Reading: "Christ-Centered Management"
Christ-Centered Management
Management or Leadership:
Which did Jesus emphasize more?
• Managers are the main characters in nearly all of Jesus’ parables.
• Why is “Christian leadership” 100x more popular than “Christian management”?
• There are 203 times more books on Amazon that include the phrase “Christian leadership” than those that include “Christian management.”
• Google generates a whopping 400,000 search results for the phrase “Christian Leadership Conference” while there are only 561 search results for “Christian Management Conference.”
• What are the consequences of our society’s negative view of “managers” and “management”?
Managers: The Main Characters in Nearly All of Jesus’ Parables
• The Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14–30)
• The Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:12–27)
• The Wise and the Foolish Builders (Matt. 7:24–27; Luke 6:46–49)
• The Growing Seed (Mark 4:26–29)
• The Two Debtors (Luke 7:41–43)
• The Rich Fool (Luke 12:16–21)
• The Workers in the Vineyard (Matt. 20:1–16)
• The Two Sons (Matt. 21:28–32)
• The Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1–13)
• The Faithful Servant (Matt. 24:42–51; Mark 13:34–37; Luke 12:35–48)
• The Ten Virgins (Matt. 25:1–13)
• The Hidden Treasure (Matt. 13:44)
• New Wine into Old Wineskins (Matt. 9:17–17; Mark 2:21–22; Luke 5:37–39)
• Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:3–9; Mark 4:3–9; Luke 8:5–8)
• The Tares (Matt. 13:24–30)
• Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matt. 13:31–32; Mark 4:30–32; Luke 13:18–19)
• The Leaven (Matt. 13:33–33; Luke 13:20–21)
• Parable of the Pearl (Matt. 13:45–46)
• Drawing in the Net (Matt. 13:47–50)
• Counting the Cost (Luke 14:28–33)
• The Lost Sheep (Matt. 18:10–14; Luke 15:4–6)
• The Unforgiving Servant (Matt. 18:23–35)
• The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8–9)
• Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32)
• The Master and Servant (Luke 17:7–10)
• The Parable of the Tenants (Matt. 21:33–41; Mark 12:1–9; Luke 20:9–16)
• The Budding Fig Tree (Matt. 24:32–35; Mark 13:28–31; Luke 21:29–33)
• The Sheep and the Goats (Matt. 25:31–46)
Stewardship:
Managing as though God owns it all.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.” (Psa. 24:1)
“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (1 Tim. 6:7)
“What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7b)
“…all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God … it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” (1 Cor. 3:22-23; 4:2)
Benefits of Christ-Centered Management
• Breaks the “I’m the master” mentality
• Helps us to focus on being faithful and effective rather than on being important and significant
• Increases our influence and authority
Last modified: Tuesday, May 28, 2019, 11:48 AM