Tim King Leadership

Culture and the Tall Poppy. Last year I attended a leadership summit with a senior pastor and friend. The main speaker of the summit was The Leader of a large South African denomination. During the course of one of the speakers presentations, my friend leaned over and asked me if it was normal for the man speaking to be so aggressive in his mannerisms and in the way he spoke. I smiled to myself and told him it wasn't   a problem and that he was just being conversational.   What we had here was not a problem with content or teaching but of culture. For many English people the manner in which the person spoke appeared to be aggressive and abrupt, and they found it offensive. For people like myself who have been brought up in Southern Africa I found it clear concise and to the point, it was for me a normal way of speaking. When I first went to live and work in New Zealand I heard a term that I had never heard before. "The Tall poppy syndrome" To have a tall popp...

In my last blog I talked about Church Leaders who are High Achievers and what makes them different from other church leaders. One of the things I pointed to is that High Achievers are more likely to take risks and therefore are more likely to fail. I know, for example that this is true of many secular business entrepreneurs who fail many times before they find that one thing, that one product or idea or concept that propels them onto world business stage, but you rarely read about or hear about   the many times that they failed before they succeeded. Why, therefore do High Achieving church leaders keep going and have huge success? I believe it is for two reasons:                                 1) They are teachable.                 ...

It has been 70 years to the day when Allied Forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in what has become known as the longest day. As I sit here and reflect on that event, and I watch the day unfolding on the TV. I look into the eyes of those old men. British, American and Canadian I see selflessness, determination and great courage. If those men had not done what they did, Europe and the World would be a different place altogether. It would be one ruled by fascism and tyranny. Instead we have freedom. Freedom a word that means so much to so many, in so many different ways. For me as a Christian leader it means I still have the freedom to tell all those lost people-in this free world- the good news. That Jesus Christ died for them, loves them and in him there is true purpose and freedom. I look on those old men and know that the vast majority will not be there on the 80th Anniversary. One old man told the story of being wounded and laying on a stretcher, next to him was a badly wound...

Fruitfulness or Barrenness. Last week I had the privilege of being an observer at the annual conference of a particular church denomination here in the United Kingdom. On the Friday evening the world leader of this movement stood to speak. He was a story teller, and for the next 30 minutes I along with the rest of the congregation sat enthralled and captivated by this man's ability to bring God's word alive to his listeners. His analogies were both apt and sometimes funny. The overall point he made was both penetrating and relevant.   He spoke of fruitfulness and barrenness, he told the stories of women in the bible who were barren and then in the most amazing way how God intervened and they bore a son at just the right time, HIS TIME. He told of Hannah the mother of Samuel and her anguish and her cry to have a child while her husband's second wife- Peninnah- bore many children. The speaker wondered if Peninnah ever bragged or strutted or showed off her children wh...

Over the last few months I have been looking at the concept that everyone has an agenda. One of the things I have said is that even churches have an agenda. Some are cults and want to indoctrinate you into a particular set of beliefs. Others just want your money, if you give you will get mentality. The other day I was challenged as a Christian leader to explain what my ministry agenda was. There are many different churches with many different ministry emphasise, here are a few of my favourites: The End Times emphasis; There are many small churches that have a consistent stream of ministries coming through their churches preaching that the end is near and that Jesus is coming back soon. Or at least by this time next week. They close the doors and let their ears be tickled by the expert analysis given by the expert preacher on the events unfolding right on their doorstep. The money we use is valueless, credit cards are of the devil and a sign of the Antichrist. Europe...

Leadership and Evangelism My wife and I were talking about our childhood and the life we lived growing up. We had a very privileged life -not in regard to wealth or class, but in the way we were brought up and in the culture that we lived in. In the course of our discussion we both hit upon an issue that we don't see in our present life and situation. We said how we missed people just dropping in to see us for coffee and a chat. That impromptu visit from a friend or family member at the weekend- that resulted in an unplanned BBQ or supper and great laughs and conversations that are still remembered to this day. Today if you want to go and visit a church friend or family member you have to phone for an appointment, just like the doctors. Sometimes you have to plan weeks in advance. Relationships are not built around lasting friendships but around a well organised diary. This got me thinking about church. Do we get so busy in church and serving in church that we forget a...