Heroic portrayals of leaders often include someone standing alone, against all odds, taking on forces of evil, and coming out victorious despite formidable obstacles. Sounds exciting, but that’s seldom how effective leaders really get things done.
Most leadership challenges are not life-or-death struggles, just everyday problems that demand creative, insightful solutions. These are best discovered when leaders work with others—certainly with their followers, but more often than not, also with other leaders. Effective leaders develop partnerships to accomplish more than they can do on their own.
Peter is such a towering figure; it’s easy to miss how he partnered with other leaders to advance God’s kingdom. One partnership is particularly interesting. After Paul became a Christian and spent three years in personal discipleship in Damascus, he went to Jerusalem to present himself to the church. Peter welcomed him, invited him to his home, and spent about two weeks with him. Imagine their conversations as they talked theology, missiology, and philosophy. Consider what they might have said about church ministry, responding to persecution, and expanding the reach of the gospel. What amazing conversations those must have been!
Until his conversion, Paul was a religious terrorist—killing Christians and creating chaos in the church. Paul’s return to Jerusalem, from where he had been dispatched on his Sanhedrin-authorized murder mission, was dramatic and controversial. Peter took a great risk welcoming Paul, not only as a friend but as a leadership partner. People haven’t changed in two thousand years. The gossip that must have flown around Jerusalem about Peter’s behavior! Nevertheless, Peter recognized the authenticity of Paul’s conversion and his potential as a missionary and church leader. Peter associated himself with Paul, validated his potential as a leader, and established an enduring ministry partnership.
Peter took a great risk welcoming Paul, not only as a friend but as a leadership partner. People haven’t changed in two thousand years. The gossip that must have flown around Jerusalem about Peter’s behavior!
According to Paul’s account, the meeting with Peter resulted in a division of responsibilities as both men continued to lead in kingdom advancement. Paul was charged to go to Gentiles, communicating the gospel and planting churches among them. Peter, on the other hand, would continue his primary ministry among Jews. Peter had already been instrumental in authenticating Gentile evangelism and church planting, no doubt smoothing the way for the Jerusalem church to embrace the movement. It was Paul, however, who would be the primary leader in expanding the gospel to all people. This was a mutual decision, endorsed by other key leaders, and sealed with the right hand of fellowship. Later, when Paul led the delegation to Jerusalem to resolve the issue of Gentile-inclusion once for all – Peter made the deciding speech finalizing the matter. Their relationship started with two weeks spent together early in Paul’s leadership career and culminated in standing together to determine the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith for all. These two spiritual giants exemplify a powerful ministry partnership.
Paul later wrote positively about Peter. He cautioned believers about forming personality cults around prominent leaders like Peter (or anyone else, including himself). He used Peter’s marriage as an example of appropriate domestic relations among Christian leaders. He also referred to Peter’s practice of receiving financial support from other believers as validating that model for missionary support. Peter reciprocated by equating Paul’s writing with Scripture, an early recognition of the unique place his letters to churches had and would have in shaping the church for all time. Clearly, these two men respected one another, learned from one another, and partnered with one another to advance God’s kingdom.
Leaders partner with other leaders.
A mark of maturity is your willingness to attract, work with, and learn from other leaders. The best leaders are not loners living in an egotistical delusion they can do it all on their own. Effective leaders recognize the value of partnering with other dynamic leaders. Doing this requires humility – admitting you don’t know it all. It also requires deference – allowing others to lead when their intellectual or experiential capacities exceed yours. Partnerships also involve compromise – being willing to surrender preferences to achieve shared missional outcomes. Practicing these qualities improves both your organizational performance and personal leadership stature.
One way to partner with other leaders is to add them to your team – intentionally as a strategy to fill in your leadership weaknesses. For pastors, this means allowing laymen and women to use their gifts in partnership with yours. In my early pastoral experience, I failed at this. I attended every committee meeting and met with every program director – making sure my opinion was heard and my directions followed. Strong lay leaders intimidated me. I was afraid of admitting weakness, which in my mind, diminished my leadership stature.
To my surprise, adding people to my leadership circle elevated my leadership stature. When you add other leaders to your team, your followers will respect you more – not less.
Through all this, my insecurities were revealed and my stature was diminished. Only when I became secure enough to share leadership with others did this change. To my surprise, adding people to my leadership circle elevated my leadership stature. When you add other leaders to your team, your followers will respect you more – not less. They already know your limitations. Admitting them and asking other people to fill in the gaps, thus creating a powerful leadership group (rather than the self-deluded superstar approach) gives your followers greater confidence in and appreciation for your leadership. It’s counter-intuitive but true. When you partner with other leaders, it increases your leadership stature. When you go it alone, refusing to admit weakness and learn from others, confidence in your leadership wanes. When your team includes different perspectives, it makes it a stronger leadership partnership.
Peter and Paul are an example of this kind of partnership. They shared one mission, but were quite different in their approach to accomplishing it. They appreciated one another and were friends, but had underlying tension in their approaches to ministry including one very public confrontation. Strong leaders, who are also wise leaders, choose to partner with equally strong leaders. Doing this sometimes leads to tension and debate on important decisions. As long as everyone on the team is aligned on the mission and will unify around the final decision, spirited discussion about the best way to accomplish the mission is an asset. Partnerships do not eliminate passionate debate, just keeps them focused on the ultimate mission.
Strong leaders, who are also wise leaders, choose to partner with equally strong leaders. Doing this sometimes leads to tension and debate on important decisions.
Another way a leader partners
is cooperating with other churches, denominations, or ministry organizations. Today, many churches and ministries have lost their narrow mission-focus and think they can do about anything. Good leaders keep their organization riveted on its mission and cooperate with other leaders (and ministries) who specialize in other endeavors. Not every church, for example, needs to operate an international mission sending organization or manage a church planting infrastructure. Wise leaders find other specialized leaders and trust them as ministry partners.
Finally,
good leaders work with other leaders by making friends with other leaders. Loneliness is an occupational hazard of Christian leadership. Many leaders are too busy to make friends. While hyper-productivity may produce short-term success, taking time to invest in relationships will sustain you for the long haul. It’s good to have ministry peers who are also friends. When the pressure is on, those relationships may form the backbone for a coalition to stand together in a crucial moment. Peter and Paul forged a relationship, initially spending two weeks together in Peter’s home. Later, that relationship played a part in their standing together at the Jerusalem Council. It also gave them the relational base to withstand an ugly conflict that could have shattered early church fellowship. You will benefit from friendships with other leaders. Take time to build them as an investment in your future success.
Many leaders are too busy to make friends. While hyper-productivity may produce short-term success, taking time to invest in relationships will sustain you for the long haul.
Leaders value partnerships.
That’s why Southern Baptists cooperate with each other. We know we are better together. When we work together, the results are more than our combined individual efforts. When we partner, our energy and resources are multiplied many times over – not just added together. Like Peter and Paul, our partnerships are sometimes prickly. We disagree about important issues, debate methods and approaches, and become frustrated with people and processes. But partners hold together – recognizing the challenges are worth it to achieve significant results. We stand together – not because it’s easy – but because loyalty to God’s eternal mission demands it.
May God give us grace to partner with each other for his glory!
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the President/CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
