Lead Like Daniel By W. Scott Brown

By W. Scott Brown ~

Lately, I have thought often of Old Testament prophet Daniel and what it would mean to lead like Daniel. My pastor recently led a fascinating sermon series on the book of Daniel, and several books I read in recent months focused on Daniel and his life in Babylon.

Like Daniel, we find ourselves leading amid an increasingly hostile culture. We can learn from the wisdom, integrity and grace with which Daniel served and excelled within Babylonian culture. He exemplified God-honoring stewardship. “Now Daniel had so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.” (Daniel 6: 3). Even his jealous rivals ran aground upon his integrity. “They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.” (Daniel 6: 4b)

Daniel’s was a faithful steward because of his deep commitment to God. We see that exemplified in Daniel 6: 10-11:“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

Did you catch that? He gave thanks… just as he had done before. Daniel had long been a man of prayer and thanksgiving. His course was set. He didn’t waiver as the pressure to compromise his faith intensified. That’s my prayer for us as leaders in our own time. That we will be faithful stewards in the service of the King of Kings. Here at CLA we want to help you along that journey.

At The Outcomes Conference: CLA Dallas 2016 (April 19 – 21 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas) Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA) will focus on the theme of “Perspectives” on Christian leadership past, present and future. At that event you’ll hear from steward leaders who embrace the Daniel way of spiritual leadership rooted deeply in their relationship with God. These are leaders who pursue excellence, but who don’t compromise amidst the changing mores of their day.

The keynote speakers have walked that journey. They include: Dr. Tony Evans, Dr. Gregory Alan Thornbury (King’s College), Constance Padmore (IJM), Steve Douglass (Cru), Dr. Michael Oh (Lausanne Movement), Doug Nuenke (The Navigators), Rich Stearns (World Vision), Dr. Tim Elmore (Growing Leaders), Peter Greer (HOPE International) and more. And our 350-plus hours of learning features powerful sessions that focus on leading like Daniel in our day.

Here is a sample of what CLA has planned for you:

Leadership Encounter

(12.5 hour Academy course)

Rich Meiss, MBA, Director, Leadership Development Services, Lead Like Jesus

Leading as Stewards Amid Cultural Chaos

(6-hour ITI seminar)

*Dr. D. Michael Lindsay, President, Gordon College; Dr. R. Scott Rodin, President, The Steward’s Journey; Lesley Scearce, Executive Director, United Way of Chattanooga / Former Board Chair, National Abstinence Education Association

*Dr. Lindsay will also speak to all ITI attendees at lunch hour on Tues. April 19

Servant-First Leadership

(6-hour ITI seminar)

Mark Siegrist, M.Div., Director of Education, Denver Rescue Mission

Being a “Daniel” after Obergefell

(6-hour ITI seminar)

Scott Ward., J.D., Attorney/Owner, and Steve King, J.D., Attorney/Managing Owner, Gammon & Grange, P.C., and Rhett Butler, M.A., Director of Government Relations, Gammon & Grange Consulting, LLC

Growing in Hearing God

(1.5 hour workshop)

Peggy Reynoso, Director of Learning & Development, The Navigators

Great Leaders in Conflict

(1.5 hour workshop)

David Cook, J.D., Associate Dean, School of Leadership, Dallas Baptist University

I hope you’ll register today to join us in Dallas for  The Outcomes Conference as together we discern God’s call on us as leaders in our unique times. Like Daniel, your leadership is needed in these times.

####

W.Scott Brown is vice president for leadership resources and experiences for Christian Leadership Alliance. He also serves as the editor-in-chief for CLA’s Outcomes magazine. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Liberty University, and master’s degrees in communications: journalism/public affairs from The American University and in liberal arts from St. John’s College.

 www.OutcomesConference.org