Leadership Styles

by Rusty Bullerman

Having had 10+ years of flying fighters in the Air Force, one of the maxims was "You fight like you train."

The lesson is very simple. There may not be live fire or missles or deadly threats on this mission, but you must train like there is, respond like there is, and if you don't maneuver properly, you are dead.

The lesson was easily extended to leadership. Although we were in a peace-time mode, the leadership had to direct, communicate, and execute their responsibilities just as if we were at war.

Their tactical and strategic vision could not be allowed to entertain that this may not be for keeps. They kept the vision, issues, tactics, intelligence (what the enemy is doing), and training clearly before us to keep us as sharp as possible. We went on numerous deployments to hone our skills in unfamiliar terrain and on targets that we hadn't seen. Everything was geared for the day that it all counted and people were going to get hurt.

The lesson for the church is that we mistakenly believe that we are in peace-time mode of operation. Much of our leadership and training is administrative. We don't recognize the enemy, his tactics and our role in countering him.

The vision is blurry and indistinct. The training fills squares and doesn't develop skills. It really doesn't make much difference what we do. We have reduced our losses (to adultery, homosexuality, dishonesty, etc.) to an acceptable level. We don't see it as it is.

The solution is that leadership has to understand the fatal consequences of the lack of vision. It leads to inept and inadequate training and no skill set. We get picked off rather than resist.

Leadership must recapture a clear vision of the conflict, the issues, what the enemy is doing and our Master's mandate. The effort must be wrapped around these things. Our praise and worship and training must be evaluated against this grid.

Anything that doesn't contribute to the honor of God, the ability of the saints to identify, neutralize, resist and overcome the devil and his plans, and push ahead the mandate of Christ must be pruned from the agenda.

We must see afresh and anew that lives and souls are at stake and God has entrusted the flock and His kingdom to the likes of us.

Shalom,
Rusty Bullerman