Worship and Leadership
It was the beginning of my senior year of high school. I had worked hard during the summer to make the physical gains I thought I needed to compete at a higher level athletically. I received word in the first days of school that my baseball coach wanted to see me after classes dismissed for the day. It wasn’t baseball season yet so I couldn’t imagine what he might want. The year previous I had led the team in hitting and I had been the starting catcher since I was a freshman. I respected my coach and had a good relationship with him but what he was about to ask of me was a complete shock. Not that he would ask such a question but that he would ask it of me. When I went to see him that day he looked at me and said, “Aaron, I need something from you this year.” I said, “Okay, what is it?” He replied, “I need you to be a leader. This year it doesn’t matter so much if you are the best player on the team…I need you to lead this team.” I looked at him and said, “Uh…okay…” and left. That was the end of one of the most important conversations I’ve had in my life. I went away in a haze of elation and confusion. No one had ever asked this of me before. It was so exciting! Wait a minute…No one had ever asked this of me before!!! That was very intimidating! I had no idea what he meant by the term “leader”! I did know one thing though; from that day on I was going to commit myself to finding out. As I watched my coach and observed him as a man as well as a coach he became a mentor. In fact, later on, he told me that he stayed that year to teach and coach because of me. (The next year he began to initiate his plan to pursue a career in public service as a State Representative in Missouri.) I don’t know that I’ve ever been paid a higher compliment.
Since that day I have committed myself to studying leaders and leadership. One thing that was true 17 years ago remains true today. A leader is someone who other people follow. Rocket science…I know. Some of you are probably saying, “Hey genius, we all learn this lesson when we are 3 years old watching Peter Pan singing, ‘…Following the leader, the leader, the leader...We’re following the leader wherever he may go…Toe Doe, Tee Dee…’ ” True. Childhood games teach us many things. Don’t make me get into the morbid connotations of “Ring around the Rosie.” But even in childhood games like Follow the Leader, if the leader is not leading somewhere worth going no one is going to follow.
In an age where there are more books and “experts” on leadership than grains of sand on the beach I do not claim to add any new revelation to an already saturated topic. I only wish to make one clear point. I have found in my experience that those who proclaim themselves as leaders seldom are. Self proclamation or position does not a leader make. A leader is made by those who follow. A leader does not lead until his followers are willing and able to follow. The true pronouncement of a leader comes from his followers. A leader is as dependent, if not more so, on followers than followers on a leader. Following establishes leadership. True leadership cannot establish itself. If a leader does not instigate a definitive course and direction no one will follow. Therefore, he will not lead.
Leaders emerge everywhere from the playground to national governments. I must say, it is arguable as to which holds more glory though, to be a lasting bit of folklore and a legend in the annals of playground mythology or to garner the national and possibly even global acclaim associated with political notoriety. Hmm…I’m not so sure it isn’t the former…(???)
Some say the source and main component of leadership is charisma and charm, linking it to an accommodating and likable personality. I disagree. I have observed many different leaders and each have their own quirks and eccentricities. Not all leaders are charming or charismatic by nature. Take the arts for example. Many leaders and innovators in creative and performing arts, while accomplishing amazing things in their respective art forms, are publicly awkward, soft-spoken and often reclusive. Some folks may even question the artist’s mental and emotional capacities. Yet, they are respected leaders and objects of much emulation. Although, genius and emulation alone do not qualify a person as leader. Leadership is not exclusively intelligence, knowledge, courage, wisdom, vision, motive, inspiration, strategy, management, creativity, authority, organization, influence, control, etc… I believe that leadership is the inexpressible, intuitive ability to exercise any of the above characteristics, under qualifying circumstances, for the ultimate good of those following. Consider the quotes below:
"Leadership… means obvious and wholehearted commitment to helping followers… leaders are men of the heart who are so helpful that they, in effect, do away with the need of their jobs. But leaders like that are never out of a job, never out of followers. Strange as it sounds, great leaders gain authority by giving it away."
Admiral James B. Stockdale
"To lead people, walk beside them ... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence…When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!'"
— Lao-tsu
"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others."
Jack Welch
"The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already."
— John Buchan
If there is a common trait in a true leader, in my opinion, it is interest, care, and compassion for the well-being, development and advancement of the follower. If I had to say it in one word it would be…Promotion. Seldom is a leader’s attention on himself. The leader is the person that needs a constant reminder for personal refreshing and improvement because she is nearly always focused outward. This applies directly to the role of a worship leader no matter the venue, concert hall or church platform. Because, really, whether your ministry is a concert ministry or a church worship leader you are worshiping and honoring God by your testimony while exalting Jesus as Savior with your songs. You are leading people. Your ministry isn’t all about you. Think back to the time when you felt the notion from the Holy Spirit to do what you do. When God called you surrendered. Your life was no longer your own. You became God’s instrument to use, according to his will, to broaden and encourage the Body of Christ. While the eyes of your heart stay always on the Lord, may your attention be ever on those that God puts before you. You may call them your fans or they may be your congregation, no matter, just pay attention to what moves them…what touches them. If the Lord consistently uses you to move them and speak deeply into their lives you are their worship leader. Whether or not you consider yourself to be is inconsequential…that’s only a matter of semantics. Leaders emerge from everywhere…from the playground to the Prevost.
Aaron Unthank
http://www.aaronunthank.com
p.s. I would love to hear stories about an influential leader in your life. Please share in the comments section…
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Danny, 
Written: 09/01/2007 
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Aaron Unthank
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