Embracing Change; Inspiring Transformation
Dear leader…
The fruit of leadership is to inspire transformation in others. It’s what we live for – to see people’s lives, marriages, and families transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.
If the fruit of leadership is inspiring transformation, the root of leadership is embracing personal change.
God does not grant us the blessing of the fruit without first developing the root. I must embrace personal change before I am privileged to inspire transformation.
I have been on staff at New Hope Worship Center for over twenty years. For over 12 years I was the youth pastor and also led our worship ministries, eventually serving as the Executive Pastor and, for over seven years now, the Lead Pastor.
My life is the story of constant change amidst similar surroundings. My place of ministry hasn’t changed, but I have.
In just over two weeks from now I will be giving two and a half days of personal investment to pastors, leaders, and volunteers at our Equip Conference. More than a conference, I believe this will be a conversation amongst leaders who are living somewhere in between “embracing change” and “inspiring transformation.”
Change can be a welcomed guest or a resisted enemy. I have found that God demands change, and He typically begins with me. Through these years of life and ministry much has changed.
How I approach my marriage and family has changed.
How I spend my time and energy has changed.
How I speak publicly has changed.
How I think about people (and their bondages) has changed.
How I have led our church has changed as we have grown, and it’s still changing.
In fact, so much has changed that I often wonder what is constant! In the midst of the chaos of change I am reminded (and grateful) that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Pastor-
Leader-
Volunteer-
What God does THROUGH us is rooted in what He does IN us. Perhaps you need an infusion of faith, encouragement, and wisdom as you lead in God’s Kingdom. The prophetic assignment you carry, although a great privilege, also comes with a heavy weight of responsibility.
You mustn’t walk alone.
If it is your desire to learn how to embrace change in order to inspire transformation, consider joining Carrie and me, and our staff, at our Equip Conference on April 3-5 (Thursday – Saturday).
It’s not too late to join the conversation.
Why Leaders Should Embrace Change
“Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go… (Joshua 1:2 ESV)
Transition.
For a woman in labor, transition means increased pain, followed by the joy of new life.
Transition can often be that way – at work, at church, at home – transitions can be somewhat painful, yet they lead to seasons of new life and potential.
A leader must embrace change readily.
Often, in an effort to minimize the pain of transition, leaders resist change, not realizing they are impeding God’s progressive nature to bring His people into new seasons of fruitfulness.
Conversely, other leaders force significant and rapid changes in an effort to speedily get to a “new level,” the results of which are unnecessary casualties along the way.
Joshua led through transition. Moses had been the patriarchal leader for an entire generation, but as Israel came to the crossroads of entering their promised land, a new season required new leadership.
Moses was a spiritual father and hero to Joshua. His death represented both a corporate and personal loss to Joshua. Still, God required Joshua to move forward, embrace change, and lead through transition.
Generations later, Jesus was ministering to many people when news came to Him that John the Baptist, His cousin and forerunner, had been executed. Jesus withdrew to grieve and pray, but the crowds pressed in. Jesus’s compassion for people compelled Him to press beyond grieving by Himself into giving of Himself to others.
Leading through transition is demanding. It requires (as recorded in Joshua 1): a spirit of faith, a heart of courage, a prophetic assignment, and a commitment to God’s Word.
Leader- you need not force change, but neither should you resist it. Remember, the cadence and rhythm of your walk of faith should be synchronized with the steps of your Commander, Jesus Christ. We mustn’t hasten His pace. We mustn’t lag behind.
Follow Jesus. Lead people. Never the other way around.
Father,
For leaders wrestling through the pain of change, I pray that You would reveal to them the joy and hope of the new season ahead.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Why I Pray
And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” (Mark 11:17 ESV)
The feasts designed to honor The Lord had become a circus of money-making and swindling. The poor were being taken advantage of, the greedy were capitalizing on the requirements of the Law in order to make a personal profit.
That’s when Jesus cleaned house.
Tables were turning, coins were rolling, pigeons were flapping, and the chief priests and scribes were boiling with indignation.
Jesus’ zeal was followed by a verbal reminder, if not a rebuke: “My house shall be called a house of prayer!”
There are many things we do at church that meet social, intellectual, emotional, and physical needs; but one thing we MUST do is pray!
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities given to the Church.
Prayer brings God’s will from heaven to earth.
Prayer breaks satan’s strongholds from people’s lives.
Prayer builds our faith.
Prayer emboldens us to minister to others.
Prayer brings us through the valley of the shadow of death.
If the Church is to be known by anything, we must be known as people of prayer.
Jesus went on to say:
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark11:24 ESV)
Father,
Stir Your people once again to PRAY!
Amen.
A Generation Set Free
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mark 9:37 ESV)
Jesus loves kids. He held them, blessed them, healed them, and honored them throughout the entirety of His ministry on earth.
In Mark 9 we read of the disciples who are arguing among themselves over who is the greatest. Jesus responds by bringing a child over and talking about the humility and innocence of a child that brings great reward.
It is my opinion that ministry to children and teenagers should be central to the life of any church and all believers. We can learn from kids as much as we invest into them.
Earlier in the same chapter, Mark describes an encounter that Jesus had with a young man who was tormented by demons. The evil spirits stifled the boy’s speech, hindered his ability to hear, and attempted on multiple occasions to harm and kill the boy.
Such is the case with the next generation today. The enemy has, in many ways, silenced the voice of this generation, hindered them from hearing truth that would otherwise set them free, and continually seeks to kill and destroy the generation one child at a time.
This is why we must be empowered by the Spirit. This kind of bondage only comes out by prayer and fasting. We must pray and intercede for this generation in order to deliver them from the strongholds of satan’s grip.
They can be free.
And we must be the catalyst to set them free.
Never give up on the young people in your life. Instead, pray them into freedom.
Father,
Help us see the young ones around us. Help us love them through their healing and deliverance. We commit ourselves to pray for them and see them set free!
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Learning Begins with Humility
[Apollos] had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. (Acts 18:25, 26 ESV)
You only know what you know, and you don’t know what you don’t know.
Every vehicle I have ever driven has blind spots – areas where sight lines are hindered or blocked by the car itself.
I often caution young leaders to remain humble and teachable. Our youthful zeal can deceive us into believing that we have things figured out, when we actually have many “blind spots.”
Apollos knew what he knew – the baptism of John, which was a baptism of repentance of sin and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior.
But Apollos didn’t know what he didn’t know – the baptism with the Holy Spirit, given by Jesus to empower His followers. Aquila and Priscilla came and taught him more accurately, and it changed Apollos’ life and ministry.
What I love about Apollos is that he passionately pursued and declared what he did know, while also remaining teachable and open to receiving truth about what he did not know.
Learning begins with humility.
What might you be missing? You know what you know, but what about those blind spots?
Press in to the Holy Spirit. Not only does He desire to remind you of what you already know; He wants to reveal to you what you don’t know..yet.
Father,
I have become more aware of my blind spots. Reveal truth to me. May I always be teachable. Amen.
Pastor Dale Jenkins 