NEVER STOP GROWING

By far the single greatest reason that a ministry stops growing is the leader stops growing.  Growing ministries require growing leaders.  The moment you stop growing, you stop leading.  All leaders are learners because there is no growth without change and there is no change without being flexible. 

When a leader stops growing, he becomes inflexible.  A good example of this is the story of Moses.  Exodus 17.  The first time Moses had a water problem, God said, "I want you to go and strike the rock and water will come out."  So he did that.  Later on, as they were crossing the wilderness, God said, "This time we're going to do it differently.  This time instead of striking the rock, I want you to speak to the rock.”  Number 20:8-11 "The Lord said, `Speak to the rock and water will gush out of it.  In this way, you will bring water out.'  But Moses struck the rock twice."  

What did he do here?  He said, "Lord, we've never done it that way before.  We've always struck the rock.  Now You're saying speak to it.  I don't want to do it in a new way.  I want to do it the old way.  I want to do it in the way that worked the first time."  

Have you ever felt this?  To simply repeat the past?  What's he's saying is, "I want to lead the way I used to lead, the way I've always led." 

The fact is, our world is changing – 2010 is not going to be 2009.  Not only is the world changing but the pace of change is increasing rapidly.  Greater and greater.  The attitudes and skills that brought you to this point in your ministry are not going to take you to the future.  New problems require new solutions.  New situations require new attitudes.  New difficulties and new opportunities require new skills and new attitudes.  What brought you this far and made you a success – that's why success kills churches.  

The root behind resistance to change is fear.  I don't want to change because I'm afraid of loss.  I've done it this way and I feel comfortable with it.  Therefore what am I going to lose if I do ministry in a new way?  The root is the fear of change.  

That means that an unwillingness to change is a lack of faith.  That's what God says.  Numbers 20:12 "So the Lord reprimanded Moses, ‘Because you did not have enough faith...’"  Don't have enough faith?  But all he did was strike the rock instead of speak to it.  

It requires faith to change.  When you are resistant to change that is an indication of a lack of faith, saying, "I really don't think God will take care of me in the future.  I better hold on to the security of the way I've always done it."

The result here is this:  "The Lord reprimanded Moses, `Because you did not have enough faith, you will not lead them into the land I promised to give them.'"  Circle the phrase "You will not lead them."  This shows how important flexibility is.  God says Moses lost the right to lead because he was inflexible.  He lost the right to lead because he refused to change.  He was left behind.  The dream that God gave him – "You're going to lead the people into the Promised Land", 40 years waiting for it, 40 years leading them out – God says, "You didn't pass the final exam.  You're unwilling and unfit to lead."  This was the sin that kept him out of the Promised Land.  

I don't want to get left out of what God is going to do in the future.  So I must stay open to change.  Flexible, willing to grow, willing to become all that God wants me to be.

The point I want to make is:  Whenever you find yourself resisting a new way of doing something, or defending the status quo, or opposing a change that God's told you to do, or striving simply to repeat the past because it worked last year in your ministry, watch out.  You're about to lose your place of leadership.  That's a strong word.

What's the key to overcoming this trap of leadership?  The antidote is never stop developing.  Never stop developing your skills, your character,  your perspective, your vision, your heart, your dependence upon God.  Never stop developing.  Read books, read magazines, read the Bible, get with Christian friends, listen to tapes, take seminars, take the LEADERSHIP classes.  Never stop developing.  

Proverbs 19:8 "He who loves wisdom loves his own best interest and will become a success."  God says if you want to be a success, you never stop learning.  You always keep growing.  You never think you've learned it all.  

The moment I think I've got it all together as pastor of New Dawn, I'm dead in the water.  The moment you think you've learned all there is to know about your ministry, all there is to know about being a leader you're dead in the water.

Ecclesiastes 10:10 "If the ax is dull and the edge is unsharpened more strength is needed but skill will bring success."  This is one of my life verses.  The Bible says skill brings success.  You may be dedicated but if you're not learning new skills it won't work.  You can't use a corn harvester on a wheat field.  You can't use a cotton picker in an apple orchard.  You've got to use the skills that match the people you're trying to minister to.  So you always be learning new skills to take yourself to a new level.  When you come to LADERSHIP class, you're sharpening your ax.  That's what we're doing here on a monthly basis, sharpening your ax.  And you're never wasting your time when you're sharpening your ax. 

If you stop learning, you soon experience what's known as the Peter principle – that people tend to rise to their level of incompetence and then they get stuck there.  The guy who's a good shoe salesman gets appointed to manager and he's never learned management skills and he's bored and ineffective and incompetent the rest of his life because he never kept on developing.  

If you don't watch out, your ministry will get too big for you and you become the bottle neck.  The leader must never stop growing.  Never stop developing your skills.