After the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt, Nehemiah continued working to organize the people. A vast majority of the chapter concerns a census of citizens based on a genealogy of those who first came out of exile (7:6-69). However, a quick lesson that we learn for leadership is that families matter. Now that the restoration of the walls and gates were completed, Nehemiah began to plan for the people’s restoration. This meant taking care of them for populating the city and defending the future. Chapter seven helps us understand planning for succession and growth.
Delegation and leadership development is important for current leadership to consider. One person can’t accomplish everything by his or herself. Leaders need to delegate and therefore, empower other to lead as well. This also makes it necessary to do leadership development. While there needs to be training to build an individual’s skills, there also needs to a well-balanced attempt at developing a strong character for leadership. Recently, I have been personally challenged to become more involved in leadership development in my local church. The following is a list of some workshops I have put together for the leaders where I am the pastor.
Month 1: Spiritual Leadership – Exploring the F.A.S.T acronym of spiritual leadership development.
Month 2: Task & Skill Development – Taking your role in the local church to the next level.
Month 3: Effective Board Governance as Leadership – What is the purpose of a board?
Month 4: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – Learning to do more than one thing well.
Month 5: Simple Church – How to implement Church organizational best practices.
Month 7: The Laws of Teamwork – Learn the 17 laws of working together.
Month 8: The Five Levels of Leadership – Learn to lead through relationships.
Nehemiah leads the charge in finding a successor to take over the defense and management of the walls and gates. Though we would not be as keen to give positions to family, like Nehemiah did, we do see that Nehemiah’s places the qualification at the end of the second verse, “For he was a faithful man, and feared God above many.” Voluntarily leaving an organization is never easy. Whether it is for retirement or following the leading of God to a new place. However, leaders understand that they will not always be here, whatever the cause. In reality, we should be generative in our work, preparing for new leadership to eventually take our place. Remember, a good vision typically outlives the visionary. Our actions today should enable those who lead tomorrow.