Leaders Ask: Addition or Multiplication

An African proverb teaches us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

God designed us to work in teams, not as maverick, renegade, lone rangers. 

If your mission can be accomplished by you alone, I would go on record by saying that it’s probably not God’s mission for your life or ministry. 

It's too small.

God-sized visions require teams of people to see them through. Lone Rangers just won't cut it.  



The apostle Paul writes,

 

“God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all … You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body.” (1 Cor. 12:4-6, 12, The Message).

 

Christ is the head; we are the body - parts of His church. We’re all to play a role but not operate independently. A cell in our bodies that decides to operate independently is a cancer cell. It begins to eat away at the rest of the body. 



God desires that we work together ... and good leaders understand that. Dr. John Maxwell calls this the Power of Team.
In Genesis, we find Noah and his sons constructing an ark. They are "ark people" and ark people build good arks - together. They built it so well that the ark survived a world-wide calamitous flood.


Nehemiah assembled a team of Jewish men that built the wall in record time – 52 days. Elijah had a team of men with prophetic gifts that addressed the issues of the day.  



Jesus handpicked 12 men and equipped them. After His resurrection they changed the course of the world within two generations.


So what's the best way to see a dream fulfilled or a vision accomplished? Is it by adding to the team, or by multiplying the team? Perhaps a simple math lesson will benefit. You be the judge:



4 + 4 = 8


4 x 4 = 16


4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 16


4 x 4 x 4 x 4 = 256



 

Leaders understand that by multiplying themselves they can last longer and go farther. The vision can then be accomplished and the dream finds fulfillment.

Remember: even the Lone Ranger had Tonto!

 


Absorb

Am I secure enough in my own leadership that I’m ready to multiply?

What does multiplication look like in my situation?

What’s my first step in multiplying – and not adding – leaders around me?