Leadership Tips & Training "What Ever Happened to Commitment?

This year has brought about many changes in my life. First, in January my insurance changed, so I had to find all new doctors. Second, in February I had scheduled a First Place leader meeting and had to cancel it at the last minute due to poor weather and calls from leaders saying they would not be able to attend for one reason or another. Then, this past week I called to make a hair appointment with the person who has been my hairdresser for the past six years, and discovered he no longer works at that shop and no one seems to know where he is or what he is doing. All these changes and challenges caused me to wonder, "What ever happened to commitment?"

Commitment in our culture today is hard to find. Even in the church, people seem to shy away from committing too much of their time, talent, or money to any one project or program. The philosophy of "if it feels good, do it" has infiltrated the Christian culture of today. Commitment doesn't always feel good and, in fact, it can be very difficult. People many times view it as binding, rather than freeing. Therefore, when we call our members to commitment, we are truly taking a risk. We risk their rejection of our call and their judging our rigidity.

What I have found is just the opposite. When we call people to a greater commitment, there is a greater result or response. One week I gave out these little pink sheets of paper with "I met the sugar challenge" written on them. I asked my members to commit to saying "no" to sugar for a week. The next week only about 1/4 of the class met the challenge. However, what amazed me was their request for me to make the same challenge weekly. They asked me to call them to commitment and said that the challenge to commit to being sugar-free made them accountable, which motivated them to reach their goal.

John Maxwell, a leadership expert, has said, "Commitment is not an emotion; it's a character quality that enables us to reach our goals." Maxwell has also been quoted as saying, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." If you want to effectively call your members to commitment, then be a leader with commitment.

I have been memorizing and meditating on 2 Peter 1:5-8 over the past month. In these verses are the qualities of a committed and successful leader. The passage ends, (v.8) "For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." What are the qualities that produce a committed leader? (2 Peter 1:5-7)

• Diligence
• Moral
• Knowledgeable
• Disciplined
• Persevering
• Godly
• Kind
• Loving

The list begins with diligence, which means hardworking, conscientious, thorough and attentive. Diligence is a commitment to see things through to the end. All the other qualities on the list are results of diligently seeking God or diligence in faith. When I set out to memorize scripture, the first step was to just do it! I had to make myself write the verse I was memorizing on an index card, and then begin the process of daily saying the verse, praying the verse and thinking about the verse. As a result, God would convict me of a sin or challenge me in an area of weakness, which built moral character. The more I memorized the more I learned about God and the more disciplined I became. Once I saw the results of my commitment to memorize scripture, it made me persevere in my pursuit of godliness. When I pursue godliness, the Lord empowers me to be kind and loving to others. Commitment to scripture memory led me to be committed to prayer, which in turn produced love for others and a commitment to discipleship. In other words, a commitment in one area led me to make commitments in other areas. It also motivated my members to commit to memorizing scripture. Commitment breeds commitment.

Have you asked yourself, "Whatever happened to commitment?" Have you been disappointed by others' lack of commitment? Instead of dwelling on the negative, become a commitment trendsetter! Set out to be a committed leader who seeks the things of God, and reap the rewards of diligence, moral excellence, knowledge, discipline, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love. These qualities will make you a useful and fruitful leader!

Lead on!

Nancy Taylor
Leadership Training Director



Nancy Taylor is the First Place Leadership Training Director and joined the First Place staff in 1997. Nancy teaches leadership principles to First Place Leaders throughout the country and at Houston's First Baptist Church where she coordinates all the First Place groups. Nancy also speaks at First Place workshops, rallies, retreats, and conferences, where she delights her audiences with humor and encourages them with boldness. She writes a monthly article, which includes helpful tips for leaders, for the First Place E-newsletter, and was a contributing writer to the Today is the First Day devotional book. Nancy is the resident First Place Bible Concordance because of her love for Scripture memory.