Two weeks ago, we started the series on Exodus by observing Moses call to deliver the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. We read about the burning bush and about God's self-revelation as the One Who Is - I am that /who I am. Moses reacts to God's call in perfectly ordinary human ways. "Why me? What if they won't believe or follow? I'm not equipped for this. Please, Lord, send someone else!"

But all in all, it's apparent that Moses' unique story prepares him to be the agent of delivery. Born a Hebrew but raised in the household of the Egyptian King, Moses has access to Pharaoh and familiarity with the ways of high level leadership.

And he has a unique character for the task. In chapter 2:11-21, we read that he's prone by his very nature to intervene for the disadvantaged and to risk his own well-being for the worthy principles or causes. He rescues a slave who's being abused and actually kills his abuser. Then, while on the run, he rescues some women who are being taken advantage of. Somewhere in Moses' core personality or temperament is the heart of an idealist - a leader - someone who is called and equipped to lead people from where they are to a better place. In essence, every leader's goal is to walk people out of captivity to anything that has a hold on them, and into the promised land of better tomorrows.

Leaders aren't the only kind of people, or even the best kind of people. But leaders have a God-given part to play.

So what is the stuff of leadership?

Simplest of all, a leader is someone who attracts followers, for better or worse. But what's the stuff of good, strong, healthy leadership?

Everyone has a list or a slant.

Leadership Journal and Christianity Today:

1. Visionary leader - cast visions, sell the vision, future-oriented, full of faith.
2. Directional leader - sorts options and points in the right direction at critical intersections.
3. Shepherding leader - loves deeply, nurtures gently, listens, prays, draws people together and moves them forward.

Bill Yaeger, a mentor of mine:

1. Spiritual stance and proven godliness.
2. Emotional maturity and balance.
3. Gifts and abilities,

"You're looking for a FAT soul. Faithful, available and teachable."

Howard Hendricks - 7 characteristics of Transformative Leadership:

1. Strong sense of purpose
2. Hard worker
3. Self-knowledge
4. Student for life
5. Love their job
6. Ability to attract and energize
7. Risk-taker

"A person with a magnet in his heart and a compass in his head"

Ted Engstrom

1. Integrity
2. A significant personal walk with God
3. Goal orientation
4. Effective motivator
5. Decisive
6. Personally disciplined
7. Problem solver
8. Effective time manager
9. Stamina - staying power
10. Pursuit of excellence

Peter Drucker
"Management is doing things right, while leadership is doing the right things."

Alban Institute

1. A leader is someone who has followers
2. Leadership begins with self-leadership
3. Leaders ask "What needs to be done?"
4. Leaders are not afraid of strong associates
5. Leaders understand that Jesus was right - the leader is at the bottom of the organization, not the top
6. Leaders create more leaders
7. Leaders must also be followers
   1. Doing real work
   2. Letting others lead
   3. Asking questions
8. Encourage experimentation and innovation
9. Opt for authority and influence, but not power
10. Pay attention to their own growth

Insight for Living (Charles Swindoll)

1. Biblically anchored - solidly based on the Word of God
2. Culturally relevant - in touch with the times in which we live
3. Christ exalting - upholding honor to the person and work of Jesus, our Lord
4. Appealing presentations - targeting all ages and stages as we offer material that are encouraging, interesting and creatively designed
5. Realistic - providing instruction that is practical, down-to-earth, and achievable
6. Grace oriented - emphasizing love, acceptance, compassion, and forgiveness
7. Quality over quantity - maintaining our long-standing commitment to excellence
8. Authenticity and accountability - remaining free of deception in all financial matters…refusing to use manipulative, guilt-giving, or shame-based methods
9. Personal fidelity - modeling long-term marriages and wholesome family values
10. Firm commitment to the Great Commission - sustaining a passionate vision for reaching the whole world

Judson Carlberg, President of Gordon College

1. Christian leaders care for their own soles. Often this is an add-on at the end of any list of leadership characteristics but I put it number one. We all have so much to do that often we forget the restoration and reflection process for our own souls.
2. Christian leaders acknowledge Christ's influence over the leadership process itself and submit all to God. Think Christianly about the task of leadership. Leaders carry out their responsibilities with humility, submitting all their actions to the review of a holy God.
3. Christian leaders ask the right questions. It all boils down to "why do I get up in the morning?" What are my goals? My mission? Often we live bifurcated lives…we can all learn from the Old Testament teachings that everything we do is an act of worship.
4. Christian leaders value diversity. They do not look for carbon copies of themselves. It is so important for us to recognize that people who are different from us will strengthen the leadership team. I purposely sought people who have strengths that I do not have…my task is to get them all going in the right direction
5. Christian leaders submit to the "mirror" test. We have to make sure that the person we see in the mirror in the morning is the kind of person we want to see all through the day. Good leaders must be fortified against the greatest temptation and that is to do the things that are popular though not necessarily right. The quickest way to erode the core of our souls is to not have consistency in our lives…the word of God poured in our lives through our disciplines.
6. Christian leaders look far to the future. Leaders need to be thinking about themselves and where their organizations are going at least ten years out. I am not talking about a detailed ten year plan but where will the vision, the mission be in ten years? It is not so much planning as anticipation. If the only kind of leadership you provide is the reactive kind, not the anticipatory, not the creative kind, then your organization is going nowhere.
7. Christian leaders recognize the importance of modeling. People can be moved in a superficial way by your words but they will be truly moved by watching your deeds.
8. Christian leaders understand that servant hood is a form of power. Jesus exercised his power through service…and he often served before he led.

Bill Hybels "Finding Your Leadership Style."

1. VISIONARY. Clear picture of what they want to happen in the future. Utterly dedicated to the vision, but may not have other strengths needed to make it happen.
2. DIRECTIONAL. God-given ability to choose the right path at a critical intersection. Can assess values, mission, strengths, resources, etc, sort options, and point in right direction.
3. STRATEGIC. Forms a game plan everyone can understand and participate in, that will eventually lead to the achievement of the vision. Clearly articulates sequence of steps to get from here to there.
4. MANAGING. Organize and monitor people, processes, and resources for mission achievement. There is usually an abundance of visionary, directional, and strategic leaders, but a shortage of good managing leaders. Managing leaders aren't as popular as the others, but necessary.
5. MOTIVATIONAL. Able to fire people up, call out the best in them, cheer their progress and celebrate their accomplishments. Sometimes thought of as light-weight leaders, but very necessary, especially when people get discouraged, tired, lose focus. The motivational leader lifts them up.
6. SHEPHERDING. So cares about people, nurtures and supports them, that they would follow anywhere. People don't want to be considered only as cogs in the machine as they may under other leaders.
7. TEAM-BUILDING. Able to put the right people in the right slots doing the right things for the right reasons. Feels that if the above is accomplished, little managing or nurturing is necessary - let them go!
8. ENTREPRENEURIAL. Eager to get something new going, but loses energy and enthusiasm when the ship is firmly underway.
9. RE-ENGINEERING. Love to tune up, heal, revitalize hurting organizations.
10. BRIDGE-BUILDING. Ability to get diverse groups working effectively together. Good at listening, negotiating, compromising, relating to diverse people.

Harry Truman
"My definition of a leader is someone who can persuade people to do what they don't want to do, or do what they're too lazy to do and like it."

You're probably looking at a leader when you see someone whose dreams are bigger than their memories.

Moses is a leader. More than his story, more than his obvious gifting, there is this matter of calling. God makes it very clear. And Moses finally says yes.

But there are other people in the story - the best work gets done in collaboration, with other role players stepping up and contributing. In my opinion, the best leaders are team builders who know how to match others' gifts with their own deficits. Moses for better or worse needed a spokesman.

Aaron is a spokesman - Moses is complaining that he's not a good public speaker. So God, frustrated with Moses, says, "Okay, you can take your brother!" Why Aaron? He has the gift of gab. And he's a Levite - a member of the priestly people. He's clergy.

Realize, Aaron has flaws and susceptibilities that will become all-too-apparent as the story goes on. He clearly doesn't have the core stuff of leadership that Moses has. But he's a good communicator. And a pretty good right hand man.

Almost every commentary I read said the same thing - Moses could have prayed and believed, and with enough faith and confidence, he might have found that God supplies enough communication skill for each moment. But Aaron, they say, is an allowance from God. Many leaders receive the call to positions of leadership that require communication skills at a time when those skills are not evident or prevalent. Still, God made an allowance for Moses. Aaron, the communicator.

Why is communication so critical? Part of leadership involves selling the vision for what could be and then persuading people to take the risk of moving forward. Part of leadership involves disseminating privileged information so that others can be reinforced and reminded and compelled by the values that drive change, and up to date on the strategies and new behaviors that will drive change. So, God put Aaron on the team.

Who else? I want to honor Jethro for a moment and call him the sender. Jethro is Moses' father-in-law. His part lasts only a few verses, but I think it's huge. First, he embraces Moses. Sure, he might have been a bit desperate to find good husbands for his daughters, and the crop might have been thin in the wilderness of Midian, but he sees a good person in Moses, embraces him, and lets him into the family.

Then, after God's call, he releases Moses to go answer it. "Go, and I wish you well." (4:18) He even released his own daughter into a life that must have seemed uncertain at best and likely perilous. And even harder, perhaps, he released his grandchildren, probably knowing that he'd never see them again.

Most of us are only a couple of generations removed from days when people would leave their parents or homeland and go to a place of promise, leaving everything familiar behind. Perhaps, some of you are the generation. In these jet set days, we don't feel the cost of our mobility as much, but it's still a huge sacrifice and a tough job to be the one left behind. I have enormous respect for families in this church who have raised their kids to serve God whenever and wherever, and while I feel for the Sells or the Priests or others, I know the joy they have in sending their kids to hard kingdom assignments.

Even for short term missionaries, I admire the spouses and parents releasing loved ones to go to Louisiana or Mississippi or Romania or Mexico. Sometimes it's just as demanding and stressful to be the one left behind. To go on any hard mission in God's name with the blessing of a caring sender is to be free and confident.

Of course, Zipporah was probably the hardest one for Jethro to release. Her presence in the Exodus story comes and goes, but initially we have to respect that she stands by her man. She leaves home and family. She makes a costly gesture in 4:24-26.

Most of us are confused by this text (even ancient commentators). But the just is this: Is Zipporah going to go with the program or stand in the way? She proves her willingness to embrace her husband's faith and participate in his mission by circumcising her son. As strange as the story is to us, and as hard as it is to fathom God's stance in the middle of it, this we know about Zipporah - she's a team player and a true ezer kenegdo.

A what? An ezer kenegdo. When God made Eve in Genesis 2, he made her as an ezer kenegdo for Adam. He was incomplete. Ezer = help. Kenegdo = corresponding to him, or equal and adequate to himself. Over the years, the words helpmeet or helpmate have tried to capture this, but we have belittled the role with long standing male dominant notions and the wholesale gender disrespect that Jim Koch talked about last week.

One scholar calls the ezer kenegdo "the sexual social and intellectual counterpart to complete Adam's being." Sort of a scholarly way of saying what Tom Cavise says, "You complete me."

Most counselors would say that the best spouses are people who can stand alone healthy, and yet are healthy enough to risk and be vulnerable to interweave relationally in mutually interdependent relationship. And I agree. The healthiest, happiest married people were usually healthy and happy while single.

Still, there's something about this fit; this partnership that is huge. The old, time-worn phrase is that behind every great leader is a great woman. Often, behind great leaders are great husbands, or brothers, or sisters, or friends. For Frodo Baggins, it was Sam Gamgee. Whoever, however, it's just good to have someone nearby who completes us.

Finally, the cast of leaders starts to grow. Moses and his nucleus of leaders starts to broaden. The elders of Israel are brought into the circle. We'll see soon enough how helpful they can be, and how fickle they can be. My assumption is that these tribal leaders and clan leaders (likely the 30 or 40 names mentioned in Exodus 6) are make up of all kinds.

Rogers and Shoemaker write about the nature of response as innovation spreads from circle influence to circle of influence

Innovation
Early adopters
Early majority
Late majority
Laggards

No time to break down those terms and their corresponding behaviors. But as we watch Moses build a team and try to rally consensus, we'll watch every kind of reaction and response that's typical when any large group is asked to embrace the risky steps involved in change and real movement.