“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

• Letting the wrong people in

Who are you allowing intimate access to your dreams? Too many Christian leaders are allowing the wrong people into their inner circle. They listen to family and friends who lack the faith to believe in their vision. The reality is that everyone cannot handle your vision. Christian leaders must be willing to let go of people who are limiting them from being the best version of themselves.

• Giving power to the wrong people

 Too many Christian leaders are giving authority to people who lack the capacity and the character to sustain the vision. Christian leaders must be more selective and discerning about who is left in charge of implementing what God has given them. The people you put in charge must have three things: Aptitude, Capacity, and Volition. On top of these, they must be your trustworthy representative. If all of these are not true then they should not be given unchecked authority.  

• Over focusing on external rather than internal threats

We can build plenty of systems to thwart external stressors and threats. Christian leader often blame external factors for their troubles. Many times this is aimed at the Adversary. While the Adversary certainly deserves much blame, Christian leaders are too often dismissing the internal threats. Unfortunately, these internal threats are often most problematic inside their own head.

• Moving on too quickly

Christian leaders often have many great ideas because they are creative and passionate. However, there is a danger in moving from one idea to another too quickly–before getting codified and reproducible systems perfected before moving on.

• Staying away too long

Christian leaders have to stay psychologically engaged with the vision and keep their finger on the pulse of the vision’s execution. When leaders are too disconnected and try to be an invisible leader they will lose the followers. Leaders’ presence must be tangibly felt to maximize the vision’s execution.

• Ignoring the warning signs

Often times there are signs that something is amiss in your organization and your vision. But, Christian leaders often want to avoid the conflict that might ensue. Rather than deal with the issues when they arise, Christian leaders often procrastinate and hesitate to deal in a direct manner with the problem. Christian leaders, often in the name of faith, grace, and second chances, adopt passive aggressive leadership styles that ruin the execution of the vision.

• Outsourcing Your Harvest

Ultimately, Christian leaders cannot expect others to do the work of harvest for them. God gave you the dream. You cannot outsource that. Yes, you can have others help. But, it must be your passion. It must be personal. If your team does not think that you are fully invested in your passion then they will not give themselves fully to it. Christian leaders cannot just rely on their position to incite the passion in others and bring the vision to fruition. Christian leaders must be fully present to reap the harvest.