You can't make a good, effective and relevant Christian leader if you haven't been a good apprentice of an effective, progressive and relevant leader or Christian body, one with sound biblical foundation, character, charisma and at the cutting-edge of the move of God. I didn't say, if you haven't been an apprentice of a leader, but a good apprentice of an effective leader or of a Christian body with sound biblical foundation, character and charisma, at the cutting-edge of the move of God. Not everyone in Christian leadership today is an effective and relevant leader; some "pastors" are merely "pastime." Some Christian bodies are "dead" even though extremely busy year in and out. Those with nowhere to go can comfortably sit under such individuals, churches and ministries, but if you have somewhere to go with your life and something worthy to do with your time, you don't make such a mistake.
If you serve as an apprentice of an effective and relevant leader, one with sound character, charisma and biblical foundation, and leave at the time appointment by the father, not in your own timing, with the vision to become like your master or even more, you may likely realize your dreams. So, when someone comes to me and introduces himself as a pastor, Apostle, and Bishop, my first question is, where did you serve, not which Bible school did you attend?
We appreciate the contribution of great institutions in the formation of leaders, but the greatest school of leadership is service under a leader whose life and ministry challenges you or where your gift is valued and can be developed (Where you can be strained to be trained). There is straining involved in real leadership training.
Kenneth Copeland, shutdown his ministry by God's instruction to go and serve God's servant Oral Roberts; he enrolled into the Oral Roberts University and by God's divine arrangement, he was made a co-pilot as a voluntary service and later a pilot to the legend of faith Dr. Oral Roberts. After years of service and observing God's servant, God sent him to go and teach the message of faith and prosperity. We all know how much this servant of God has accomplished, and the impact he is making on millions of people around the world. If he insisted on continuing his ministry at the time the Lord told him to shut it down and to go and serve his servant Oral Roberts, it may be, the story of his life and ministry would have been written as Kenneth Copeland, pastor of a church with 400 members, with two smaller branches.
Listen! Those "in a hurry" to be called Bishops, General Overseers, and Apostles etc, don't usually have anything serious to offer. When Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa of blessed memory was Bishop of Church of God mission, he overseer-ed six million Christians, and traveled 104 nations; by the time he became Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa, he has traveled more than 150 nations and raised uncountable number of great leaders all over Africa. He said, "Don't wear a clerical collar, if you don't have the caller's mandate."
The numerous churches and ministries dotted in every street corner in most of our nations in Africa and beyond is not a sign of a move of God, but an indication of religious madness that needs to be curbed. A boy and a girl of age fifteen can give birth to a child, but the multi-million dollar question is, do they have the wisdom to raise the child? If you serve and learn effectively under pioneering leaders, and ministries you can't launch out and do an ineffective work. Woe to those who out of mere confusion make "Judas Iscariot" their spiritual fathers; theirs isn't only ministerial mafia, but they will operate as wells without water, trees without fruits and clouds without rain.
Someone may ask, what of those without any real substance and depth, but who already have local churches and ministries under them, should they shut them down like Kenneth Copeland did? If God says so, but another way round is to submit that church or ministry under the direct supervision of a mandated servant of Jehovah. Not all in ministry today are sent, even though they have a call. The truth is bitter, but must be spoken. It is not the number of people one gathers that makes a minister, but what one offers them weekly. It is humility and great leadership wisdom to wait under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the father. Gla 4:1-2.Ponder! DrBenard Etta
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