MENA (MNN) – In every country, Christian leaders face issues of priorities. However, the political and social climates in Middle Eastern and North African countries can make healthy decisions even more difficult.
Dr. Jenn Murff with the MENA Leadership Center hopes to help Christian leaders better prioritize work and home lives through general principles as well as the class “The Road to Mature Christian Leadership.”
Ditch, Delegate, Draw the Line
Early in her career a CEO and mother gave Murff some helpful advice. “She goes, ‘Jenn, I want you to first know that you can’t do it all, so sometimes you have to ditch it.’ And I said, ‘Well, what else?’ She goes ‘Sometimes you can’t do it all, so you have to delegate it. And number three, you can’t do it all, so sometimes you have to draw the line and just not even try.’”
(Image courtesy of Kelly on Pexels)
This advice changed the way Murff viewed her priorities. Now she passes on that advice to her teammates and those who come to the MENA Leadership Center. She emphasizes that God did not call His people, including those in leadership, to do everything. Every person needs to fulfill the specific roles and purposes God called him or her individually to do.
“Being a mature Christian leader means that you understand that you have to lead a life that is based on priorities,” Murff says. “You have to be able to develop a Christ-centered, anti-cultural approach towards leadership, and you have to learn and apply disciplines to be able to be effective in the lives of your team and your organization.”
A Question of Resources
One of the specific challenges that many leaders in the MENA region face is lack of resources. Those resources could be time, talent, finances, etc. Uncertain political or social circumstances often increase this strain. However, leaders in this region have learned to prioritize tasks with the resources they can access, and God is working.
“We’re seeing God move in such an amazing way, where we’re seeing the Gospel expanding and people coming to know Christ by the droves. We’re seeing leaders that come from the majority population, that are coming to faith in Jesus, and they’re accomplishing a lot of work. We have ministries on the ground that focus on humanitarian aid, trauma healing, leadership development, education. All of these leaders are doing things that even if they were told, they wouldn’t have believed it. So one of the challenges that they face is those limited resources. I would just ask you to pray for our ministry partners as they are trying to stretch resources and to do the things that the Lord has called them to do.”
Get Involved
The daily struggle Christian leaders in MENA face for resources can feel removed from life in the West. However, Murff explains that these brothers and sisters need prayers. “I think about our friends in Sudan, our friends in the West Bank, or in Israel. They have not stopped doing the work that God has called them to do, and they could really use your prayers. They are still trying to accomplish the things that the Lord has put in front of them.”
Please pray that God would protect these leaders as they prioritize and continue the tasks they’ve been given. Please also pray that they will not tire of doing the good work they have to do.
If you would like to learn more about the MENA Leadership Center, click here.
Header image courtesy of Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
