It may surprise you to know that I am still not sure what leadership strengths I bring to the table. I am not sure either if I feel qualified, or that I am ready to be criticized. Moreover, I am still not sure if I am in the “perfect will” of God. However, up to the time of writing these words, there are few things that I am sure about. The first is that I definitely don’t want my name smeared in a negative way in our community because it just won’t be my name, it will be the name of Jesus, his church and this organization. Second, given the fact that I have accepted this position after prayer and fasting, I am determined to work assiduously in order to make a difference with the help of the Holy Spirit.
In order to prevent those unpleasant things mentioned above and to accomplish the tasks ahead, I, as a leader and a visionary, need to constantly seek the face of God in order to partner with the Holy Spirit in leading this organization. I will fail if I rely on my flesh or my intelligence. In addition, if I am to succeed, I need to also understand and implement certain leadership principles. They include the fact that:
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The foundation of godly leadership is found in the leader’s character. Therefore I need to be a man of great integrity and character.
*The true essence of godly leadership is servanthood. Hence, I need to serve my fellow ministers and the community to the best of my ability.
*The underlining motive for godly leadership ought to be rooted in love. I therefore need to love everyone especially the “unlovable.”
*The measure of my leadership will be based on the sacrifices I make to this organization and the community. I will therefore sacrifice my time, resources, and talents to this organization.
*The authority of my leadership is submission. I will submit to the rest of the leadership of this organization including the Executive and Board members.
*The chief purpose of my leadership is helping God’s servants lead his people from here to eternity. That is why I will seek not to be distracted from the gospel’s message.
*The glory ascribed to my leadership ought to go to God because he along deserves the glory, honor and praise.
*The tools God has given to me to lead are his Word and prayers and I will cling to them like never before.
*The privilege I have in leading is growth. May God help me grow through this process.
*The power of my leadership is the Holy Spirit. I will therefore rely totally on the Holy Spirit who shall enable me to perform the tasks ahead.
*The model that I seek to emulate is Jesus Christ, my Master and no one else.
What have been stated above are based on true conviction from the Lord. It is God’s way of reminding me that many leaders have risen and fallen. Many godly leaders have led believers closer to God while some have led them away from God because of pride, money, sexual immorality, lack of wisdom, etc. It sometimes becomes frightful from a man’s perspective when one considers all that could go wrong. However, I give God praise that we are not relying on our human abilities to do what he has called us to do. His Spirit has been given to us to enable us fulfill our assigned tasks. The day we cease to rely on the Holy Spirit, is the day when this organization will come to an end and our individual ministry will stop producing the fruits needed for kingdom building.
Given the tasks ahead of primarily pointing this community to Jesus, promoting unity amongst Liberian Ministers in the State of Minnesota, forming prayer partnership, supporting the different Liberian congregations in MN, seeking avenue to stimulate spiritual, academic, intellectual and emotional growth among Liberian ministers, mentoring younger Liberian pastors and ministries and providing spiritual and moral guidance in the Liberian community, we can not rely on our own strength. We have to rely on God to help us accomplish these tasks.
I therefore urge my fellow ministers to give themselves to prayer, the study of the Word and to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I also encourage you to work tirelessly in promoting the kingdom of God and this organization. Finally, I beseech you to live a life worthy of your calling. And in so doing, if there is anything we can do to help you and your ministry, please don’t hesitate to call upon us.
To the Liberian community in Minnesota, it is an honor and a privilege to serve you and the Lord. We do not take our responsibilities as spiritual leaders lightly. However, it is important that you understand that there is and ought to be a distinction between the church and a political or social organization. In as much as we would like to be a part of the political fabric of this community, we can’t. This does not mean that we will stand by and let the community disintegrate. No! We will be on our knees praying for unity and conducting quiet diplomacy. On key issues affecting this community like immigration, the multiplication of churches, drugs and crime, the current home crisis, just to name a few, this organization is will with the Organization of Liberian in Minnesota, other faith communities, and friends of Liberia to address these issues for the betterment of our people. We will be willing and ready to help (within the defined perimeters) if called upon. Hence, call upon us to help whenever necessary. Thanks for trusting us as your pastors and spiritual leaders. We will do everything we can to uphold the name of Jesus. By the way, if for any reason you have substantial reason to call into question the credibility of a religious leader within our community, we will appreciate you bringing it to our attention and we will give it our highest attention. We want to be people that you can trust and have confidence in. We represent the Lord and want to be preserve that image.
Finally, this website is intended to disseminate religious information about what is happening in our churches and community. It is my hope that you will find the content spiritually uplifting, intellectually challenging, emotionally rewarding, religiously stimulating and mentally relaxing to the praise and glory of God.
