Sisters and brothers in Christ,

Patrick Lencioni’s book, “The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive” identifies ways to achieve team morale and productivity through building and maintaining a cohesive leadership team, creating organizational clarity, over-communicating organizational clarity, and reinforcing organizational clarity through human systems. How do these disciplines apply to my role as conference superintendent and the great team of pastors, operations team, staff, church leaders and members I lead in North District?

I am so thankful to our churches and pastors who work diligently to drive the vision of developing vibrant congregations, fruitful leaders and faithful followers of Jesus. As Christmas, New Year, and the General Conference of our denomination approaches, I have decided to study the Word of God and pray more while seeking God’s guidance in everything. I do this because I know I have no control over anything. I would like to share with you some things that keep me on toes;

  • How do I become a resource that adds value and improves our pastors’ passion for mission, effectiveness in leadership, and fruitfulness in ministry?
  • How can I help in overcoming the danger of matching wrong pastors with wrong churches; wrong pastors with right churches and right pastors with wrong churches and instead accomplish this task by matching the right pastor with the right church?
  • How do I exemplify my leadership with Dwight D. Eisenhower’s words “The essence of leadership is to get others to do something because they think you want it done and because they think it is worthwhile doing”?

There are three problems I invite you to pray for: Excuses, Apathy, and Complacency. As I lead North district, I need your support and prayers. I challenge you to join me in fighting against apathy, excuses, and complacency so we can make a difference for Jesus as we transform our communities. What is your excuse for not being missional? What is boring in being missional? Why should “we have always done church this way” be our brand and not the alternative?

As Norman Vincent Peal warns, “we struggle with the complexities and we ignore the simplicities”. What complexities are you struggling with or simplicities you are ignoring in your churches?

I need you to help me in building and maintaining cohesive leadership teams, creating our district mission practices, over-communicating our core values, and reinforcing our vision, mission, and goal of making a difference in people’s lives for Jesus.

As you enjoy the Christmas season, remember to lift our conference and district in prayers. I continue to pray for you. I am confident I have the right team in our district. We need to continue being faithful, God-loving, believers and community difference makers for Jesus Christ. Would you be one of them?

“Sing a new song to the Lord” Psalm 33:3 “As a result of all this, my beloved brothers and sisters, you must stand firm, unshakable, excelling in the work of the Lord as always, because you know that your labor isn’t going to be for nothing in the Lord” I Corinthians 15:58

Blessings and be faithful!
Rev. Saneta Maiko, PhD, Conference Superintendent