Etonko Youth Week 2013: The Christian Youths Involvement | Speaker: Bro. Ita P. Morah

A lecture presented during ‘Etonko Youth Week 2013

Keynote Lecture: Impact of Transformational Leadership in the Society: the Christian Youths Involvement

Speaker: Bro. Ita P. Morah (Minister, COC AKPABUYO Cross River, Nigeria)

Introduction:
Our country, immediate communities, local councils, states and most importantly the church are in dire need of transformational leaders.
Transformational leadership is imperative because leadership decadence is gradually eating deep into the fabric of our world evidence on the protracted leadership tussles we witness every now and then. The clarion call is on the christian youths to cause the requisite effective societal leadership change process.

Characteristics of Transformational leadership

Visionary/Vision oriented: Transformational leaders develop an attractive vision. All their actions are fired mainly by visions. This triggered Bobb Biehl to asserts that:

“leadership is knowing what to do next, Knowing why that’s important and knowing how to bring appropriate resources to bear on the need at hand”.

Visionary leaders are long-term thinkers who see beyond the day’s crisis and their specific area of influence while putting heavy emphasis on vision, value and motivation.

Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 13:16,17); David (1 Samuel 17:1-58) were all vision-oriented leaders because they saw obstacles as objective and opportunities. Transformational leaders should be able to not only capture the vision, but also articulate it and cause people to fully embrace it.

Wisdom: Transformational leaders apply knowledge and experience to navigate through life situations at any given time. They are never bereaved of what to do at any point in time. They always have ideas for every situation. They are resourceful as exemplified by Solomon in the case of two prostitutes with one live child (1Kings 2:16-28).

Integrity/disciplinary/examplary: A good name when lost is hardly regained. Character is the riches jewel of life. Transformational leaders are ethical and honest, always standing out as role models to others (1Timothy 4:12; Titus 2:7). They don’t change owed to coercion or intimidation but set positive examples that will establish moral standards in the society (Judges 9:46-49).

Courage: Courage is the mastery of fear and not the absence of it. It’s the inner strength that keeps one rolling even in the face of discouragement or obstacle. To the courageous, the sound of war stimulates courage (1 Samuel 4:9 and 10).

Non-complacency with the status quo: Transformational leaders are never satisfied with the status quo and the state they find themselves. They are always on the move to cause a sustainable change in the milieu they find themselves (2 Corinthians 10:12-16).

Humility: A humble spirit is one of surest evidence of greatness. Isaac Newton admitted this when he said:

“if i have seen further than others, it is because i stood on the shoulders of giants”.

Moses was adjudged the most humble leader that ever lived on earth-(1 Peter 5:6).

Mentorship training: Effective followers make good leaders. Joshua followed Moses before he became a great leader (Numbers 11:28). Samuel as a boy followed Eli up to the extend that he became scared at a time (1 Samuel 3:1). The apostles followed Jesus closely (Acts 1:21-26).

Accessibility: This is an indispensable quality of a transformational leader. People want to work with leaders that can easily be accessed.

Young People God used in the Past

Josiah (2 Kings 22:1, 2 Chronicle 34:3-7): Josiah became the king of Judah at 8 and a transformer at age 16.

David (1 Samuel 17:33): David as a youth challenged Goliath and stood for Jehovah against the entire pagan nation, even before the frightened nation and king. He refused to be discouraged by size, fear and intimidation.

Jesus: Between 30 & 35 Jesus turned the course of history.

Conclusion:
The world is full of opportunities. Our christian youths must explore these opportunities and become the requisite leaders God expects of them. Youths are unique in different respects. They need to develop their potentials, expand their frontiers and take up the mantle of leadership. They should identify an area for them to stamp their footprints positively on the sand of time to the glory of God. There is always room for the pioneers.

Our world course of history lies in the hands of our youths to manipulate. The christian youths cannot afford to be left out in the leadership scheme. The time is now!. God bless you as you make yourself part of the leadership transformation. AMEN.

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