Seventh-day Adventist® Church

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V1.1 - The Director's Pen - Pathfinder

Posted on Oct 04 2022

By Lorraine Ward - Director, Pathfinder

“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:”
Luke 12:48.

We have all been given talents and abilities by God. As good
stewards, we are expected to use them to serve God, and be friends
to man. God helps us to develop and grow our gifts as we give them
back to Him.

Often, those with the gift of leadership shy away from it because of
the responsibilities it brings. As leaders, we are expected to be good
examples. We should be willing to do what we expect our
subordinates to do. To lead by example means to guide others
through your behaviour instead of your words. Our intention should
be to inspire others to copy our behaviour. The opposite of leading
by example is to say one thing and do another. The saying “do as I
say, not as I do” may have worked in the past, but it has no place in
today's world.

Leadership can be a lonely place. Persevering through the loneliest
experiences of leadership requires God’s intervention. The ability to
stay grounded in God, to stay true to one’s path, and to continue,
even in the face of grave opposition; to move towards the vision that
we have been privileged to see but those who are following cannot.
God prepares leaders for this by taking them through periods of
solitude. We see examples of this preparation in Moses and David
who led sheep in the wilderness before leading the people of God.

Leadership requires vision, a desire to serve others with selflessness,
and sacrifice. The concept of self-sacrifice indicates that the leader is
willing to incur personal costs to serve the goals and mission of the
organisation. The sacrifice of time and energy is essential in order to
plan for and build the members of the organisation.

Within our Pathfinder clubs, persons given the gift of leadership by
God, should seek to develop that gift so that our children can be
mentored, guided and supported to become the best that they can be.


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