David Bowman has served in a variety of leadership positions and would describe himself as a life-long learner.
"First and foremost, stay close to God's heart and seek Him each day and in every decision. Realize He is the one who equips us to help, encourage, and serve others ... and He has placed us in the position of leading and serving."
I spent many years of my Christian walk subconsciously assuming God wanted every part of my life except for my career (after all, I worked for a bank). Eventually, my controlling nature led to a level of pride that God would no longer tolerate.
"God has never given up on me or my development, even when I resisted. I'm grateful for the pruning in my life, and I hope all leaders would be open to that."
"The hardest leadership lesson I've ever learned is that leadership is often lonely. Those whom you lead often have difficulty relating to who you are as a person apart from your role."
Over the years, God has shown me the importance of humility, hustle and centering.
The Lord has put me in a lot of tough spots over the years where I've had no choice but to depend on him to pay the bills and feed my family.
What's the hardest leadership lesson you've ever learned? "Years ago I attended a church growth conference at a megachurch. I came back brimming with great ideas that I knew we needed to implement."
I've learned that leading is listening well, loving well, and asking Holy Spirit-led questions.
"Recognize that you have the opportunity to be a marketplace missionary simply by the way you lead and interact with people every day."
Over and over again I have to face the fact that I have more ideas and see more opportunities than could ever be brought to fruition.
I've learned that it’s okay to be friends with those I lead, but that friendship must never get in the way of my responsibility to truly care for, guide, challenge, stretch, and lead them.
"The hardest leadership lesson I’ve ever learned is how to pass the baton of leadership, since there are no guarantees of success."
I learned to not put someone in a leadership position just because they were willing. That decision had a terrible outcome.
Along with his wife Martha, Jim hosts the iWork4Him.com media ministry, featuring interviews of Christian leaders in the marketplace.
Bob has been on staff with Cru for 49 years. His mission these days is to develop the next generation of leaders for the ministry.
As a church branding strategist, Mark loves helping people get to know the church as something relevant and needed.
