The Leader Who Shines.....Connects with Rest

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday
Oct 202010

Submitted by Victoria Robinson

The most effective spiritual leaders lead with a heart that has found spiritual rest.  To do this PWOC leaders must be willing to examine their inner life.  This involves examining priorities and understanding what the “rest of God” means.

This rest is not about inactivity.  It is about a heart that is surrendered to God.   Ministry is an overflow of that rest.

According to Francis Frangipane: “The Hebrew word for rest was “nuach” and among other things it meant “to rest, remain, be quiet.”  It also indicated a “complete envelopment and thus permeation,” as in the spirit of Elijah “resting” on Elisha. God seeks a relationship where he can “completely envelop and thus permeate” every dimension of our lives; where He can tabernacle, remain and be quiet with us.”

Jesus modeled a life at rest with His Father.   He encourages us to receive this rest in Matthew 11:28-29:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

#1- Come to me

As leaders we need to have a lifestyle of “coming to Jesus.”

This takes intentionality and consistency. Choose a time of day, a place in your home and have everything ready to meet with the Lord. A bible and maybe a journal can help our focus.

#2 –all you who are weary and burdened

When leaders are asked; “How are you?” all too often the answer is “fine.  What if the Holy Spirit asks you the same question?  If you are weary and burdened you need to be honest before God so that He can take the weariness and burdens from us and exchange them for His peace and rest.

#3- and I will give you rest

Too many leaders have a misconception that God wants them to take on more responsibilities, but the goal of the Christian life is to become like Christ.  Once we understand this we can receive the rest He gives.

#4-Take my yoke upon you and learn of me and you will find rest for your souls.

We are to live a life of learning more about Jesus, and then we find His promised rest!

Rest is not inactivity but a surrendered heart.  It is a holy habit of spending time with God.  We are then able to hear from God and order our priorities.  This results in a life of physical, emotional and spiritual rest.

The hymn “Jesus I am resting, resting” helps us know our burdens are lifted and we are leaders made whole by the rest of God.

Jesus I am resting, resting
In the Joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

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A Leader Who Shines....Connects with Eternity

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday
Oct 132010

Submitted by Brenda Pace, SE Titus II, W.I.L.D. Leadership Training Team


Here’s the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): Leadership is about people!

It’s not about programs, activities, or events; it’s about people.  And, the BLUF about people is: they are eternal!

A good leader will place her focus on what is most important. If the topic were how to lead well in business, the important focus would most probably be a core product. However, we are talking about leading women in the ministry of Protestant Women of the Chapel, and the important focus for this ministry is the value of an eternal soul.

Practically speaking, in women’s ministry we often include components that are fun to do or appealing to the eye. These things are welcome and valued, but they should all be linked to what is most important—the eternal component. I encourage you as you begin this new PWOC year to evaluate leadership accomplishments for their eternal value.

Ask questions like these that will help in the process of evaluating this goal throughout the year:

1) Have the women who attend PWOC been strengthened in their faith in God?

2) Have they been equipped to deal with things that would discourage and defeat them?

3) Have they been challenged to glorify God as their highest priority?

4) And, the most important question: have they accepted Christ as their Savior?

For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done.

1 Corinthians 3:11-13 (NetBible)

In this passage Paul refers to the many things we do that are of temporal value, as opposed what we build upon the foundation of Christ. He makes the point that sometimes we do things that will simply burn and be gone. Those things that withstand the purifying fire from a temporal to an eternal transformation are the things of real value. These are the things we are to build into our lives and the lives of the women we lead.

_________

Submit comments or suggestions to leadershipdevelopment@pwoc.org

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A Leader who Shines…Connects with Development

Leadership Development
Sep 222010

Submitted By Tracie Warren

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth).”

Ephesians 5:8-9 (NIV)

PWOC’s third aim is, “to DEVELOP in women the skills of prayer, evangelism, stewardship and social service, against a background of personal spiritual development.”  This involves much more than simply teaching women particular skills.  According to merriam-webster.com, the definition of teach is “to impart knowledge; to cause to know something.”  The definition of develop, on the other hand, is “to make visible or manifest; to subject (exposed photograph material) especially to chemicals in order to produce a visible image.”  Do you see the difference?  I can know something, yet not manifest it in my behavior.  I can learn new information, yet never apply it to my life.  If we consider teaching to engage the head, the mind, with information, developing engages the heart and leads to transformation.

This presents a challenge to PWOC leaders because simply presenting information is not enough.  Somehow we have to create an environment where women (ourselves included) not only hear the information, but internalize it and allow it to be made evident through our behaviors.  We need to create an environment that encourages life-transformation, an environment that produces spiritual fruit.  That is a tall order, and thankfully, it is one we don’t have to take on alone.  Scripture promises the presence of the Holy Spirit.  It is God who works in us “to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Phil 2:13).  We are not ultimately responsible for the transformation of those we lead, however, we’re not completely off the hook either.  We do have a responsibility to cooperate with the Spirit and encourage transformation within the body.

So what can we do to promote development, to encourage transformation?  I believe the best thing we can do is live it, be a model.  If we want women to be transformed, we need to be transformed.  If we want women to develop in prayer, we need to develop in prayer.  There is a slogan I’ve seen around town recently that says, “Be the Change.”  Let us be the change we want to see in the women of our PWOCs.  Let us lead by example, modeling the transformation that accompanies the Christian life.  Let us live as “children of the light” shining as a “city on a hill” (Matt 5:14).

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The 2VP – Leadership Development update is published on the third Wednesday of each month. Submit comments or suggestions to leadershipdevelopment@pwoc.org

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A Leader Who Shines…Connects with Attentiveness

Leadership Development
Aug 312010

Attentiveness to our connection with Christ is called self-leadership. The term is a bit of a misnomer. In Christ, it should be less of a “self” work and truly a cooperative work with the Holy Spirit, because the most challenging person to lead is usually our self.

Oswald Chambers wrote, “The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private communion we have with Him.” These are challenging words for us as leaders to consider.

If the hardest person to lead is our self, then the self-discipline of keeping our self connected to God is crucial. It is an important and intricate balance between allowing God to be God in and through us – and being so self-sufficient that we don’t allow God to reign sovereignly as our Lord.

Paul told Timothy, “Watch your life and doctrine closely” (1 Tim. 4:16). If “doctrine” makes up the formal curriculum – God’s Word, “life” can be both the hidden side and how we live. The Message states it like this, “Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching.”

Character is defined as who you are or what you do when no one is looking – out of the sight of public activity.

But always, the One is looking. As we attend to our private communion with God and His Word through the power of the Holy Spirit, we keep connected and this relationship shapes our character.

Paul goes on to say, “Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation.”

As leaders we carry the mantle of responsibility and necessity to be attentive to our connection with Christ. Our character – our self-leadership depends on it. We have a leading role in leading others to Christ and in the shaping of souls. We can’t lead others where we are not.

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A Leaders who Shines..Connects with Excellence (II)

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday
Aug 182010

By Brenda Pace

Here’s a leadership question for you: Does excellence matter to God? Does God care about quality? Is He concerned with how well things are done? Some would say, “No, all God cares about is the heart.” That is true—kind of. God is primarily concerned with the heart; but God cares about excellence as an expression of the heart. The way I serve God, whether it is in church, home, or the workplace, reveals what is in my heart. The goal of a Christian leader is to honor God in every area of life through a spirit of commitment and a motivation to glorify Him. It’s not the things that I do that God cares about; rather it’s what those things say about my heart.

Excellence in God’s sight isn’t being the best; it’s being my best.

God has blessed each of us with gifts and talents.  Excellence depends on being committed to the development and usage of the abilities the Lord has given.  When someone has the talent but not the commitment they are often lazy and slothful and God condemns this in His Word.  When someone has the commitment but not the talent they are often unproductive and ineffective.  But, when we are committed to use the talents given to us by God and rely on the power available to us through the Holy Spirit, the result is EXCELLENCE.  This excellence is what glorifies God.

Why strive for excellence?
God deserves our best! Scripture states: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11 NIV).

There are many good and worthy causes to which I can devote time, but there is only one cause that is worthy of every ounce of work, devotion, sacrifice, and dedication. That cause is serving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

What about excellence in PWOC ministry?

Today’s women lead busy lives. When they invest their time, money or energy in something, they want it to be worthwhile. Poor planning and careless organization lead to mediocre results. Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, makes two comments about excellence in ministry: It honors God, and it inspires people. These are worthy ministry goals!

Summing it up

The core purpose of excellence in ministry can be summed up in these words from Colossians 3:23-24:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (NIV).

This tells me that excellence in ministry is:

1)   Encouraged by a heart to honor God and fulfill His will

2)   Exhibited in the giving of one’s best as an act of worship to God

3)   Expressed through faithful service to God and His purpose

May God bless you as you seek to serve Him with all your heart!

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A Leader Who Shines...Connects with Love

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday
Aug 042010

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.“ John 13:34-35 (NIV)

A Leader Who Shines… Connects with Love

Christ had a genuine love for the people He served – us. To serve us – He took the earthly form of a man, even though He was the Son of God. To serve us – He became a sacrifice, although He was a King. Christ is our shining example and model of leading with love.

As disciples of Christ we are called to servant leadership. This is not “naturally” an easy thing to do. We enter this world believing “it’s all about me.” There is some heart work to be done by God and our parents right from the beginning! As we step into leadership we really need to examine our hearts’ motivation. As Christ leads our hearts and minds we lead with the right motivation. Our best source of heart leading material is God’s Word.

According to Oswald Chambers, “the measure of the words of our public activity for God is the private communion we have with Him.” Our private communion with God through prayer and His Word is invaluable as a servant leader. Through His Word, God shines light into the dark places and fills those places with His wisdom. The Greek definition of the word for wisdom, sophia, includes the content and truth of the Word as well as the application of the Word. Blessedly, the Holy Spirit teaches and reminds us to apply His wisdom as servant leaders. Left to our own understanding, we can tend to puff up ourselves when we gain a little knowledge and a leadership position. 1 Corinthians 8:1 states that to God’s glory, “love builds up” and that the leader “who loves God is known by God.”  His is a Name to drop! “Yes, I am known by God!”

Jesus counseled His disciples when they got carried away in their understanding and being name-droppers. In Matthew 20:25-28 He fills them in about how man lords position, knowledge and power over others. Not so with His leaders. He calls us to serve and give as He so lovingly did for us.

If we love God and are known by Him, we will love those we lead and they will know that we are Christ’s disciples.

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3 (NIV)

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Addressing PWOC Changes Part 2

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday, President's Pen
Jun 162010

This post is part two of a three part series. Please see Part One here.

Spiritual Development: The PWOC International Executive Board has been tracking some very disturbing trends with regard to the prime target age of women who could potentially come to know the Lord through the ministry of PWOC.  The main age groups of women who enter the military either by active duty or dependent status are 18-28 years of age.  At the lower end of this age group, 18-23 year olds, there is a very alarming trend, which we all need to be aware of and concerned about.  I spoke about this trend at all of the regional conferences I attended this past fall and have mentioned it as well in the PWOCI Executive Board 2010 Vision video located on our web site.

There are numerous reports and books being written about the lost generation of young adults who have disconnected from the truth of who God is.  One such group is the Barna Group.

The Barna Group, a leading spiritual trending research organization who is widely known for their research and comments on church related trends, has published a few reports which have caused the PWOCI Board and our regional leadership to shutter and become impassioned in making some changes in order to reach out to these in need. In the Barna Group’s article titled: Barna Survey Examines Changes in Worldview Among Christians Over the Past 13 Years, stated, “Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview.  The research data showed that one pattern emerged loud and clear:  young adults rarely possess a biblical worldview.  The current study found that less than one-half of one percent of adults in the Mosiac generation – i.e., those aged 18-23- have a biblical worldview, compared to about one out of every nine older adults.”[1]

Also in another Barna Group article titled: Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years, stated, “that despite strong levels of spiritual activity during the teen years, most twentysomethings disengage from active participation in the Christian faith during their young adult years – and often beyond that.  In total, six out of ten twenty- somethings were involved in a church during their teen years, but have failed to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood.”[2] For more information, I invite you to go to their web site at www.barna.org to read these articles in their entirety.

In order to better respond to this apparent assault on our young adults, we have taken steps to help support our leadership and the women that we want to reach:

  • In the past term of the 2006-2008 PWOC International Board and its regional leadership, we took a hard look at our PWOC Aims.  In doing so, we knew that we had a real treasure and road map for intentional discipleship –
  1. To lead women to accept Christ as personal Savior and  Lord
  2. To teach women the history, beliefs and programs of the Church, all built on a solid foundation of worship and Bible study
  3. To develop in women the skills of prayer, evangelism, stewardship and social service, against a background of personal spiritual development
  4. To involve women in the work of the chapel, in keeping with their abilities and interests

These unique PWOC Aims provided a springboard to propel the next 2008-2010 PWOC International Executive Board into the vision the Lord would share with us for helping the lost find their way.

  • Knowing that Biblical Worldview was on the decline, we wanted to develop an intentional, ministry wide foundational Bible study.  We partnered with American Bible Society and Scripture Union to develop a woman specific E-100 Bible study.  E-100 is based on a preselected essential 100 Scriptures, which have been determined to be most helpful in starting someone on the path of gaining an understanding the Bible.  This program will be officially rolled out at the 2010 PWOC International Conference and ready for use in the Spring PWOC Bible Study season.
  • In anticipation of having an influx of new women coming into PWOC who may have little Biblical knowledge, we wanted to help them by providing a more intentional child specific education program to run alongside our PWOC meetings.  For this reason and more, the PWOC International Board recently officially approved the start of PCOC – Protestant Children of the Chapel (pronounced Peacock).

This program will help us provide intentional children’s education while we come together to learn from one another in our PWOC meetings.  More information is forthcoming on this later.  We have developed a new position on the PWOC International Board in order to help assist in this new initiative.

  • A focus on intentional prayer has always been a part of PWOC; however, having the web site has assisted us in communicating powerful prayer points on a weekly basis.

Overall, we desire to be very intentional about reaching out to women.  We will provide a safe place for them to meet Jesus in a deep way, so that they will no longer be tossed to and fro by the world’s form of knowledge that they have come to rely upon.  This will in turn affect entire families as women place their hope and trust in Jesus, based upon a firm foundation of knowing Him.

To be continued…

Part Three

[1] Barna Survey Examines Changes in Worldview Among Christians Over the Past 13 Years, March 6, 2009, http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/21-transformation/252-barna-survey-examines-changes-in-worldview-among-christians-over-the-past-13-years?q=examines+changes+worldview+among+christians

[2] Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years, September 11, 2006,  http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/16-teensnext-gen/147-most-twentysomethings-put-christianity-on-the-shelf-following-spiritually-active-teen-years?q=twentysomethings+put

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Addressing PWOC Changes Part 1

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday, President's Pen
Jun 092010

You may have seen the bookmarks given out at the fall conferences or posted on our FaceBook site.  On the bookmark, we mentioned that the PWOC International Board and Joint Council (PWOCI Board along with the 8 regional presidents combined) have been considering some changes within PWOC.  I also mentioned some “needed changes” on our PWOC International Executive Board 2010 Vision video, which is now located on our website. I would like to address this in more detail with you.

As you may remember in my January 2009 President’s Letter, I mentioned that we were introducing the new Women’s Ministry Manual; Official Leaders’ Policy and Guidelines of Protestant Women of the Chapel and the new name for Traveling Training: W.I.L.D. – Women Intent on Leadership Development. These two items were the beginning of some of these changes and were a result of the development of PWOC International.

As the 2008-2010 PWOC International Executive Board began meeting and discussing the future needs of the ministry, we began praying about what we were observing and then later responded with recommendations for development and/or change for the related areas of PWOC.

1.   Leadership Development: we know that it is within PWOC’s “DNA” to raise up, train up and send out leaders.  In understanding this, we looked really hard at some of the things that we needed to provide our leaders, which were being addressed in some places and not in others.  In looking at our current leadership training offerings, we found that –

  • Traveling Training did a wonderful job of going out to the masses and training on topics of spiritual development and team building.
  • Most regions offered some level of leadership training at a central location for local board leadership, primarily that of president and vice president.  They focused their training on leadership issues, regional updates and peer relationship building. There was an exception to this in a few of our regions, which trained additional board positions; however, overall we found leadership training gaps and inconsistencies in our training models across the regions.
  • We needed more time to provide position specific training, which is vitally needed to help women fulfill their leadership roles on a practical level.
  • Chaplains and regional presidents were voicing concerns over issues that were arising within local PWOC’s.  Many of these concerns were based on misunderstandings and a lack of knowledge on practical positional roles, working together as a team and then how to work with their chaplains.
  • Traveling Training could not effectively address individual position training or practical board operations within the training model offered.
  • We needed to be able to cast a unified vision for the ministry, so that we would all be on the same page.  Our annual PWOCI Executive Board DVD video tried to accomplish this; however, it didn’t always connect with the training content or the theme.  We are learning that when all three are in sync with each other, there is a great synergistic effect, which helps our leadership join together in God’s plan for PWOC as a whole.
  • There is synergy and excitement when bringing groups together around a common vision and goal.  Ideas and support flow when we come together in a larger group.  Peer relationship building helps foster growth in both positional roles and in the Lord.

Based upon our findings, the PWOCI Executive Board felt it was time to pull the local leadership teams into one training event.  By working alongside our regional presidents and their boards, we can provide consistent leadership training across the ministry.  We pulled from Europe Region’s ATC (Annual Training Conference) positional training and what we loved about training within Traveling Training, added a few more focus areas such as learning how to minister to those we serve as lay ministry leaders and addressing specific leadership challenge areas and then came up with the new W.I.L.D. Weekend events.  Regional presidents still have the ability to encourage, mentor and update their local leadership through the W.I.L.D. Weekend event, as they are the official host for this training.

We know that this is just the beginning of the new W.I.L.D. training model, which will be fine-tuned and changed over the years as leadership needs arise.

To be continued…

Part Two
Part Three

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PWOC International Theme Selection Process

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday
Jun 022010

Now that we have become PWOC International, some have wondered how our ministry selects a new theme.  It all begins a few years out with much prayer to seek the heart of the Lord for our theme.  One of the responsibilities of the PWOC International Executive Board is to hear the Lord on the matter of where He is at work and then cast vision for the whole ministry.  This is quite an involved process, but basically the PWOC International Executive Board comes together after their season of prayer and discusses what they are each hearing from the Lord on the matter.  They then ask the Theme Development Coordinator, Titus II Advisors and Prayer Coordinator to help come alongside them in weighing out matters of understanding what the Lord is saying.  The PWOCI Executive Board will come into a consensus decision on the theme, related Scripture(s) and songs.  Sometimes this is done in stages.  Normally, the theme and Scripture(s) are decided first and then supporting songs follow.  We then go to the PWOC International Joint Council, for their consensus decision.   Once a final consensus decision is made, the PWOC International Theme Development Coordinator goes to work with the President, to determine main theme teaching points and the supporting artwork.  Once all of this is complete, it is rolled out to the PWOC International Board and Regional leadership at the annual PWOC International Vision Week (the meeting place for the PWOCI Board, Regional Presidents and Vice Presidents), to W.I.L.D. (Women Intent on Leadership Development) trainers at W.I.L.D. Train the Trainers weekend, then on to local leadership through W.I.L.D. training and then finally posted on our website June 1st each year for the entire ministry to view and officially begin using during fall kick-off events at local PWOC’s.

In the past, the theme was held as a “secret” and then rolled out for all to see at the local PWOC fall kick off’s, but now we are more desirous that the entire ministry is prepared for the new season in advance.  This year, the PWOC International Board is sharing the vision for where we believe we are headed as a ministry through a DVD presentation posted on our web site for all to see.   We are praying that this will help prepare everyone for this very interesting season we are entering.  This summer, we want you to begin asking neighbors and friends on your military installation to join us for a yearlong adventure at PWOC this coming year.  It is going to be an amazing adventure.

Brenda Marlin, President, PWOCI

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Radically Transient Leadership

Leadership Development, Leadership Wednesday
Apr 282010

submitted by Christine Young, President, PWOC Europe

It’s spring time and I love it.   All the signs are here and that ushers in the exciting (and sometimes character building) arrival of new chapter boards and leadership from continent to continent.   By itself the sheer number of leaders in transition in our ministry reveals that truly God is God and He alone is all powerful and knowing.   Where else on earth would you find more than 150 chapels (churches) switching every leadership position in their women’s ministry?   If we offered up this leadership model (the one year model and then start over) to civilian churches, I think we might get some “interesting” feedback.   And then if we added to that and suggested to civilian churches, “We think we should change the Pastor/Chaplain every two to three years too.”   And then while we’re at it we can throw in, “And we’ll send you to the desert for half of that and send in a pinch hitter.”   Are you giggling yet?

This is our reality.   This is our world.   And this is our ministry.   We are serving in an environment of radically transient leadership.  With a modest estimate of 10 per board and over 150 boards, that infers that more than 1500 leaders are moving and shifting.   Some of them are moving out of the military entirely.   Some are moving to another region.   Some are continuing on again in service with their same chapter.   That’s considered both a rarity and a luxury in our ministry.   But let it all settle in your mind for a minute.   In the ministry of PWOC, God is placing more than 1500 leaders all over the globe.  Talk about transition.   Logically this does not make sense.   But God.   Short sentence I know.   But God.  Do you see God with His mighty hand outstretched over our ministry?   Do you see His hand of grace placing leader by leader, just where He would have us be?   It does not logically make sense and it would be nearly impossible to convince most churches to replicate what we do, and yet, God makes it all happen.   He did it and will do it again.  He sees you and me and He has made a place for us to serve.  I marvel at the Lord and His infinite wisdom and power in this season of spring.   He makes all things new – and in our ministry, He does that often!   Glory to God.  Let’s give thanks today.

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. – 1 Chronicles 16:8

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