Serving Bread

When I was in high school, there was a bumper-sticker style saying that said “Faith is spelled R-I-S-K.” The idea was that you could measure your faith by the amount of risk you took. I’ve been musing on whether it is leadership that is spelled R-I-S-K.

In nearly all of my leadership experiences, some level of risk was required. Whether it was picking teams during recess (the few times that I was the captain and not the last one picked), inviting someone into the Kingdom of God, or leading a ministry with a mission field of over 35,000 students, staff and faculty. To ask others to come along side either my vision or the vision of God requires risk.

The people you want to lead can always say no. The choices we make can always not pan out. Some aspect of leadership requires us to be risk managers. How much risk can we manage for that particular season? How much risk can my family or organization manage?

I think of Moses who took a risk in his personal well-being as well as reputation by returning to Egypt to confront Pharaoh. Moses took many risks in the road of leadership. And many of the risks he took would have been too great for any one else in his shoes.

In more contemporary times, I have been struck by the story of Ann Judson, one of the first American female missionaries. In a time where Missions’ Boards were strict in their hiring and sending out of Missionaries, it was unheard of for women to join the mission field. Though some people may belittle her leadership by saying that she actually accompanied her husband to Burma, it may actually have been the other way around. Judson wanted to be a missionary from a very young age, and was a significant influence in bringing the gospel to the country.

It takes great risk to go against a strong cultural tide. Judson defied the accepted missionary culture where wives would simply be on the field to support their husbands. Judson took risks to pave the way for thousands of women who would follow in her footsteps.

On my own context, leadership requires risk. We take risks in the lives of students. We challenge students to go against the cultural tide in many instances, and we pray that they would trust the voice of Jesus beyond any voice that speaks into their ears. We take risks by inviting seekers into the Kingdom of God. We take risks by planning events and empowering sometimes untested leaders, who have more potential than they themselves realize.

In the investment world, there is a saying, “High risk equals high reward.” This axiom seems to always be true. And some scams will try to sell people on low risk and high reward investments. Those are nearly always scams. Leadership requires taking calculated risks (risk does not equal wisdom), and to lead people to take risks in their faith and in their decisions.

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