.
But listen…
If some of the habits sound very much like healthy business principles, it’s probably because some of the church leaders are also successful business people.
Can you guess which?
Your One Habit?
So what about you?
What would you consider to be:
The one habit in life which has contributed most to your success?
Why not share it in the comments box, and let’s inspire more people to be successful in life and in business.
And remember…
Success habits are a choice.
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