Purpose Over Preference

By Doug Franklin January 31, 2013

If you are going to lead a ministry team you are going to need to serve them. We have all heard this and we struggle to make it happen. Putting away ourselves and what we want to have happen is hard. We can do it for a short period of time but it’s hard to do it everyday. So how do you serve your team as a leader?

In my leadership position here at LeaderTreks I have thought about this a great deal. I know I need to direct this company forward to the vision that God has given me but at the same time I want to bring people along in a way that allows them to carry the vision. I do this by putting purpose over preference. I replace my desires as the leader with the purpose of our organization. So Doug Franklin is not the focal point of LeaderTreks; instead leadership development drives our thinking and actions at LeaderTreks. The difference is subtle but very important. With our purpose as our guide I am able to serve people through helping them live out our purpose. This is also a call to action; when staff members see me putting purpose over preference they are inspired to do the same. It seems silly to want their own way when the leader is living out a different paradigm. We do hard work of intervening in students lives and calling them to live differently. This work comes with rejection and can cause you to want to pull back and not intervene but when purpose drives you, you put away your personal preference and get right back to challenging students.

A few things to consider:

1. You need a purpose. A clear vision of the future that will inspire and motivate your team.

2. You need commitment. A determination to put self aside.

3. You need perseverance. A willingness to be the one who serves first and longest.