What Navy Seals Can Teach Us About Church Leadership - Part 3: Believe!
"A leader must be a true believer in the mission" (p.76).
You are called to inspire, to cast vision, to define the mission of your church. If you don't passionately believe in your vision, you will never risk what it takes to pursue it and capture it. You will not be able to convince anyone to follow you.
Far more than believing that incredible volunteers, big budgets, and excellent training will win the day, is the resolute belief in the vision God has been churning in your heart and mind. You must own the spiritual reason "why," long before you own what it takes to fulfill the vision. Always communicate the spiritual why. Your leaders and your church must believe that you believe. When they believe, they will risk with you and follow you into an exciting future. Your church wants to follow a strong leader who not only leads from a place of surrender to the voice of the Holy Spirit, but one who runs headlong into a future he believes in.
You must own the spiritual reason 'why,' long before you own what it takes to fulfill the vision.
The ripple effect of your resolute belief is found in what the SEALS call "Decentralized Command." This means that on-the-ground commanders and team members are able to execute tactics and strategy without senior leaders having to micro manage the mission. If things go sideways in battle, and they often do, the team leader will know what to do. How does this apply to ministry? When your team leaders know the spiritual reason why, and even the practical reasons, they will be able to lead with clear conviction because they understand the mission of the church.
LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE:
Check your heart. Check in with the Holy Spirit. Do you know, and own, the reason why you are pastoring and leading your congregation? Ask yourself if your leaders and volunteers truly understand, and can personally communicate the spiritual 'why' of your vision. Is the mission clear? Are the tactics clear? Is it time to re-cast vision and preach the urgency of your why?
If you are in a season of re-casting vision or shifting your church culture toward where God is leading you, consider the VisionBuilder Masterclass!
Full credit for the “laws” in this series are exclusively given to:
Willink, J., and Babin. L. (2015) Extreme Ownership: How Navy Seals lead and win. St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY.