I follow a “Servant Leadership” model, this simply means following the character of our Lord into a management and ministry model.
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1
Vision: Seeking a church to Shepherd, to inspire to grow in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with the Fruit and Maturity of the Faith, to be poured out to Him and be a Fruitful impact to the neighborhood and world. To be a “teaching” and “missionary” church both from the pulpit and like a “teaching hospital” a place of learning for those seeking to be Shepherds of God’s flock here and overseas (1 Chron. 16:11; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 6:16; Col. 2:6-8).
My Purpose: To point to the Supremacy and Centrality of Christ, and lead a church in a congregational partnership so we can expand God’s Kingdom by becoming and developing wholeheartedly, fully-engaged followers of Jesus Christ (John 3:30; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 3:1-14).
Servant Leadership or what can be better called “Incarnational leadership” is rooted in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, as “He took a towel” (John 13:2-5) (Yes, I do the foot washing ceremony and have been since 1978!). He was efficient with people, had goals in sight, but was also relational over being task-driven. This kind of leadership produces a church filled with real purpose and motivation as people are called, appreciated, loved, encouraged, discipled, involved by mentoring and discipleship before they are deployed in ministry (Prov. 27:23; Mark 10:35-45; Luke 22:26; John 13:2-17; 1 Cor. 3- 4; Eph. 4:1-16; Col. 3:13; 1 Thess. 5:13-14; 1 Peter 3:8; 5:1-7).
- The trendy pastor drives the people; the good pastor coaches them.
- The trendy pastor depends on their position; the good pastor on God’s will, call and His Fruit.
- The bossy pastor inspires fear; the good pastor enthuses enthusiasm and hope.
- The trendy pastor says “I;” the good pastor says “we.”
- The bossy pastor fixes the blame for the breakdown; the good pastor takes responsibility and fixes the breakdown.
- The bossy pastor knows how it is done; the good pastor shows others how.
- The trendy pastor says “Go;” the good pastor says “Let’s go together!”
- The trendy pastor looks for the latest methods; the good pastor looks to be a better Christian!
The primary goal—from building an exceptional minister, marriage to building a “successful” church—is to live in undivided surrender and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. That means His purpose not ours! That means our life and ministry must reflect the supremacy, centrality and glory of God, and serve as an example in a world of temptation and evil that is filled with stress and hurt. Since He represented us in life and death and imparts to us His grace, this is must be our driving force, our number one reason in life as it will be in eternity to come. Because of what He has done for us, we should have the desire to assemble our lives with gratitude to glorify Him. That means to also strive toward our best in fullness of relationships with church and family. We have to be willing to take to heart that His will supersedes ours; His is the best, whereas our will and desires are limited in understanding and knowledge. By surrendering our will to His will, we can build a foundation of trust, reliance, and obedience. These actions become the foundation upon which to build the rest of the house of character, values, and fortitude, and where a Christ-centered church can live and grow.
What I Bring
Real, effectual leadership and teaching, which is always characterized by humbleness and prayer as well as my indebtedness and gratitude to God. Anything else is a waste and an insult to God who came as the Ultimate Suffering Servant! I desire to be a mature, effectual Christ-follower, and in turn lead others to grow deeper in Him. I will and must be in prayer and seek Him. As a pastor I must ask these questions: Do you have a heart after God? Do you have a heart for His children? Then I think this through and pray about this one: Do you realize His role that paid your debt of sin? Jesus Christ is our Perfect substitute for punishment. He faced temptation on our behalf, lived a perfect life on our behalf, and in so doing, perfectly obeyed God and set a tone that we can follow and hold on to forever. To teach, model and preach Christ with passion, hope, clarity, conviction and in Truth.
I bring the Bible, teaching God’s Word through inductive science and exegetical art with expository expression, in power, conviction, clarity, and truth all in love with care. I do not add in what is not there or take from it what I want to be there. I seek the key to the success! Which is developing and modeling faith by trust and obedience to the best of my ability. I must be ready to serve God rather than my needs, and take this mindset into life and to others that I lead. This means my faith goes beyond myself to authentic spiritual formation. This happens when I allow the impacting work of Christ to continually renew and build us all up. To grow even further, we can be more contemplative in His Word and in prayer. God’s will for our lives is for us to totally surrender and trust in His power and authority, and to abide in Him. I know He will shape my destiny if I allow it and I do. He will teach me His ways if I will walk in His ways, and I do. I Trust myself to our LORD and receive His call in order to build the church He has given me to steward and shepherd (2 Cor. 9:8; Philip. 4:12-13).
Most of us pastors live in the world of stress, loneliness, and personal struggles; we compare ourselves with other pastors, demand respect, and we often carry on in fear and pride. I am aware of this and I have accountability, so I do not do as many in my profession, which I could easily do, manipulating others to get my way and usurping arrogance. This is my walk, this is my struggle: I seek to push pride away, so I can move beyond and live above hurts and fears and even be content. So, I do not have to be angry when I do not succeed or get my way. Because it is about “His fullness” not ours; it is about pastoring effectively and fighting complacency by a growing relationship in Christ before I communicate and teach others, and to be infused with Christ, not infatuated with self (Psalm 77; Isa. 42:7; 69:1-2; 88:7; Luke 9:23-26, 62; 10:2-3; John 2:3, 5; Acts 16:30-31; 1 Pet. 5:6; 1 John 3:23).
- By following timeless, Biblical precepts will help us lead in the right direction and make the right decisions, and avoid making the wrong ones.
- Christ is Lord; He is in charge of all areas of our lives and church. It is not our church, it is His, and we are the stewards of it! He is to be our first and primary love and focus!
- We will then be able to lead others and make healthy and wise decisions because the Lord, through His Word and the Holy Spirit, is our Guide.
- By seeking His truth, we will be able to discern how to see to our church and family life, and lead them in the right direction and plan.
Humility is not hiding one’s self importance or a fake confession; rather it is the removing ourselves from our perceived and acknowledge self importance, so we are not the center of the universe or even the center of our own lives and ministry. Some One is greater at work Who disserves the Glory.
- My task in the church is to proclaim Christ—His Lordship as well as His character, righteousness, peace, and joy, all by the Holy Spirit. This will effectively be the catalyst for building hospitality and growth and a quality, lasting, and effective church.
- I realize that the purpose of the church is not to serve me; rather, we serve Christ together, and through this service the church is collectively built.
- The cure for our preaching ills, our inadequacies, our pride, and our physical and spiritual poverty is the realization of what really is important to our church and us, which is who we are in Christ!
The key to building and leading a healthy church is to be a good and healthy pastor (and leader)! Yet, so few of us in ministry take the time or take this seriously or make this a priority! We tend to chase trends, pride and our personal agendas and not pursue Christ as LORD! Our faith development prepares ourselves to build His Church!
I seek to be a good pastor! This is my journey, focus and struggle. If I come to serve you all, I will need your partnership to make this work for our Lord’s glory!
Rev. Richard Joseph Krejcir (I need a job)
Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2
A Heart After Christ 