Share the article on
this page with a friend. Click
here.
Leadership
for Saints,
Part 8:
Being Part of God’s Miracle by
Rodger Dean Duncan and Ed J. Pinegar
In every sense,
great leaders in the Church are Christ-centered Saints. While their
personalities, styles and skills may vary widely, the common thread
of their character is faithfulness, devotion, love unfeigned, sacrifice
and consecration. They live as though their lives depend on their
character, because they do.
This great statement
by George D. Boardman really puts into perspective the process of
building character: “Sow a thought, and you reap an act; sow
an act, and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character;
sow a character, and you reap a destiny.” It is a process
that takes time and effort. It takes a value system based on moral
principles. It takes self-discipline.
The leader who
aspires to be better works to know himself better. He makes an effort
to explore his spiritual roots.
The scriptures
tell us we are children of God. This knowledge gives us precious
perspective about our own worth.
In the parables
of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son (see Luke 15),
the Savior taught how much our Father loves each of us. In each
parable, Jesus compared that which was lost to the soul of man,
and pointedly declared that there is rejoicing among the angels
over one repentant sinner.
Lethargy and
despondency have no place in us. Instead, knowing what we know about
our spiritual genealogy, we should be motivated to change.
Consider this
perspective from C. S. Lewis:
Imagine yourself
as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first,
perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the
drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on. You
knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.
But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that
hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth
is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different
house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing
here or an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.
You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage,
but He is building a palace.
Our loving Father,
who is the greatest Architect and the greatest Builder, has a plan
for us that’s bigger and bolder than anything we can imagine.
As part of our
climb to be better and to do better as leaders, we can expect some
adversity. When we choose to follow the Savior, we should expect
some suffering, some loneliness and even some occasional injustice.
But in such times, it’s good to recall the words of Orson
F. Whitney, an apostle in the early 1900’s:
No pain that
we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers
to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience,
faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all we endure,
especially when we endure it patiently, purifies our hearts, expands
our soul and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy
to be called the children of God. It is through [this] that we
gain the education that we came here to acquire and which will
make us more like our Father in heaven.
We live in a
time when the world has more distractions and temptations, more
rapid change than ever before in the history of the human family.
Sometimes fighting off worldly distractions feels a bit like trying
to push water uphill with a rake. And yet we can make the journey
safely. We can return home with our spirits intact. But the trip
is fraught with many blind spots, and we must travel with great
care. Part of that great care is being sure that our character is
strong and constantly growing stronger.
One of the great
blessings of leadership is that we often draw strength and insight
from the very people we’re trying to serve.
We love the
story told by our dear friend Ardeth Kapp, former General Young
Women president in the Church. She received a letter from a participant
of a Young Women’s conference attended by several hundred
mothers and daughters: “Dear Sister Kapp. I waited in line
after the meeting and you gave me a hug and said some wonderful
things to me. I was the girl in the green jumper on the second row.
Could you please write and tell me what you said. I forgot and I
want to write it in my journal so I can read it when I’m feeling
down.”
Now that’s the tenderness of youth because this young girl
didn’t fully understand what happened to her. What happened
to her is she felt the Spirit distill upon the occasion and she
wanted somehow to reach back to that spiritual moment. She wanted
to recognize and enjoy—again and again—the tenderness
of her brief time with a great leader.
Isn’t
that really what leadership is all about? Oh, they may say, “Do
you remember me? I was the one in the green dress.” But what
they really mean is, “Help me feel again what I felt when
we were together. Help me feel good about myself. Help me know that
I matter. Help me know that Heavenly Father knows who I am and that
He loves me”
When we allow
ourselves to serve as instruments for righteousness in the Lord’s
hands, others among Father’s children are comforted and strengthened.
Their loyalties are not to us. Their loyalties are to the source
that allows us to be part of the miracle. A great leader will always
clarify that God is the true source of the love and light the people
feel lest he (the leader) be guilty of holding himself up as the
light.
We are part
of God’s miracle—as recipients and as conduits. We’re
also part of the wave talked about in the seventh chapter of Moses:
“And righteousness will I send down out of heaven [the Lord
says]; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony
of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and
also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will
I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect
from the four quarters of the earth” (Moses 7:62).
It is our charge
to be the beacons of righteousness spoken of in the Book of Mormon
and echoed in the Doctrine and Covenants: “Hold up your light
that it may shine unto the world” (see 3 Nephi 18:24). “Arise
and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations”
(see D&C 115:5).
As Christ-centered
servants, we cannot walk or talk or do as people of the world. We
have an obligation to bless and lift those without gospel truths
unto fulfilling God’s great purposes and destinies for them.
Ours is a covenant requiring great character. Only then can we be
great leaders.
Quotes
to Remember
Men and women
who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make
a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their
joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their
muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase
their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and
pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God
will find eternal life (see Matthew 10:39). – Ezra
Taft Benson
'Every apostle,
prophet, and legal administrator whom I have commissioned to offer
the fruit of eternal life to men shall be cut off by my Father unless
he carries forward my work; and every minister who is faithful in
my service shall be pruned of dead foliage (divested of worldly
distractions) and given power to bring forth more fruit.' –
Bruce R. McConkie
Bless them with
love. Let them know that you love them. It's so important. You are
not generals running an army. You are servants of God, ministering
to His people. Bless them with love.
– Gordon B. Hinckley
As mothers and
future mothers, you will influence the course of the Church in this
great country, and the destiny of its coming leaders. If you are
to provide the training for these future generations, you must stand
firm in the faith, unwavering in the face of evil… –
Ezra Taft Benson
Some people
use religion like a bus. They ride on it only when it’s going
their way. If what they’re asked to do isn’t quite convenient,
they procrastinate, they postpone, they rationalize, they refuse.
Or, perhaps, even worse, they accept a duty and then fail to fulfill
it. – Rodger Dean Duncan
Note:
The excerpts of Leadership for Saints posted on Meridian
are only a fraction of the contents of this 349-page book. To learn
more about this ground-breaking book and to order copies, click
here.
Contents
Section 1: Understanding the Role of Leadership
Chapter 1
- What Great Leadership Is
Chapter 2 - What Great Leaders Are
Chapter 3 - What Great Leaders See
Chapter 4 - What Great Leaders Do
Section 2: Getting
the Results You and the Lord Want
Chapter 5
- Planning the Work, Working the Plan
Chapter 6 - Councils: Strength in Unity
Chapter 7 - Creating a Climate of Hope and Energy
Section 3: Skills
That Help You Sleep at Night
Chapter 8
- Communication: Building Bridges to Their Hearts
Chapter 9 - Stewardship Delegation: The Great Multiplier
Chapter 10 - The Power of Influence
Chapter 11 - Gatherings of Saints: Think Purpose, Not Meeting
Section 4: Special
Challenges and Opportunities
Chapter 12
- Discernment: The Gift of Great Price
Chapter 13 - Personal Balance: Your "Being" vs. Your
"Doing"
Chapter 14 - Common Questions, Humble Responses
About
the Authors:
Rodger Dean
Duncan, a descendant of 19th century Protestant evangelists, was
baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at
the age of 18. Early in his career he was an award-winning journalist,
editor and syndicated columnist. He has been a consultant to cabinet
officers under two U.S. presidents, members of the U.S. Senate,
and senior officers of major corporations. He earned a Ph.D. at
Purdue University, and is founder and president of The Duncan Company,
a consulting firm focused on leadership development and organizational
effectiveness.
Brother Duncan
has served on several stake high councils, twice as bishop, as stake
president, and as stake mission president. Under President Spencer
W. Kimball he served on the Advisory Council that first recommended
the subtitle to the Book of Mormon, "Another Testament of Jesus
Christ."
Brother Duncan
is married to Rean Robbins-Duncan, a fifth-generation Latter-day
Saint. They have four children and two grandchildren. The Duncans
live in Missouri, only a short walk from Historic Liberty Jail.
Ed
J. Pinegar, a dentist by training and vocation, graduated from Brigham
Young University and attended dental school at the University of
Southern California. While practicing dentistry, he taught seminary
for several years, then taught the Book of Mormon and Gospel Principles
and Practices courses at BYU for 18 years.
Brother
Pinegar's Church assignments include stake high councilor, bishop
(twice), stake president, member of the General Board for Young
Men, and member of the Missionary Programs Advisory Committee. He
also presided over the England London Mission and the Missionary
Training Center in Provo, Utah. He is author of several books for
the LDS market.
Brother
Pinegar is married to Patricia Peterson Pinegar, former General
President of the Primary for the Church. They are parents of eight
children and have 32 grandchildren. The Pinegars live in Orem, Utah.
