Stan West - Are You A Positional Christian?

Stan West, asking us whether we consider ourselves positional Christians, discusses an insight gained from motivational speaker John C Maxwell in his upcoming book on the five levels of leadership. Maxwell considers “position” the very bottom level of the leadership hierarchy, indicating a fixation on a title or label. The second level “permission,” identifying that stage in leadership at which we form relationships, when people will follow us because they want to. The third level of leadership we refer to as “production,” when we model the behavior we want others to follow, attaining the desired momentum. The fourth level we identify as “people development,” the stage in which people follow us because we have invested in their leadership potential. The fifth and the pinnacle level is “personhood,” that level attained by a long history of respect. Level one or positional is a very rudimentary first step; we do not want to remain there very long. Moses, by passing on an opportunity to engender a new nation, demonstrated that he had advanced far beyond the positional stage. Position may be a good place to start, but not to stay. People are granted leadership because someone in authority has talent or potential. We, as God’s called out ones, have been hand-picked by Almighty God because of unrefined potential He has seen in us. God will incrementally increase our authority as we are able to handle it. We must demonstrate growth and development in our given roles, moving toward being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ who discarded His ‘position,’ serving us and modeling a successful life for us, empowering us to grow into His image and likeness.

Blank page * Branded and stranded * CEO * Christian in name only * Don’t get caught skinny-dipping * I do it * I do it and you’re with me * “I’m the head of the house” * “I’m in charge” * Job description * John 6:44 * John C. Maxwell * Stopping to graze * The Five Levels of Leadership * The John Maxwell Company * John Maxwell defines 5 levels of leadership * Micah 6:8 * Moses * Numbers 14:11-20 * Parable of the sower * People development * Permission * Personhood * Pope * Position * President * Private * Production * Receiving peoples’ least * Recruitment * Shaping and defining our lives * Territory over teamwork * Titles * T. S. Eliot * Turnover is high for positional leaders * Walking beside people * Warren Buffet * You’re doing it and I’m with you * You’re doing it and you don’t need me * You’re doing it and you have others following you