Leadership is the Key

My leadership career began in 1945 as the oldest of five children. I just didn't know it at the time.

Throughout grade school, high school and college, the leadership gift God placed in me lay dormant. It wasn't until I joined the Army in 1962 and four years later attended officer training that the concept of being a leader became somewhat of a reality.

Leadership was a office into which I grew. After college and before I was saved in 1980, I could not define my leadership calling although I occupied the position of a leader as a husband, father, lay ministry head and Army Captain. Leadership is not positional.

In 1988 I entered the full time ministry as senior pastor of a small rural church. It was when I read my first John Maxwell book in 1990, that I discovered what it meant to be a leader. John defined the role of a leader and inspired me to become one.

Maxwell taught that everything rises and falls on leadership. Leaders aren't the smartest, the strongest nor the loudest. They are the individuals who are able to influence others through their attitudes and actions. Leadership is influence.

Tonight as I met with my outreach ministry team leaders at Living Word Christian Center, I heard myself say it again; '"Everything rises and falls on leadership." When I select those individuals with leadership potential and invest my resources in them, my success is guaranteed because leadership is the key.

Best $10 Lunch in Town

Twelve years ago, Living Word Christian Center launched a noontime outreach to the business community called Winners Luncheon. A "luncheon and learn" format featured a delicious meal followed by a leadership presentation from Mac Hammond and a variety of local and national speakers.

The impetus for Winners Luncheon came from the many successful years Pastor Hammond spent in the air freight industry and his desire to share leadership principles for success in business and life. Another reason for the luncheon was to provide a platform by which our members could invite business colleagues, clients, and friends to our church in a non-threatening environment.

The first event was held at the Minneapolis Athletic Club, so it seemed appropriate to call it “Mac at the MAC.” Today, the Winners Luncheon is held on the first Wednesday of each month in our fellowship hall. Several hundred business professionals from throughout the Twin Cities enjoy the best $10 lunch in town as they're taught practical leadership principles from Mac Hammond and a variety of local and national speakers.

Leadership is not just a position. It's also a skill and something that must continue to develop throughout our lives. The Winners Luncheon provides our guests with new leadership insights and powerful principles to help them become a more influential and effective leader.

In the spring of the year, Winners Luncheon takes a one-month break when we host John Maxwell’s Maximum Impact Simulcast in our sanctuary.

The Winners Luncheon is just one more way Living Word is reaching people, touching lives, and making a difference.