Leadership matters.
'A great leader surrounds himself or herself with other great leaders' is a common leadership proverb. You’ve probably heard it a thousand times. Strong sports teams, companies, churches, and organizations are built on a foundation of courageous, competent leadership over time. I believe leadership must be a shared endeavor. No one has all the answers. We all fail. Jim Collins reminds us that good ideas are the enemy of great ideas. It takes a self-aware leader to admit their ideas are not always great. Sometimes it takes a team to help a great leader recognize the season they are leading in is difficult not by their own making but by what the market demands or what the environment requires. A leadership team shares the burden of consequences but they also share in joy of the reward. Insight. Stamina. Strength. Each of these characteristics contribute to the common goal.
A great leader rises to the occasion and they continue to rise until the job is done. Often, what makes a great leader is the ability to get back up one more time after being beaten down hundreds of times. They shake it off and make a conscious choice to be a lifelong learner. A great leader will discover new insights into their own vulnerability, strengths and weaknesses while he or she builds up the team. A great leader also receives good counsel and knows how to apply the truth to their own life no matter where the truth comes from or how it is delivered.
Wheatland Values, Vision and Mission Statements.
Wheatland has a vibrant history. We’ve been part of the Naperville community since 1852. We decided to become more influential in the Oswego community in 2010 because God called us to become more than a small community of believers who met weekly to worship and live a quiet Christian life. God called us to become a church of leaders with Kingdom-minded values. Wheatland values personal transformation, relationships, the Next Generation, worship and missions. Our vision statement is ‘Love God, Love others, change the world.’ Our mission statement is connected to our vision statement: Love God, love others, change the world by being a connected, devoted, generous follower of Jesus Christ.
Impact.
Great things are accomplished when great leaders have a clear vision and a common purpose. I believe we are called by God into a season of exploring innovative ideas and receiving a fresh anointing to attempt great things for God. We are called to have impact in our communities and around the world. You are part of God’s great work. It’s time to act. It’s God’s call. You’ve been faithful and committed to your church community. I believe our season of greatest impact is about to commence.
We begin a new series this Sunday titled Wheatland University. It’s a series designed to help you learn about the scope of our ministries and to ignite your personal passion for serving Jesus Christ. We will hear messages from a spirit-filled team of Wheatland leaders. Pastors will be present each week to lead, encourage and step aside in order to let the team speak from their heart about their passion for making Jesus Christ known and how to make huge impact in our lost and broken world. Don’t miss any of it.
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9b-12 NIV
-Pastor Jen