When leadership is lacking

Everything rises and falls on leadership. I've written that in many articles in this blog. I'm certainly not the first to say it. John Maxwell wrote about it in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (10th Anniversary Edition), and others have written about it as well.

No organization can rise any higher than its leadership. It's true of churches, businesses, families, and governments. I've seen churches about ready to close their doors, but when a new pastor arrived the church suddenly regained life and became a vibrant place of ministry once again. The difference was in the leadership abilities of the new pastor.

I know of one business that operated for over forty years. It was a strong, profitable business until a new owner began to run it. Within a few years it was forced to close its doors.

Donald Trump surprised many Americans when he was elected President of the United States. He ran on a platform that resonated with many voters. Seven months into his presidency the White House is in shambles with several of his top officials resigning and others seemingly confused about what will happen next. Nothing has been done on many of his top campaigns promises including repealing Obamacare and building a wall between the US and Mexico.

For seven years the Republican party resisted virtually everything President Obama proposed. They fought against Obamacare and promised to repeal it as quickly as possible. Today, they control the White House, the House of Representatives, and the Senate and have not been able to do anything with Obamacare.

Please understand something...I am not saying that Obamacare should be repealed. I'm not saying a wall should be built. This isn't a statement about the desirability of either action. It's a statement about the lack of leadership in the Republican party including those serving in the White House. They are proving to be a party who can only oppose what others want to do but are unable to lead when they have the opportunity.

America needs leadership, and I don't see anything resembling leadership from either party. Leadership requires that opposing parties find ways to work together for the common good of all people. I said it over a year ago, and I'll say it again...there are very few people who deserve to be re-elected to office. Until Americans stop sending the same self-serving individuals to Washington nothing will change.

Our churches need leadership as well. We need men and women who care more about the Kingdom of God than they do about their own preferences and comfort. We need individuals who have God's heart for lost and hurting people and are willing to put the needs of others ahead of their own needs. We need pastors who will preach the Word of God with boldness and authority. We need pastors and lay leaders who have captured God's vision for what their churches could do and will take whatever steps necessary to accomplish that.

Those who are in positions of leadership, whether in the church or government, need to lead. If they are unable or unwilling to do that then they need to step aside and let those who can lead do so.