This guest post comes from the pen (figuratively speaking) of Spence Shelton, the Summit’s Pastor of Spiritual Formation. Check out his blog over here.
Gene Bartow got a raw deal. As head coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team, he went 52–9 over two years. That included runs to the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four. And for his performance, Bartow was rewarded with death threats from UCLA fans. Why? Because Bartow followed John Wooden. Wooden, the guy who had won 10 of the last 12 national championships. Four times during that span Wooden didn’t even lose a single game. Tough act to follow.
I always think of that when I read Joshua. Joshua is following Moses, Israel’s John Wooden. Moses, the guy who led Israel out of slavery, split an ocean in half, brought water out from a rock, and wrote five books of the Bible. But Moses is dead, and Joshua is the next leader. Joshua is about to learn that there’s a big difference between being the assistant to the man and being the man.
And so in Joshua 1 God gives Joshua his pep talk. What he says to Joshua applies to every church leader—whether a head pastor or a small group leader.
God gives leaders in the church:
1. A Job: “Fight with Courage.”
Joshua’s first task as Israel’s leader is to tackle the mammoth city of Jericho. It is a call to war. And in a sense, this is a hallmark of leadership—facing opposition with courage.
As leaders in the church, we must recognize that there is a very real and very strong enemy who wants us to fail. He wants us to get distracted, tired, bored, frustrated, and overwhelmed. He does not want us to be courageous, patient, and gracious. And he certainly doesn’t want us making disciples of Christ.
So when God tells Joshua to get battle-ready, it just makes sense that he says—3 times in 9 verses—“be strong and courageous.” The mark of a great leader isn’t indecision or flip-flopping; it’s strength and courage. Good leaders take risks. If we’re leading the people of God well, we’re taking calculated risks for the glory of God. Even with God as your backer, that takes some grit.
“But wait,” you say, “I’m on board with the idea of courage, but I’m not actually leading an army. That seems a bit much.” Not so fast. With the exception of the physical application, the New Testament applies this kind of call to war to all of us. The Great Commission parallels Joshua 1, starting with God’s authority and leading to a risky call to go. The only difference is that we’re fighting against spiritual powers instead of physical ones.
It takes courage to shepherd people: to take your small group into a local outreach ministry, to confront your friend with both truth and grace, to take a church that has drifted away from mission and call them back to following God. The need for courage is everywhere, every day. In fact, it’s such an overwhelming task that if we don’t see the other thing God gives leaders, we’ll be crushed under the weight.
2. A Promise: “I will be with you.”
“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”
God tells Joshua to be strong 3 times; but he reminds him of his faithfulness 4 times. (The extra one is in there because God knows we need it.) The task we have as leaders of God’s people seems too large for us—and, in fact, it is. Take a look at Israel: as soon as they stopped trusting in God, they got smashed at Ai.
But we don’t lead alone. God fights for us. What is impossible for us by ourselves suddenly becomes a possibility.
My 5-year-old son loves basketball. And despite being 3 feet tall, he likes to play, too. So when we visit my parents—who have this 7-foot hoop—he wants to dunk the ball. What do I do? I lift the kid up and he drops the ball into the net. Did he do it? Sure, sorta. But without me? Impossible. That’s how God is with us.
Here’s a secret for those of you who haven’t been leaders in the church very long: your people are messed up. They have serious issues. Wack priorities. Dark pasts. The more you get to know them, the more problems you’re going to find.
It’s not just them, either. You and I have got some serious issues, too. We’re all 3-feet tall staring up at an impossible basketball hoop. The only way you’re going to make any impact at all is if God is with you like I’m with my son on the basketball court. He’s got to be there, turning your feeble discipleship efforts into real spiritual formation in people’s lives.
The only way God can do that in our lives is if we steep ourselves in the gospel. I might be a hopeless case on my own, but I remember that God saved me. And if he can do that, who knows what he could do with the people I lead! The most effective leaders in the church are those who never forget the absurdity of their own salvation.
The only way real growth is going to come to our churches is by leaders dreaming impossible dreams for their people, risking themselves to advance God’s kingdom. Will you be among them? What risks will you take? What dreams will you dream?
