The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has advised people in positions of influence and power, particularly Christian leaders, to always lead by example in order to produce maximum effect.
According to the Chief Scribe, the actions of leaders speak louder to their followers than what they say. “For people to believe in what we say as leaders, we must first lead by example,” he said.
Apostle Kumi-Larbi said this at a graduation ceremony organised by the Shalom Worship Centre last Sunday for graduands of the “Shalom Workers’ College.”
In a sermon titled “Leading by Example: Mentoring and Discipling,” the General Secretary explained that Jesus demonstrated in John 13:1-17 how leaders ought to conduct themselves.
He said that Jesus did not just command His disciples to be humble, love and to serve each other, but He first demonstrated it to them by washing their feet with water, an act that was reserved for servants.
The General Secretary stated that bad leadership where leaders abuse their positions for personal gains, remains the bane of the African continent, saying: “Until we practice what we preach, our leadership would yield little or no results.”
Unlike Christ, he further explained, the Pharisees, who were the teachers of the Law, exhibited religious hypocrisy because they only reveled in the titles and positions accorded them but did not completely follow what they preached (Mathew 23:1-28).
Apostle Kumi-Larbi, therefore, admonished church leaders to do well to subject themselves to the very teachings they proclaim, bearing in mind that the members over whom they preside are observing their actions.
He urged them to regard leadership as a responsibility to serve and not an opportunity to amass wealth for themselves.
Quoting Ezra 7:10, Luke 9:10, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Philippians 4:9, 1 Peter 5:3 and Acts 20:18, among other scripture references, Apostle Kumi-Larbi admonished them to be pacesetters and serve as role models for the followers. He also urged them to mentor young ones and grant them opportunities to also serve.
“Every leader must prepare for his or her exit by making conscious efforts to raise successors, who will take over from them,” he advised.
He, therefore, advised the graduands, made up of presiding elders, ordained officers, ministry leaders, Bible Study and Home Cell leaders etc., to do well to practice everything they had been taught.
He also urged them to be more than teachers to the members, but to “father” them and show genuine concern for their holistic growth, saying that: “Teachers just give information, but fathers pour themselves out.”
Last year, the District Discipleship and Leadership Development Committee (DDLDC) of Shalom Worship Centre organised the Shalom Workers’ College, a 40-week discipleship programme from February to November, to equip the adult youths to effectively influence every sphere of life with Kingdom values and principles.
The graduands, who had successfully completed the programme, were each presented a certificate of participation.
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