My Days of Blind Leadership Are Over
A zealous youth leader finds direction for her passion in Cameroon.
This year, our country team in Cameroon was invited to train over 300 youth leaders at a key national conference in August. This event was the first of its kind in terms of scope and demands on our team, but by God’s grace it was an immense success! Our Cameroon team began by recruiting key emerging leaders to help them build and mentor the youth at the conference. Our team was amazed by the excitement and engagement of these volunteers; God had hand-picked these young leaders for this assignment.
One of the participants, Sister L, is a very devoted youth leader whose walk with the Lord has been consistent and full of great passion. Before she became a part of this team of volunteers, she described her leadership as feeling my way in a dark room with no idea where the light switch was. Her zeal and passion for serving others in the Body of Christ has always placed her in leadership positions ever since she first became a Christian, but no one ever took the time to show her who a healthy leader is and what she should be doing. This lack of direction almost proved fatal to her faith.
“For some years now, I have experienced difficulty in many areas of my life (spiritually, physically, academically, and emotionally). They have weighed me down to the extent that I was not able to think or reason well. I began to believe that God may have forgotten me, and I almost ceased to believe in Him. Everything about my life was meaningless, and I was a leader in my church! I was so broken that I could not be an encouragement to the people I was leading.”
Encountering the 5Cs of healthy leadership was like holding up a mirror; for the first time, she could see herself clearly as a leader and as a follower of Christ.
Through tears, she submitted to the work of the Holy Spirit in her heart, and resolved to further clarify and serve within her calling.
“I am very thankful that God brought you into my life now to show me who I am supposed to be as I seek to lead others towards the Lord's Kingdom. Leadership is not all about having an idea and implementing it. It has first to do with my health as a whole; it’s a process where I must die to my flesh and allow the Spirit to work totally in my life so that I will be an effective, healthy leader.
I believe that my days of blind leadership are over. Every leadership position I occupy from now on will be different and those I lead will see clearly and testify that I am healthier.”
Very quickly, Sister L had a chance to test her new understanding of healthy leadership.
Our team grouped the 300 youth participants at the conference into smaller workshop groups according to their regions. Sister L and the other volunteers each led a group, providing opportunities and coaching for participants to assimilate what was taught in the general sessions. Every participant (including one six-year-old leader!) had the opportunity to produce personal designs for growth areas in their lives. On the last day of the conference, many of the youth signed up to receive further training, with the goal that they would be empowered to equip others.
As Sister L led the youth in her care to look to God, she found herself diving even deeper into her own walk with God and understanding of healthy leadership.
“I am so thankful to God for all that He is doing in my life through LeaderSource Cameroon, and my prayer is to go deeper and higher with God!”
Sister L represents one of many first-generation healthy leaders building the next generation of emerging leaders in Cameroon.
