This resource was written by Jonathan Le, Texas Epic staff, and could be turned into a devotional or a small group discussion about how we as believers can live more incarnationally. This document is an invitation to learn and discover with others how to be an incarnational leader, and not merely spoon-feed knowledge to others.
A definition of incarnational leading is literally “in the flesh” leading. Here is an illustrative quote: “I can instruct you out of the woods over the phone, or come out to where you are, take you by the hand, and pull you out of the woods. ”
This school year, I commit to being more of an incarnational leader rather than a knowledgeable leader. An incarnational leader leads through shared experience, bringing others down into the trenches, and being face-to-face, person-to-person therefore functioning beyond the realm of sharing knowledge.
I want to learn how to share experiences with others and not just knowledge. When I lead, I want to experience triumphs and failures, results and mistakes, conflict and resolution with other leaders.
Leading incarnationally may look like the following:
A) Engaging in a new community with others and developing deep relationships.
B) Showing God’s love in practical ways with another group, no strings attached.
C) Giving to fulfill the needs of someone until it hurts.
Discussion Questions:
1. What other examples can you think of to lead incarnationally rather than the traditional “passing on” of knowledge in your sphere of influence?
2. What do you think of incarnational leading? Pros and Cons?