Course Review: Leading Like Nehemiah

 Information about the Course

This is an advanced Lay Ministry course offered by BeADisiciple.com called Leading Like Nehemiah.  This is a course offered as part of the Wesley Academy for Advanced Christian Studies, created in partnership with Wesley Theological Seminary and BeADisciple.  The course instructor is Darla Theiler, and it includes videos with Rev. Dr. Lovett Weems.  The course is six weeks long. Each week involves a small amount of Bible Study, viewing a 5 minute video of Rev. Dr. Weems speaking about the current topic for that week, answering three out of five questions each week (and posting the answers) and participation in online discussions.

The course can be part of a certification called Certificate in Advanced Christian Study.  The certificate involves completion of six courses such as this one.  The course can also be taken as a stand alone option.

Summary

From the website: (This course) looks for wisdom in the story of an often-overlooked Bible character: Nehemiah, and his testament to the holy calling of leadership. The story of the rebuilding of Jerusalem is well known. Lesser known are the lessons Nehemiah provides to the faithful leader today, lessons like: the role of prayer, discernment of vision, development of a team, and perseverance through the inevitable challenges today’s church leader faces. Join us in this six-week course to explore these virtues of faithful leadership. 

Impressions

This course was less involved than other courses I've taken through this program, but the topic was interesting. In order to prepare prior to the start of the course, I read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah - this was not a requirement of the course. Each week requires a small reading from the book of Nehemiah, a little journaling of your thoughts (that are not submitted), and viewing the video of the week (much shorter than other class videos). Each week has five questions for review. I answered all five, but only posted three answers (per the class instructions). Each week, students are required to respond to other people's posts - at least two significant responses each week. This wasn't hard to accomplish.

A few things I noticed that were different than other courses through this program:

• The lessons were not posted ahead of time. I wish they had been, because sometimes it is necessary for me to work ahead in order to negotiate my schedule. That was not possible with this set up - class material was posted on the Sunday of each week.
• The teacher, unlike other classes, rarely posted responses to students' posts. I missed this because previously the leaders' posts had always kindled conversation. The instructor did create and post (for four of the weeks) a long, involved summary of responses, which must have been time intensive for her to complete. Those were nice, but I missed the interaction.
• Because of the lack of involved reading assignments, I feel like I didn't learn as much as I usually do in these classes. Usually, a class will have a recommended text (but not required) text. This one did not. After the class was over, I did purchase and read a Nehemiah commentary, but it was terrible (review here).

The class was good. The topic was good as were the points that were made. I feel as if I learned much about the book of Nehemiah through the study of it. I would recommend the course, although I am not as enthusiastic about it as other courses I have taken.

Posts about the Class

Posts about the class will have the tag Nehemiah Leadership

Discouraged?

 Have you ever felt discouragement when involved in a lengthy or daunting task? What was most challenging? What kept you going?

 I remember sitting in a meeting of a few conference leaders, listening to a presentation about the new “initiatives and programs” to increase church vitality. It felt like I was listening to the same presentation from past meetings, and that we were pretending that this was all new and curative. I think church revitalization is a lengthy and daunting task, and I am often discouraged, even in my own local church.

What makes it the most challenging is that we often only see the lack of progress. There might sometimes be experiences of the Spirit and “successes,” but most often we see empty pews and the lack of children among us.

What keeps me going is when I am involved in new parts of the vision or with people who are excited for the work. Examples would be the members of  the Conference CLM class that I teach, who are so passionate about following their call, or the sweet spirit of an Annual Conference when that spirit hasn’t always been their lately, or when someone who has felt excluded and separated from the church finds a home in our church.

Coming Together

Many different workers employed various skills in repairing different portions of the wall. As you work with groups, have you seen people with different gifts and abilities come together? Why is this important to successful group efforts? How can we recognize and engage the gifts of others? 

Yes, I have seen that in different groups, people with different gifts and abilities come together to accomplish the task. I’ve seen this in our staff – each person having different gifts and roles and working collaboratively to not only do their work but to help others as necessary. This type of collaboration is important because no one has all of the gifts and time to do the work. We not only need each other, but we need what each of us can bring to the work. It’s an illustration of the body of Christ. In order to recognize and engage the gifts of others, it is important to let people do their part – to recruit people and to delegate the work. Give them leeway to do the work the way they see best, and trust them to do it. Watch what they do with the eye to recognize their gifts. Encourage people in their work, praising the good work they do, even as sometimes it is necessary to provide constructive criticism.

Defining Reality

Nehemiah’s simple statement, “You see the trouble we are in,” is a succinct reminder that one of a leader’s most critical roles is to define reality. What are the troubles plaguing your congregation or community? How might you learn more about your community’s needs?

At our Annual Conference last weekend, we heard a presentation from Michael Beck (https://michaeladambeck.com/).  A couple of things rang true for me regarding the issues in our churches and communities (and I think they apply to my church and community).  He said we are in an epidemic of loneliness; the people around us feel alone.  In addition, 1 in 3 Americans have faced religious trauma.  When people come to our churches (if they do), they are met with a lack of compassion.  He also said that we answer the questions they are not asking – the question they are asking is how to find wholeness.

I think these are all issues that are facing my own church community.  I believe they are often motivated by a self-preservation as a church. They find it hard (in some ways) to demonstrate to the unchurched that there is a reason that they could find what they are searching for at our church. Some of us are not very good at reaching out to people who do not attend church and inviting them to join us (followed through with “walking with them” when they accept the invitation.

In our community, issues that define reality are sometimes addiction, busyness, lack of community, and a lack of conviction that church could bring them what they are searching for.

I think ways to learn more about your community’s needs include training from experts who have intentional studies of your community to share.  Also, our conference offers access to Mission Insight, a demographics service that can describe your specific church community.  Prayer can help us to discern our community’s needs.  And the most direct method would be to ask them. 

Factors Impacting a Vision

 Paying careful attention to Nehemiah 2:11-18, we learn that a variety of factors influenced the shaping of his vision. What were the important elements contributing to his vision? What can contemporary leaders learn from this?

 

A few thoughts:

• He spent some time in discerning, for himself, the current conditions in Jerusalem. He didn’t rely on what others were telling him. I think we fall into an uninformed trap when we only listen to what others are saying about a situation. We need to work to determine for ourselves what current conditions are – working with God to see where we are will help us to discern where God wants us to go.
• Once Nehemiah had done this, he was able to communicate clearly to those who would be involved in the reconstruction what the mission was – where they were starting and where they would be going. I’ve seen really good fundraisers do this. They will explain the current situation to a group of people, and then invite them to join in the ministry of meeting the needs that are before them.
• He explained to the group (I assume this is the nobles, the priest, the officials, and those who would do the work) that “the hand of God had been gracious” and the King was supporting him. I think we learn from this not only that we are following God in what we are doing, but that we need to communicate that to those who will be involved in the ministry. It is an act of faith to share a God given mission (and that it is a mission given by God). 

Clear Vision

Effective leadership requires a clear vision. Can you think of times in the life of your church when you were guided by a clear, inspiring vision? What impact did it have?

Several years ago, our church did a “natural church development” evaluation (determining what parts of the “wall” were broken).  We decided we did not have a clear mission or vision. We worked with a facilitator to develop and discern those statements. At one point in the process, when we felt “stuck,” our pastor sent us out to different parts of the church to sit, meditate, and pray. We came back and finished the statements.  I’m not sure if they have always guided the work we do – I think in some ways they have – but these many years later, they are still our vision and mission.

 

This next example isn’t a church example, but instead about the Foundation where I work. We undertook a strategic planning process.  During a retreat with our board members, we heard each discussion table bring forth “culture of generosity.” We changed our mission statement and stook strategic steps to integrate that into our work. We now have programming each year to help individuals and churches to develop a culture where generosity is part of their “DNA.” That vision has made a large change in our work as a Foundation, and I hope in our annual conference.

Responding or Reacting

It’s easy to seize on the first idea that comes to us or set off half-cocked in pursuit of a problem or opportunity. But Nehemiah took great time and care to make sure he fully understood the situation and what God expected of him. What might you do to make sure you approach problems in a similarly deliberate manner?

Many years ago, a person told me to “respond and not react” to issues. It took several years for that advice to even make sense to me; I’m glad time and experience has filled in the meaning. Other than prayer, I think responding (and not reacting) to an issue starts with gathering the data about the situation and not just reacting to rumors. For me it is helpful to talk about the issue with a trusted person – sometimes voicing the issue and sharing potential solutions can be helpful – feedback can be Christian conferencing. It’s helpful to ask yourself if there is someone else who is more prepared to respond to the problem. That sounds like passing the buck, but there are times when collaborating with someone else or turning the issue over to them is the most effective answer. If you move forward with a response, then plan goals and strategies – lists are great for outlining the path to take.

Read more »

Have you met Nehemiah?

I mentioned last week that I have started a new online course from Be A Disciple called Leading Like Nehemiah. 

The first question we were asked to answer was if we had read the book and were familiar with it, and what it has meant to us.  I have read the book of Nehemiah before; I can’t remember exactly when – it was either part of a Disciple Bible Study or a Bethel Bible Study. I remember when I read it that I found it to be a hopeful book. After you read from prophets whose ministry was right before or during the exile, reading scripture about a person who was returning to Jerusalem to rebuild it felt hopeful – as if there was to be a future for God’s people.

In addition, I’ve been troubled by the commands from Ezra and Nehemiah that the Israelites divorce their foreign wives. What happened to them? I compare that to the book of Ruth; she was a foreigner who became the ancestor of Jesus.

I’m sure I’ll post about the class again, but this is where I started.

 

Nehemiah

Today, I'm starting a new online class from Be A Disciple as part of my goal to complete the Certification in Advanced Christian Studies - Wesleyan Emphasis.  The course is Leading like Nehemiah.

In order to prepare for the class, I decided to read the book of Nehemiah and list some of the leadership characteristics I see.  I made the list from the chapters in the book that part of the Nehemiah Memoir (the first person sections). Here they are followed by the chapter number in which I found them:

• Determines current conditions (ch 1)
• Prays (ch 1)
• Asks for the help he needs (ch 2)
• Evaluates current conditions again, inspecting the wall (ch 2)
• Invites others to join in ministry - invitation through expressing God's will - no guilt.  It is an expression of Henri Nouwen's invitation to the ministry of generosity. (ch 2)
• As he speaks of repairs, he is aware of and lists those who were involved (gratitude to volunteers) (ch 3)
• Aware of the threat against what they are doing.  Responds (does not react). More prayer (ch 4)
• Responds also to the attitude of those involved in the work. (ch 4)
• Once again responds rather than reacts ("After thinking it over") (ch 5)
• Aware of the poor and helps them (ch 5)
• Aware of threats (ch 6)
• Delegates and provides instruction (ch 7)
• Dedication of the wall demonstrates thanksgiving to God (ch 12)
• Leads people in thanksgiving (ch 12)
• Provides administration, correction and leadership (ch 13)
• Not afraid of conflict (sometimes too extreme) (ch 13)