September 2010: The Leadership Pipeline

By: Robert Flores

In a matter of seconds, an entire life direction can be changed. I’ve heard it said that all of life’s major turns add up to a few minutes of key decisions.

I can attest to the humbling reality of hearing from God and everything changing. In a matter of minutes, I knew that God was calling us to leave the local church pastorate and give our lives to the cause of raising up and preparing a generation of leaders that would take the “whole gospel to the whole world,” to quote Sister Aimee McPherson.

It’s been called “Preparing a Leadership Pipeline” or in other words developing systems that facilitate the movement of young people from original calling to fully prepared and equipped leaders. I believe this kind of preparation is the greatest need facing the Foursquare family.

Of course as with all Kingdom ventures, creating this pipeline begins and ends with prayer establishing a nonstop declaration of dependence on God. As a matter of fact, this familiar statement of Jesus declares the seminal place of prayer in this process: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (Matt. 9:37).

In the book of Daniel, we see another leader and the pipeline he is trying to create.  Daniel begins to pray that God would establish a pipeline to return His people home from captivity. I believe Daniel’s prayer gives us three key points in praying for a leadership pipeline that delivers a generation of prepared harvesters to the harvest.

Prayer Points

Daniel’s prayer models three prayer movements and in these three movements I believe we can, like a laser, focus effective prayer to this the greatest need before us, and, as the word promises, avail much.

A Movement of Repentance
“I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong’” (Dan. 9:4).

Daniel took ownership of the present circumstances. Each one of us in our own way must confess before the Lord our part in contributing to the block in the pipeline that has existed in Foursquare. We can choose to be offended at this suggestion, or like Daniel, we can bow in holy repentance, as a representative of a family, and ask God to forgive us.

A Movement of Return
“O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary” (Dan. 9:16, 17).

In essence, Daniel prays, that was then and this is now. In our context, Lord, we return to the key assignment, “raise up laborers, for the harvest is great.” What came before is gone, but before us today is the greatest opportunity we will ever have. We have a young generation that is chomping at the bit to get into the game. But who will help provide. Who will pray? Who will commit? A movement of return says in prayer, “Lord, let it be me.”

A Movement of Hope and Anticipation
“Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name” (Dan. 9:18).

“Lord, act” is the cry. Lord, open our eyes to the young leaders around us waiting to follow our lead. Open our eyes to the provision in our life that you have earmarked as tuition and help for a student. Lord, bring this nation back from the brink; break our national church from its stagnant growth into a new era of fruitfulness by raising up and empowering the next generation of leaders. Lord, I believe you for this.

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Dr. Robert Flores is president of Life Pacific College in San Dimas, Calif.