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The Best Leadership Verse in the Bible?

We imagine she would have answered, “When the leaders lead in Israel and when the people volunteer, nothing is impossible.”

That’s true of your church too.

I want to pastor a church where leaders are leading and members are willingly stepping up and volunteering. That’s an unbeatable plan.

All of this suggests four possible scenarios …

1) There are times when no one is volunteering.

We’ve all seen churches (and organizations, schools, clubs, work crews) where leaders are trying to lead, but no one is following. The old line goes, “If you are leading and no one is following, you’re just taking a walk.”

The people “willingly offered themselves,” according to the NIV. They were ready, and had the prayers to prove it (Judges 4:3).

We think of Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. The project was completed in record time while enduring great hostility. Scripture says “the people had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4:6).

Give me a church where the people have a mind to work, and stand back and watch!

The sad thing is that in the typical church, 20 percent of the membership give the money and do all the work. The other four-fifths are along for the ride.

2) There are times when the people are willing, but no one is leading.

We’ve all seen churches (and other groups) where the people were volunteering and clamoring to get something done, but no one was willing to lead.

Leadership can be scary. The target is on your back. The enemy puts you in his crosshairs.

In the case of Deborah and Barak, Israel was ready to “step up and volunteer.” The problem was with the leadership. Barak was reluctant. God had called him, so presumably he had the gifts and abilities. What he lacked was courage.

Often the problem is not with a complacent membership but a reluctant leadership. God give us men and women of courage! (The pastor who refuses to do anything except with a huge majority vote is giving the will of the congregation more weight than the pleasure of the Lord. Such a people-pleaser is never going to do much in the Kingdom.)

3) Sometimes no one is doing anything.

Worst of all are those groups where no one is leading and no one is volunteering. Neither group—leaders or members—is willing to give up its creature comforts, change its routine and be found faithful for Christ. We call those churches dead.

My observation is that such do-nothing churches blame the world, blame society, blame the denomination, blame everyone except themselves. They would do well to notice that the well-known 2 Chronicles 7:14 begins, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven.”

The onus is (ahem) on us. Not on the other guys. If God does not send revival, we are at fault.