What Leaders Are
Fred Smith Sr.
To embark successfully on a career involving leadership demands courage. Once a person has decided the part he wishes to play in life, and is assured he is doing the work for which he is best endowed, and is satisfied that he is filling a vital need, then he needs the courage to tackle the problems he must solve. The pastor of any church wears many hats. The smaller the church the more hats worn. Effectiveness is determined by how well they fit and whether the pastor is able to choose the appropriate hat for each responsibility. For example, each pastor's hat rack includes that of preacher, pastor, administrator, counselor, and fund raiser, to name just a few. One of the most important hats, however, is that of leader. Leadership is necessary for any church to grow and penetrate the community. Why? Because leadership is what enables an organization to bridge the chasm between where it is and where it should be. Crossing the Red Sea, passing through the desert, or facing any immediate difficulty, any group small or large requires leadership to make progress. Of course, if the group isn't going anywhere, leadership isn't important. But is status quo a station stop on the Christian way? It's like the story of the pastor in the black church who was preaching. "This church, like the crippled man, has got to get up and walk!" And the people said, "That's right! Let it walk." "This church," he continued, "like Elijah on Mount Carmel, has got to run!" "Let it run, preacher!" "This church has got to mount up on wings like eagles and fly!" And they said, "Let it fly!" But when the preacher said, "If it flies, it takes money!" the people shouted, "Let it walk." Some churches, like this fictitious one, don't want leadership. They just want to be ...
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