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Encouraging, Equipping & Energizing Leaders in the Church
| The Cadre Connection is a publication of www.CadreMinistries.com Encouraging, Equipping & Energizing Leaders in the Church |
Dr. Robert Clinton, a leadership professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, notes that 70 percent of leaders don’t finish well. He has identified six common traits of leaders who quit running the race effectively: 1. They lose their learning posture. Look those six traits over very carefully and answer this question: Have any of these self-destructive time bombs crept into your life to any degree? Think this life through with me a little here. Starting well is beneficial. Staying the course is critical. But if we don’t finish well—that tends to be our legacy regardless of how we started or lived most of our lives. It doesn’t seem fair, but the truth is that we will be remembered most for how we finished. Therefore, finishing well is something to which we all should give some serious thought. Check out this month’s Cadre Connection, “The Challenge of Finishing Well—Part 1,” to stimulate your thought process—and make any necessary changes NOW so you can finish well.
[Note: Please freely share this article with as many people as you want in any form you desire. When you do, please let us know you are using it (info@cadreministries.com) and please include the author and website address (www.cadreministries.com)] Unlike 70 percent of leaders, Bill Bright finished well. Bill strategically invested his life in the Great Commission through a ministry called Campus Crusade for Christ. (More information about the incredible kingdom impact of Bill Bright follows this article.) In a tribute titled, “Finishing Well: A Eulogy for Bill Bright,” Chuck Colson writes,
May we all aspire to live—and die—in such a way that we can have such a eulogy! [ Action Point: What do you want your family and friends to say about you when you die? Write your ideal eulogy. Be as specific as you can. Then make any changes necessary in the way you are living now, so that when you die, your family and friends will be able to say with integrity exactly what you have written. Share your eulogy with a friend and a family member. ] In Paul’s farewell to the leaders at the church of Ephesus in Acts 20:17-38, we get a glimpse into his heart and clearly see his desire to finish his life and ministry well: “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24). Embedded in this verse are three challenges we must meet head on right now if we really desire to finish well. Will you dare to take these challenges? 1. The Challenge of Surrender Surrender: To yield to the power of another; to give or deliver up possession of (anything) upon compulsion or demand “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me…” (Acts 20:22-24). When Paul says, “I consider my life worth nothing to me,” he is not devaluing his life. He is devaluing a life lived for self—and elevating a life lived for God’s purposes. No matter what “hardships” awaited Paul, he chose to do what God wanted him to do instead of what was easy or personally expedient. That is authentic surrender to God. Jesus modeled the ultimate surrender to God the Father when, facing his imminent crucifixion, he prayed, “Not what I will, but what you will.” It is only when we honestly and continually wave the white flag of surrender to God in our hearts that we will be able to finish this life well. Busy in Ministry Does Not Mean Surrendered to
God Giftedness Does Not Mean Surrendered to God
The “spiritual depth” and “inner life” that MacDonald speaks of is a heart-surrender issue—not a gift issue. Sometimes a person’s gifts can be misused to subtly throw the spotlight on the person—rather than the God who endowed the person with the gift. And when giftedness becomes about the person with the gifts, that is an indication that the gifted person needs to surrender to God—lest he/she not finish well! It is heartbreaking and all-to-easy to mentally conjure up names and faces of extremely gifted people who did not finish well. What True Surrender Is—and Is Not
A “Surrender” Contract with God [ Action Point: Create your own surrender contract with God. Get a blank piece of paper and put “A Blank Slate for God to Fill In…” at the top of the page. At the bottom of the paper sign it and date it. Then share it with your closest friend. ] Finishing well requires us to surrender what we want for our lives so we can embrace what God wants us to do with our lives. Like Paul. we can’t hold on to our personal comfort and desires to avoid “hardships” if we really want to finish well. And it is critically important that you don’t settle for being busy serving God or relying on your giftedness to pull you through life when you can take the wild, rocky, joyful ride of heart surrender to God—and finishing well! Are you honestly waiving the white flag of heart surrender to God? Do you accept the surrender challenge so that you might finish well? Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon... RESPONSE: If God used this article to speak
to your heart in some way to encourage you or to remind you of an important
ministry lesson, please take a quick moment right now to share it with
us at
For a Free 16 Page PDF of the Life and Ministry Impact of Bill Bright
(with some great Picures) go to: The Words of a Dying Man An Obituary for Bill Bright: More Practical Help for Those Serious About Finishing Well
Check out issue #7 of Batteries Included:
Why junior highers are the most strategic missionaries in the church
and practical ways you can mobilize them! Announcing TWO brand new,
biblically-based, highly interactive, and fun training workshops (Batteries
Included: The Workshop--for volunteer junior high workers--and
Ignite Evangelism Experience--for students and volunteer
youth workers). Contact info@cadreministries.com
to find out how you can bring these training experiences to your church!
Plus: all past issues of Batteries Included filled with tons of stuff
you can use right now are waiting for you at:
Two Cool Ministries That Can Encourage You: Acorn Ministries and Lon Alderman Lon is a pastor, life and ministry coach, and certified Cadre trainer WEBSITE:
Artistic Memories by Alice Craig
Alice is a pastor’s wife, mother, speaker, and artist WEBSITE:
Your one stop Christmas shop designed to encourage and equip the VOLUNTEERS in your church! Give the gift of encouragement this year to the volunteers in your church:
Cadre: Assisting local churches in becoming the best volunteer training organizations in the world. Cadre is a not-for-profit ministry [501(c)(3)] that exists to make you wildly successful at becoming what God has called you to become as you serve others in your local church and community. We serve as support-based, God-dependent missionaries to come alongside volunteers and those who care for volunteers in the church (globally) to help accomplish their God-given mission. Eph. 4:10-17 We provide free monthly online training for volunteers in the church (Cadre Connection), for volunteer Jr. High Youthworkers (Batteries Included), and for Student Leaders (Spiritual Caffeine). Visit www.cadreministries.com to preview our recent free training or to sign up to receive training in your email-box monthly. For more information about bringing a certified Cadre trainer to coach and train the volunteer teachers, leaders, and youth workers in your church, contact info@cadreministries.com For Cadre training sources visit http://www.cadreministries.com/store
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