Don’t Waste your Influence

Introduction

If you are to lead then you must be a person of influence. If you want to gain influence you must serve. This is where we see the correlation between leadership and service. Gaining influence comes from who you are before it comes from what you do. You must have it on the field so you should be working to develop it here and now. Many people are highly productive personally but have little to no influence in getting others on board. This is the story of the average missionary. We cannot become “head and shoulders” above the rest but there are ways in which we can and let others know that we care for them and can help them reach their potential.

Your relationship with those you influence always gives them the upper hand. David gave Jonathan the opportunity to kill him. 1 Samuel 20:8 notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself;

People can sense a lack of authenticity even if you try hard to hide it. Saul viewed peoples worth in their willingness to help him reach his selfish ambitions. 1 Samuel 23:21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.

We all have influence but often do not take good inventory of it, so we are poor stewards of it. Romans 14:7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

All good mentoring relationships begin with a personal relationship. You need to ask more questions. You need to know more about the person then you think you do. Because it isn’t about knowing facts but helping them know they are seen. John 4:7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. v.9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Nothing breeds enthusiasm like a job well done. Nothing excites people like seeing someone who believes so much in their cause they are willing to do the smallest of things right. This is why a Prayer Letter that would never get read at a church can cause you support when you don't read it. Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

Recognize the contributions and sacrifice of those who you lead. Treat their investment and work as valuable. 2 Samuel 23:17 And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?

Be confident in your calling. "Faith is the unstated component in the work of a leader. . . . Without faith, it's suicidal to be a leader.” - Godin. Leaders must have faith in their cause as well as the likelihood of success, or else no one else will believe. This is what God provided for Moses at the burning bush. Exodus 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

Speak from your heart. Terry Pearce notes that authentic communication is a "continual dance between the heart and mind.” It is not enough to submit facts to people, however compelling they may be. Compelling leaders also touch peoples' hearts. God did something in your heart as well in your mind to lead you to the decision to be a missionary. He will do the same with those who will support you. Matthew 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things:

It takes a life time of intentional, self sacrificial decisions to have the influence we need to effectively do our jobs. You should be getting “marked up” on deputation. The more people you provide for now the more potential you will be able to provide opportunity for them in the future. Phil. 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Practical Deputation Tips

Use CoSchedule to establish a steady flow of relevant status updates and blog posts. If you write a blog article about it, you get 50% off. Talk with Beau he utilizes it well.

Be intentional about your time on there. It should be much different to you then the trolling, stay at home mom. Use it to serve.

Private message a pastor and tell him you enjoyed hearing about his services. Like all that you can that is not controversial. People love to be noticed.

Make sure you are choosing the Public option and not just Friends when you post. If you share a post from someone who chose Friends and you share it only the people who are both of your friends will see it. This can work to your favor. You could share a post from a pastor that you only have 5 mutual friends with. Not many people will see it - but he wont know. He will feel the love.

In your settings makes sure that you have it set up to approve tags and posts on timeline. I am judgmental when I see someone get hacked often. I assume they are going to the wrong places on the internet and giving access to those people.

Look for a meaningful way to follow up with Pastors a couple days after a meeting. Call back with a question? Or give him the answer to a question you didn't know at the time. Show him your plan to continue a friendship and you can follow through.

Give thoughtful gifts. Look around and listen. Don’t say things like “I give this to every pastor I meet.”

Have a meaningful conversation with someone in every church you can go to, when possible. Hearing an old lady tell about her kids will help remind you these are real people in the churches you are going to.

Be over the top encouraging. Even the pastor who is really critical and you think you agree with on many issues will feel better the next day about a positive conversation you had then the negative one.