Monday, July 29, 2013
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Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Ebook Publishing Software
Imagine writing an ebook only to learn that you are making no sales, no traffic to your website and no profits. Information is one of the biggest sellers on the Internet and there is no better way to package your information than an ebook. But once you have created your ebook, you will want to take the necessary steps to protect your work. Modern publishing software can do this for you.
To start once you've determined the focus of your ebook, your next step will be to break your subject down into about 10 - 12 different areas. If you do your research on the topic of your ebook, you will benefit immensely because: - You'll know your competition & how large it is before hand. If you're serious about publishing an ebook, make sure you research all of your options before you start.
There has never been a better time to earn money as an ebook publisher publishing online, despite the growing number of people entering the field. With such a limited number of publishers testing ebook models, the market for me essentially boils down to the most up to date and versatile software. In what is relatively mature market, there is a great diversity in the hardware, operating systems and file format used to view ebooks.
Ebook Publishing Software
Choose only the PDF file format for your ebook and you are severely limiting your options. This ebook format has a number of advantages and disadvantages and the decision may be a little difficult but I recommend looking past the obvious. Then if you have a computer with Internet connection, you can easily create your own ebook and make a fortune selling it on the Internet?
While it takes some time to write a book, when you have one ready written, you can get it online and ready to sell within three or four hours. However most people fail to do their research FIRST before they write their ebook because they think that it will sell well.
I hope I have convinced you that the ebook option is very much worth investigation, particularly for the new author. Setting up your book from the idea conceptualization stage to the selling stage can't be completed overnight but it is definitely something that can be done by anyone regardless of your technological background.
Use your favourite word handling software to assemble your book into shape including Index and chapters. Having completed this it's now you can insert this in the ebook maker software, the latest generation book publishers do not now require a knowledge of HTML. This makes the process much more intuitive and straight forward.
Even more useful, because this is what most readers will expect, is the ease with which pictures, video, audio and hyperlinks can be inserted to make the book more active, or even, interactive.
The ebook publishing software should now be ready to create the book, and even upload it to the webpage, probably as a zip file. This is the ideal format for digital downloading, extremely large format books may need dispatching as a cd. But for most authors smallish books digitally downloaded is probably the best option. Any one who has tried to read a full sized novel on a computer screen soon realises, this is not good for the eyes.
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The software I recommend for your ebook is deadeasy-ebook-software at [http://www.fromgetgotoletgo.com/] it's vast, all complete, with video tutorials to show you how.
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Monday, February 25, 2013
How to Easily Start Your Own Self Publishing Company
Most writers dream of being a published author; of working from anywhere in the world, writing book after book, knowing that every one of them will be published and sold worldwide.
And now, thanks to modern technology and the internet, it's possible for that dream to become a reality.
But why stop at self publishing? Why not go large and start your own publishing company?
How to Easily Start Your Own Self Publishing Company
To start your own company doesn't cost a lot of money and the profits can be high. You don't need to buy anything expensive like self publishing software or premises, so the costs are low.
As a self publisher with your own company you can write and publish all your books for years to come and keep all the profits instead of the miserly 8-10% that other authors receive.
And using Print On Demand means you don't need to do any large expensive print runs. In fact you don't need to do any print runs at all because your books can be printed as ordered (On Demand) whenever a book store or customer places an order.
Or you might just want to be an eBook publisher and publish all your own eBooks.
These days there are lots of authors setting up their own micro-publishing companies and publishing all their own eBooks. Having your own company makes you look more professional and, in some countries, means you can claim tax back on things you buy for your company, plus get other tax perks.
You can also use the internet to promote your books for free through web sites, blogs, free classifieds, forums ezines and interviews. And the best thing about using the internet for book promotion means your marketing will be global.
And if you wanted to, you could use your publishing company to publish other author's books too.
And with books, you don't just earn money once. You'll receive money again and again from the same book.
So once you know how easy it is to publish your books, you can become the CEO of your own profitable publishing company.
You can set up your own business and work from home and do it all for almost no outlay. If you already have a computer, internet connection and a phone, then you already have nearly everything you need to get started.
You just need to register your company name, and you can learn how to do this by "Googling" what you need to know and then talking to the right people.
If it's your dream to be a self published author, having your own publishing company is the next great step.
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About the Author: Ruth Barringham, from Brisbane Australia, is the publisher of Writeaholics, the inspirational website for writers and authors. Go to http://writeaholics.net and sign up for her free newsletter for writers. See all her books and eBooks at http://cheritonhousepublishing.com.
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Sunday, February 17, 2013
Colon Pain - Things You Must Know
Colon pain should never be ignored. Although you may sometimes experience pain for a minor reason, the pain can also be the harbinger of something being seriously wrong. There are many different conditions which can cause colon pain, including colon infections, constipation, and colon cancers. If you are suffering from a pain in your abdomen which won't go away, have it checked out by your doctor as soon as possible.
Because colon or other types of abdominal pain are difficult to diagnose, you should take the time to make note of your symptoms in order to help get to the root of the problem. Colon pain combined with fever and fatigue are often sure signs of an infection. Medication is prescribed to combat the infection and your duties simply include plenty of rest and a great deal of fluids.
Heartburn is a very common cause of abdominal pain. In some extreme cases, heartburn is also known as an ulcer. Immediate pain can be relieved with antacids. Future pain and long-term discomfort can be avoided by trying to decrease portion sizes. Also ask your doctor to examine your diet and make sure it's balanced. Try to avoid high levels of stress, since sustained distress can also cause ulcers.
Colon Pain - Things You Must Know
Prolonged periods of stress can lead to irritable bowel syndrome, also known as spastic colon. This type of colon pain occurs when the colon contracts too quickly or to slowly, the result of which is highly irregular bowel movements. A high fiber diet and stress reduction through rigorous exercise will help alleviate this problem.
If it's been a long time since your last bowel movement and you have persistent colon pain than the culprit is likely constipation. This is another problem with a relatively simple solution. Laxatives, along with fiber and plenty of fluids are again the solution to the problem. Combined, they help regulate the colon and will therefore reduce the amount of pain and discomfort brought about by constipation.
There are those who are convinced that colon cleansing is the key to avoiding additional problems that come with colon pain. Among the benefits promoted are reducing the level of toxins in the body, increasing energy, and improving total health. A diet that includes a lot of fiber and fluids to help your body rid itself of waste and bacteria is always a good idea. Initiating a regular colon cleanse program can, however, leave you dehydrated, anemic, and undernourished.
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Saturday, February 9, 2013
Ford Motor Company - Case Study
Background (General Facts)
Ford Motors is one of three leading automotive manufacturing companies in the United States. Based in Michigan in 1903 by Henry ford and grew to reach revenue of 0 billion and more than 370,000 employees by 1996 [1]. In the 1970's, the automobile market for the major auto makers - General Motors (GM), Ford, and Chrysler- was crunched by competition from foreign manufactures such as Toyota and Honda. In 1999, Ford acquired the Swedish Volvo model in an attempt to compete in the foreign market and expand to other regions. Furthermore, Ford launched a full organization re-engineering business process plan called "Ford 2000" aiming at reestablishing the company's infrastructure. The process meant reduction in their Vehicle Centers (VCs) to only five covering the operations that spanned 200 countries. It also meant cutting redundancies and requiring Information Technology (IT) to be the driving force and the link between Ford centers worldwide.
In building Ford's IT infrastructure, the company focused on implementing a setup that supported the TCP/IP communication protocol based on the U.S. department of Defense requirements. At those days, Ford internal network was meant to serve files transfer unlike most companies that used the network mainly for email communications. Throughout the 1990's, Ford developed a cost effective Global Enterprise Network Integration (GENI) process to link all its locations compromising on the type of the connection and the cabling in favor of full coverage. During the same time, Ford started building its Web Farm, which was basically a set of hardware and software managed by a team for building Ford's public website. The work started by publishing documents for technical references and moved to more advanced images from a live auto show. As a result, the website received 1 million visits a day in less than 2 years after its official launch. Throughout the end of the 90's, Ford established its web services by increasing the amount of information published, building more intelligent and standard web application in 12 weeks period, purchasing more Netscape browsers for setup on its users' machines, and creating a B2B server to allow the suppliers secured access to Ford's Intranet.
Ford Motor Company - Case Study
In the path towards service cost reduction and bringing more business through the web, Ford worked closely with its competitors in the U.S. market GM and Chrysler to establish what came to be known as "Automotive Network Exchange" (ANX) certificate. The protocols aimed at providing a unified communications standard through the Internet to enable suppliers to provide common technology for all manufacturers. Moreover, Ford focused on making information on its web site more accessible and useful by deploying a team to manage the process of adding and updating information based on an analysis of how humans deal with information. One final aspect of Fords endeavor was to try to build a model through its infrastructure that benefited from the model implemented by Dell computers to improve their supply chain and delivery process. The direct model would not work well for automotives as it would with computers, as a result Ford worked on its retailing network remodeling and identifying what would eventually give it the extra edge in delivery time.
Enterprise Architecture Issues
Ford's regional expansion to address the competition for market shares demanded cost management for the infrastructure upgrades
IT infrastructure places limitations on the type of application development based on the platforms
Easy access to information and prompt delivery of vital data to key individuals requires proper knowledge managementOrganizations reengineering and process remodeling is necessary when adapting new technologies to maintain the cost and increase efficiency
Supply chain errors and delays can severely affect the progress of the business and the market value of the corporation
Analysis
Infrastructure Upgrade
Since the inception of the Internet in the 1960's, much effort has been made in standardizing how computers connect to it. In 1982, the International Organization for Standards (ISO) realized that during that period many ad hoc networking systems were already using the TCP/IP protocol for communications and thus adapted it as a standard in its model for the Internet network [2]. The main driver for IP convergence, at that period, was the growth in data traffic through wide area networks (WANs) established by local companies. Furthermore, in 1991, the Internet was open for commercial use, and that demanded a reduction in the total cost of operating the network to cope with 1 million Internet hosts that materialized in only 1-year time. Telecommunications companies like AT&T understood the potential and worked on standardizing the network offering voice services over IP networks that managed the separation between voice and data transmission [3].
At the same time, Ford had launched its plan to update its infrastructure, and seized the opportunity brought by the global movement of integrating the voice, fax transmission network with data transmission and expanded its WAN to include its offices in Europe and elsewhere. The financial benefits also came from the fact that Ford adapted the TCP/IP protocol from the beginning and made sure that all its technical infrastructure upgrades adhere to the standards. This made the transition of its system to the Internet as cost effective as it could be.
Web Technologies
Intranets employ the hypertext and multimedia technology used on the Internet. Prior to 1989, when Tim burners-Lee invented the Web [4], most applications used standard development languages such as C and C++ to create desktop applications that were proprietary and dependent on the platform. For example, applications running on a command-based operating system such as UNIX would not run under Windows, and those working for PCs might not work on Apple computers and vice versa [5]. The invention of HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) introduced a new model for applications that conform to the standards provided by a single program, the "Web Browser". Unlike standard applications, the browser brought a unified interface that had a very fast learning curve. Users seem to require no additional training to work with web browsers. Furthermore, system administrators did not have to spend time installing upgrades on users' machines, since the Intranet client/server architecture facilitated all the updates through the connection with the web server [6].
Since Ford established its Intranet, it was aiming at building web applications through the initial analysis of "Mosaic", the early form of web browsers. The technical department at Ford used web languages to create the first web site in 1995. In 1996, the team started building applications making use of the unified "Netscape" browser that was deployed on all machines at the company, and working on a standard template to cut on the development life cycle. There was a substantial cut in training cost due to the user-friendly interface of web applications. Furthermore, the speed of development made vital applications available to different individuals across the company. For example, the B2B site allowed suppliers remote and secured access to various sections of Ford's Intranet. In addition, the development team created an application as a virtual teardown on Ford's website where Ford's engineers could examine parts of competitors' cars and evaluate any new technologies. The alternative would have been an actual trip to a physical location where Ford tears down cars to examine the parts.
Knowledge Management
While there are many definitions for knowledge, each company might adapt its own based on how it analysis data and information to acquire knowledge. The University of Kentucky, for example, defines knowledge as "a vital organization resource. It is the raw material, work-in process, and finished good of decision-making. Distinct types of knowledge used by decision makers include information, procedures, and heuristics, among others... " [7].
Organizations go through different activities to manage the amount of information they collect to form the knowledge base of the company. Activities include creating databases of best practices and market intelligence analysis, gathering filtering and classifying data, incorporating knowledge into business applications used by employees, and developing focal points for facilitating knowledge flow and building skills [8].
Ford was excited about the traffic it was receiving on the Web site and everyone was publishing all the material they have on desk on the Intranet. Nevertheless, there was a growing concern about the usability and usefulness of the material people were adding. As a result, Ford created a "Knowledge Domain Team" to build complete information in nine areas that were identified as vital to the business. The process Ford took was based on surveys and specialists input in how people perceive information, and what is considered vital and what is distracting in the structure of Ford's website. The aim behind the initiative was to reduce the time individuals spent in searching for information through proper indexing of the website content, and making sure that what was important could be accessed in due time, and what is trivial did not overwhelm the researcher with thousands of results.
Business Re-engineering
In the area of organization's re-engineering process innovation is the set of activities that achieve substantial business improvements. Companies seeking to benefit from process innovation go through the regime of identifying the processes, the factors for change, developing the vision, understanding the current process, and building a prototype for the new organization. History shows that organizations who define their processes properly will not have problems managing the issues and developing the change factors [9]. When introducing technology, business redesign is necessary. The industrial fields have been using Information Technology to remodel processes, control production, and manage material for generations. However, it is only recently that companies recognized that the fusion of IT and business would go beyond automation to fundamentally reshaping how business processes are undertaken [10].
When foreign companies were allowed to compete in the U.S. market, Ford understood that to succeed in business in a competitive arena it needed to implement strategies that competitors find difficult to imitate [11]. As a result, Ford bought Sweden Volvo to enter the European market, and partially owned Mazda to have a competitive edge with Japanese cars1 [12]. To achieve that it re-engineered its production development activities and global corporate organization and processes for dramatic cost reduction. Furthermore, it understood that expansion requires collaboration and alignment, and thus planned to establish the IT infrastructure through a WAN that connected all the offices. In the process of innovation and re-engineering, Ford has set policies to manage the cost of establishing the network, built models for continuous implementation, and organized global meetings to align all parties with the process. Adding to that, when it came to managing the website, Ford facilitated an awareness campaign for all the branches to understand that Ford is using the web to collaborate and research and adapting information technology as a way to maximize its business value. The goal for Ford was to maintain its leadership in the market and to do that in the most efficient and cost effective method that is there.
Supply chain management
Supply chain management (SCM) is about coordinating between suppliers, manufactures, distributors, retailers, and customers [13]. The basic idea that SCM applications revolve around is providing information to all those who are involved in making decisions about the product or goods to manage delivery from the supplier to the consumer [14]. Studies show that reducing errors in supply chain distribution, increases revenue, enhances productivity, and reduces the order-to-fulfillment period [15].
Ford often compared its supply chain process to that of Dell's, in an attempt to close the gaps in its own process and reach the level of success Dell has reached. The difference in the distribution model between Dell and Ford lies in the middle link of using retail shops. Since Ford cannot skip retail as a focal distribution point, it worked on establishing a network of retail shops that it owned. Ford made sure shops are not affecting each other in terms of sales, and gave them all a standard look and feel to establish itself in the consumer's market as a prestigious cars sales retail company. Furthermore, extensive re-engineering initiatives were undertaken to enhance Ford external network by eliminating the correlation with smaller suppliers. In that way, Ford made sure that key suppliers have access to forecasting data from customers' purchasing trends and production information to enable a faster order-to-delivery cycle. Ford vision was to create a model that allowed flexibility, predicable processes and delivered the product at the right time to the right consumer.
Conclusions
Ford is an example of how traditional organizations can mature to adapt what is current and maximizes the business value. The process that Ford went through necessitated the continuous support from management. In addition, it depended on alignment between those involved as a key for success. The correlation was not restricted to internal staff; it extended to cover competitors to reach mutual benefits, to work with suppliers to maintain similar grounds and adequate infrastructure, and to create training programs to educate all on the vision and organization's objectives.
Ford technical progress came at a time where the Internet was yet to reach its full potential. The introduction of Fiber-optic cables in the late 90's and the substantial increase in bandwidth would have helped Ford and cut on the cost in endured connecting its own offices. Furthermore, the ISP services that provided hosting servers were limited to only few players, which explained why Ford preferred to manage its own web server and maintain the overhead of the 24 hours uptime and backup.
From this case study, I understood the level of commitment large firms have to maintaining their position in the market. These companies know the revolving nature of business in the sense of how easy it is to fall back if they did not keep up with the change. The Ford process also shows the need for quick and resourceful thinking when faced with situations that might seem to be unfavorable. The way Ford ventured into the foreign market by acquiring local manufacturers was a strategic decision that did not only enabled Ford to merge with different technologies, but it also saved it the additional cost of establishing production centers in Japan and Europe.
Recommendations
Maintaining leadership in the market requires innovative organizations willing to reengineer to succeed.
IT fusion with the business means restructuring and remodeling to understand the role IT would play to meet the business objectives
Planning and modeling is vital when coordinating work with large teams.
Constructing websites is not about content; it is about understanding what adds value and how humans interact with information.
Knowledge management is a plan that companies need to develop as part of their initial business process modeling
It is not wrong for large firms to try to adapt to successful processes implemented by other firms.
References
Robert D. Austin and Mark Cotteleer,"Ford Motor Co.: Maximizing the Business Value of Web Technologies." Harvard Business Publishing. July 10, 1997. harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml;jsessionid=WDARNHINBSYKSAKRGWCB5VQBKE0YOISW?id=198006 (accessed July 30, 2008). Computer History Museum, Internet History 80's. 2006. computerhistory.org/internet_history/internet_history_80s.shtml (accessed July 30, 2008). Darren Wilksch and Peter Shoubridge, "IP Convergence in Global Telecommunications." Defense Science & Technology Organization. March 2001. http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/publications/2400/DSTO-TR-1046.pdf (accessed July 30, 2008). Computer History Museum, Internet History 80's. H. Joseph Wen, "From client/server to intranet." Information Management & Computer Security (MCB UP Ltd) 6, no. 1 (1998): 15-20. R. Boutaba, K. El Guemioui, and P. Dini, "An outlook on intranet management." Communications Magazine (IEEE), October 1997: 92-99. Joseph M. Firestone, Enterprise Information Portals and Knowledge Management (OXFORD: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002), 169. David J. Skyrme, "Knowledge management solutions - the IT contribution." ACM SIGGROUP Bulletin (ACM) 19, no. 1 (April 1998): 34 - 39, 34. Thomas H. Davenport, Process Innovation: Reengineering Work Through Information Technology (Watertown,MA: Harvard Business Press, 1993), 28. Thomas H. Davenport "The New Industrial Engineering: Information Technology and Business Process Redesign." Sloan Management Review 31, no. 4 (Summer 1990): 11-28, 12 Gary M. Erickson, Robert Jacobson, and Johny K. Johansson, "Competition for market share in the presence of strategic invisible assets: The US automobile market, 1971-1981." International Journal of Research in Marketing (Elsevier Science) 9, no. 1 (March 1992): 23-37, 23. Austin and Cotteleer, "Ford Motor " , 2. Henk A. Akkermans, et al. "The impact of ERP on supply chain management: Exploratory findings from a European Delphi study." European Journal of Operational Research 146 (2003): 284-301, 286 Thomas H. Davenport and Jeffrey D. Brooks, "Enterprise systems and the supply chain." Journal of Enterprise Information Management 17, no. 1 (2004): 8-19, 9. Kevin B. Hendricks, Vinod R. Singhal, and Jeff K. Stratman. "The impact of enterprise systems on corporate performance:A study of ERP, SCM, and CRM system implementations." Journal of Operations Management 25, no. 1 (January 2007): 65-82.
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Sally Ahmed is a webmaster , web technology analyst, and a developer for more than 7 years. Earned the Certified Web Professionals title from the International Webmaster Association in 2001. Worked as a technical Internet instructor at New Horizons computer learning center. Worked in several companies where she developed and planned over 20 websites . Holds a Masters degree in web technologies from the University College of Denver, CO. Currently working as a web technology consultant and an E-commerce manager for several local companies.
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Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Success in Life and How to Achieve It
First things first. What is YOUR definition of "success"? What determines whether or not someone is successful in your eyes? For some people it is having a lot of money, for others it may be having the time freedom to play golf once a week, and for others it may be raising their children to be "good people" or having a large group of close friends. For every one of us, there is a different definition of what success is for others, and what success is for ourselves in our own lives. The more important of the two is how we measure success for ourselves, not for others. In order to have success in our own lives we must first define, within ourselves, what it IS to be successful and then set our hearts and minds on achieving it. The basic foundation to attaining success is setting goals and when you achieve those goals, you have success.
The goals that we set for ourselves can come in all shapes and sizes. Some may seem small and some may seem outrageously ambitious in the eyes and minds of others. Whatever the size of the goal or whatever the goal is, when we accomplish it, it will equate to success no matter how big or small. If you feel that making tiny little steps is more of your nature, then set small goals for yourself in your life. A bucket full of small incremental successes is just as valid as reaching a long-term goal in larger steps. As a matter of fact, every long-term goal requires smaller short-term goals for them to ultimately come to fruition. That's just the way it works. We've all heard of the concept of the "overnight success", right?
Well, I will guarantee that each one of those overnight successes have been achieving other quieter, less public, subtler successes along the way before "getting their big break". Nobody becomes an overnight success overnight. The bottom line is that in order to succeed in life we must have goals, whether big or small. You can still be a big thinker and a very successful person by accomplishing bite-sized goals and succeeding at them one at a time. The journey towards your ultimate goals is an exciting one when we have incremental successes along the way. And when we achieve those successes along the way, it's important to celebrate them and to be inspired by them, so that we are motivated to achieve the ultimate goals in our lives as well.
Success in Life and How to Achieve It
Success in Life and How to Achieve It
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Carolyn Quan is an Entrepreneur, internationally-collected Fine Artist and Mentor to artists. She is based in Emeryville, California which is in the San Francisco Bay Area and works from her artist's loft when she is not traveling the world on business and for art shows. Her professional experience includes working as a graphic designer in television in Toronto; working as an Art Director in the music industry in New York City (designing album covers for Grateful Dead, Carly Simon, Barry Manilow, Aretha Franklin amongst others); and publishing a full-color multicultural magazine that was distributed at Borders, Barnes and Noble and Chapters in Canada. Prior to her move to California, she was the owner of The Quan Galleries in both Lahaina, Maui and Waikiki. Her fine art is also held in the permanent art collection of The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction in Bloomington, Indiana and has been shown in Rio de Janeiro; New York City; Los Angeles; Taos, New Mexico; Riviera Maya, Mexico; Toronto, Canada; and throughout the Hawaiian islands. Carolyn Quan is living her dreams and is passionate about sharing her experiences and knowledge with others in business, personal development and in fine art, so that they, too, can be living the life of their dreams.
http://www.LiveYourDreams.us.com
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Sunday, February 3, 2013
Impact of the French Revolution on 18th Century Europe and Relevance to Contemporary Christianity
INTRODUCTION
Events of 1789 formed the catalyst that exploded the powder keg of accumulated grievances in France. Indeed "the French Revolution began when Louis XVI called the States-General to provide money for his bankrupt government" (The World Book Encyclopedia, Vol.7, 1991, p.450). The outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 produced intense hostility to Christianity because "the Roman church was identified by the people with the earlier government of France and suffered greatly" (Harman and Renwick, 1999, p.170). Lefebvre (1947) observed that in a total population of probably twenty three million, there were certainly not more than one hundred thousand priests, monks and nuns, and four hundred thousand nobles. The rest constituted the Third Estate. This secular event shows the contemporary Church the peril that awaits a nation that rejects God. The point of the observation is that although the French Revolution negatively affected Christianity, the attempt at deChristianization was unable to blot the 'faith of our fathers living still'.
RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND TO THE CONFLICT
Impact of the French Revolution on 18th Century Europe and Relevance to Contemporary Christianity
According to Noll (2000), "a number of long-festering conditions had prepared the way for this attack on Christianity" (p.247). Paradoxically, some of these were of Christian origin. Centuries earlier, Augustine had declared that man should not have dominion over man, for he is a rational creature made in the image of God. Bellarmine, the Jesuit Cardinal opined that it depended on the consent of the people whether kings, consuls or other magistrates were to be established in authority over them. He further observed that the people should change a kingdom into an aristocracy if there was legitimate cause. Latourette (1953) therefore referred to the French Revolution as "a secularized version of the heavenly city as perceived by Christians" (p.1007).
Before the outbreak of the revolution in France, bad economic, political, social and legal conditions, the successful example of the English Revolution of 1689 and the American Revolution of 1776 were fused by the development of an ideology that rationalized the right of popular revolution against Louis XVI. This ideology was the result of the teachings of the philosophes. While Rousseau and Montesquieu provided the political atmosphere for revolution, Voltaire criticized the church. Cairns (1981) admitted that there were grounds for criticism of the Roman Catholic Church in France. It owned much land and was as responsible as the secular state in the dealings with the people. The public resented various tithes imposed by the church, rigorous repression of religious dissenters, and the non-productive monkish orders. Nichols (1932) suspected that "the greatest cause of the hostility of the church was its enormous wealth and the selfish use made of it" (p.96) since the masses were ruined by cruel taxation at the expense of higher clergy who were generally lazy, luxurious and immoral.
If the 17th century was the age of orthodoxy, the eighteenth was the age of nationalism, a result of cold orthodoxy and scientific developments. The deadly result was that "revelation tended to take the back seat to reason and knowledge gained by sense perception" (Vos, 1960, p.99). When scientists investigated the form of the universe, they formed the idea of a clockwise universe - God's world was seen as gigantic, well-ordained giant clock.
IMPLICATIONS FOR 18TH CENTURY EUROPE
The French Revolution is viewed as a turning point because it was seen as an important stage in a succession of movements that later spread across the globe to ultimately affect the life of mankind.
It is observed that the effects were especially serious for Christianity since they brought actions which struck at the privileges and status of the Roman Catholic Church. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen on August 26 1789 held that "the source of all sovereignty is located in the nation; no body, no individual can exercise authority which does not emanate from it expressly" (Noll, 2000, p.247). The peasants were relieved of a burden which had taken about a twentieth of their produce when tithes were abolished. Consequently, the church was deprived of one of its chief sources of revenue. Church land, which comprised about a fifth of the area of France was confiscated and became the property of the state. In July 1790, the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was enacted by the National Assembly. Among other things, bishops were to be elected by the voters who chose the civil officials and the pope was merely to be notified of their choice. Payment of the clergy by the state was no blessing in disguise since the former was to take an oath of allegiance to the latter. [It must be observed that Spener criticized caesaropapism (doctrine of state control over the church) in his significant publication way back in 1675]. The pope's power was reduced to that of stating the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. Indeed "churchmen felt this new act meant secularization of the church and they were violently opposed to it" (Cairns, 1981, p.390).
Unlike the situation in the United States, separation of church and state by the French Revolution and later in the Soviet Union and its sphere of influence was an attempt to totally exterminate the church and to replace it with nationalism. The Roman Catholic Church and the French state were completely separated during the reign of terror of 1793 and 1794 when so many were executed for counter revolutionary activities.
The programme of deChristianization gained momentum when the convention decreed that a commune had the right to renounce the Catholic form of worship. The calendar adopted on October 3 1793 made every tenth day rather than Sunday a day of rest. On November 7, 1793, the Archbishop of Paris appeared before the Convention and "solemnly resigned his Episcopal functions" (Encyclopaedia Britiannica, vol.15, 1989, p.498). A certain Mademoiselle Maillard, an opera dancer, wearing the three colours of the new republic on November 10, 1793 was enthroned as the goddess of Reason upon the high altar of Notre Dame, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Paris, and there she received the homage of the revolutionists. Notre Dame was rechristened the Temple of Reason. Another step adopted by the Convention was the ordering of churches and parsonages to be used as school houses and poor houses thus effectively preventing public and official worship. The Feasts of Reason both at Paris and elsewhere soon "degenerated into mere orgies, disreputable women playing the part of goddesses and enacting bacchanals in the churches" (Martin, 1877, p.552). The precarious situation during the Reign of Terror forced many Christians to renounce their trust in God. Assessing the situation, Kuiper (1964) pointed out that "it is not possible to say how many Protestants as well as Catholics renounced their faith at this time, but the number was large" (p.310). Although the Convention passed a decree reaffirming the principle of the freedom of worship, the Directory and its regime were basically anti-Christian. The interests of Christianity and European civilization were no longer regarded as two expressions of the same reality. In other words, there was a signal of the demise of Christendom.
Kings initially viewed themselves as God's representatives on earth and considered all disobedience and rebellion to be sinful. A dangerous feeling of infallibility, considerable serenity and moderation therefore gained control of monarchs. The French Revolution completely repudiated this divine right of kings and "asserted the doctrine that the right to rule came from the people" (The World Book Encyclopedia, vol.5, 1971, p.199). Although Napoleon eventually recognized the Roman Catholic religion as the religion of the great majority of French citizens, he did not make it the established religion. The clergy were to be paid by the state but the property taken from the Roman Church in 1790 was not to be returned to it. In fact, Latourette (1953) observed with brutal truth that Napoleon "regarded the church as an institution which must be recognized and used for his purposes" (p.1011).
The French Revolution and Napoleon brought grave embarrassment to missions. The direct result was a sharp decline of the faith in some geographic frontiers. Few missionaries were sent from Europe and it was difficult to render aid to those already in the field. The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris was compelled to seek headquarters outside of France. The Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith, the bureau through which the Papacy supervised missions abroad, was driven out of Rome. This led to a marked falling off in numbers and morale of the Roman Catholic community in India. Adverse domestic conditions coupled with the handicaps in Europe threatened the extinction of the church in China. The occupation of Spain by Napoleonic armies and the attack on Portugal greatly affected missions in Latin America. Conditions in Russia were also adverse. Parishes lost the right of electing their clergy, a privilege enjoyed since the era of Peter the Great. In a brilliant summary, Noll (2000) commented that "turmoil from the French Revolution and then the wave of national liberation movements fostered by Napoleon further diminished European concern for cross-cultural Christian expansion" (p.274). The revolution greatly affected Lutherans in the German states. War and suffering revealed that skepticism and infidelity were not sufficient to meet the needs of the human spirit and multitudes turned again to religious faith. The old Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, stimulating the strengthening of independent states like Austria and Prussia. Later in the century, this contributed to the unification of the German people under the leadership of Prussia. Calvinism in Europe also felt the shock of the French Revolution. Skepticism had already weakened this group in France, Switzerland, the German states and the Low Countries. According to Baker (1959), the "political conditions that continued through the Congress of Vienna in 1815 brought disorganization and uncertainty to continental Calvinism" (p.321).
Beyond the dark clouds were shades of silver lining, which several scholars tend to overlook. Perhaps a positive view was that "society was being directed toward the good of the whole community instead of toward the benefit of a tiny elite of kings, nobles and bishops" (Noll, 2000, p.248). Grievous as were the losses suffered by Christianity, "there was ample evidence that the faith was by no means moribund" (Latourette, 1953, p.1012). Indications of vitality (old and new) were evident. These could be found among the Roman Catholics of the eastern churches and in Protestantism. If anything, "secularization of the west was not going to blot out the faith" (Noll, 2000, p.260). Liberal, sectarian and traditionalist responses to the marginalization of European Christendom all had notable vigor though at varying degrees. European thought was skillfully sifted in a new world in order to preserve an intellectually vigorous Christian faith. Groups like the Oxford Movement applied lessons of the early church of the perils of the present. In his stimulating Church History lectures at West Africa Theological Seminary, Lagos, Nigeria, Dr. William Faupel observed that secularization is not inherently evil and argued that there must be a positive interaction, that is, taking the gospel in the mindset of the people.
RELEVANCE TO CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY
Many biblical scholars agreed that the punctuation of papal power in France was a fulfillment of prophecies of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13, which they believed predicted the demise of Roman Catholicism. In this light, Faupel (1996) observed that "the French Revolution became the Rosetta Stone by which all scriptural prophecy could be correlated with the events of human history" (p.92). The lessons for contemporary Christianity are significant.
Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is indeed a reproach to any people. Even today, the Wesleys are credited with saving England from a bloody, political revolution such as befell France. While the common people were as oppressed and deprived as the French, the English people could cope with their oppression because of their faith in God and their adherence to Christian principles. The English revival caused the people to look to God for hope whereas the French had only politicians and atheistic philosophers. The lesson is that God can avert destruction in a nation that acknowledges Him as Saviour. The situation in Sierra Leone in May 2000 is a case in point. God miraculously saved the nation at a time when destruction loomed large. The nation responded to the call to shout 'Jesus' at 5:00 p.m. on Monday May 9 2000. God honoured this demonstration of faith and reliance on Him as the only hope. The peaceful elections in May 2002 and August/September 2007 could also be attributed to the redeeming work of God in a land where He is exalted. In like manner, Horton (1993) firmly believed that "God brought about a peaceful change in the protestant land of England, in contrast to the turmoil of the Roman Catholic France" (p.72).
Secondly, the church in any nation should not fraternize with the state to oppress masses since the latter could rebel with frenzied violence. In France, the revolutionists demonstrated that "they could break down barriers if they were driven to desperation" (Rowe, 1931, p.420). Furthermore, ideas that glorify man and sentence God to temporary or permanent exile could be dangerous to any nation. The French Revolution shocked Europe and awakened people to the power of ideas and forces that had become part of western culture. For many, "those ideas and forces connoted the disruptions and destruction that could be expected from unrestrained rationalism" (Manschreck, 1974, 298).
From the study, the researcher realizes that pagan religions and ideas could penetrate areas once dominated by Christianity as a result of the state of the church. During his lectures, Dr. Faupel lamented that an impending doom could await the church in North America because of inherent weakness including racist Christian policies. As Rodney observed (1972), "racism...[was] a set of generalizations and assumptions, which had no scientific bias, but...rationalized in every sphere from theology to biology" (p.99). Contemporary Christianity should realize that it should not be the cold impotent ash (like the church in France before the revolution) but a vibrant church fulfilling the Great Commission. Sumrall (1980) caustically dismissed refusal to spread the gospel as "reckless spiritual homicide" (p.8). The contemporary church must be willing to sacrifice like Christ and the saints of old if the earth should be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. Houghton (1980) hoped that the contemporary church would be mindful of the fact that "when the church goes astray, denying Him who had bought His people with His precious blood, the Lord [sends] trials and afflictions to correct His unfaithful children" (p.34).
CONCLUSION
The above notwithstanding, the blood of a martyr is seed for the church. After the French Revolution, Christianity, probably to the dismay of the revolutionaries, did not die. Truth (Jesus) was in the grave for three days but eventually resurrected. Persecution, in the history of Christianity, could be regarded as a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block. Fire did not beget cold and impotent ash. After the French Revolution, the church became much more involved in speaking on relevant issues of the day. Christianity was viewed from a different perspective. Evangelism was given a thoughtful consideration. In spite of all the negative effects of the French Revolution, the brand of Christianity that emerged transformed itself by positively interacting with the philosophical mindset of the day.
LIST OF REFERENCES
Baker, Robert A. 1959. A survey of Christian history. Nashville: Broadman Press.
Cairns, Earle E. 1981. Christianity through the centuries: a history of the Christian Church. 2nd ed.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1989 ed., s.v. "French Revolution".
Faupel, William. 1996. The everlasting gospel: the significance of eschatology in the development of Pentecostal thought. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.
Harman, A.M. and A.M. Renwick. 1999. The story of the church. 3rd ed. Leicester: Varsity Press.
Horton, Beka. 1993. 1980. Sketches from church history. Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth.
Kuiper, B.K. 1964. The church in history. Michigan: The National Union of Christian Schools.
Latourette, Kenneth S. 1953. A history of Christianity. New York: Harper and Row Publishers.
Lefebvre, George. 1947. The coming of the French Revolution. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Lewis, C.S. 1970. God in the dock: essays on theology and ethics. Michigan: William E. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Manschreck, Clyde L. 1974. A history of Christianity in the world: from persecution to uncertainty.
New York: Prentice Hall.
Martin, Henri. 1877. A popular history of France from the first revolution to the present time, Vol.1.
Philadelphia: The Westminster Press.
Noll, Mark A. 2000. Turning points: decisive moments in the history of Christianity. 2nd ed.
Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic.
Rodney, Walter. 1972. How Europe underdeveloped Africa. London: Bogle L'Ouverture Publications.
Rowe, Henri K. 1931. History of the Christian people. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Sumrall, Lester. 1980. Where was God when pagan religions began? Indiana: LeSEA Publishing Co.
Vos, Howard F. 1960. Highlights of church history. Nebraska: Back to the Bible Publishers.
The World Book Encyclopaedia, 1971 ed., s.v. "Divine rights of kings".
The World Bank Encyclopaedia, 1971 e.d., s.v. "French Revolution".
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AUTHOR SIGNATURE
Oliver L.T. Harding, who obtained his GCE O & A Levels from the Sierra Leone Grammar School and the Albert Academy respectively, is currently Senior & Acting Librarian of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He is a part time lecturer at the Institute of Library, Information & Communication Studies (INSLICS), Fourah Bay College and the Extension Programme at the Evangelical College of Theology (T.E.C.T) at Hall Street, Brookfields; Vice President of the Sierra Leone Association of Archivists, Librarians & Information Scientists (SLAALIS); a member of the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP). His certificates, secular and sacred, include: a certificate and diploma from the Freetown Bible Training Centre; an upper second class B.A. Hons. Degree in Modern History (F.B.C.); a post-graduate diploma from the Institute of Library Studies (INSLIBS, F.B.C) a masters degree from the Institute of Library, Information & Communication Studies (INSLICS, F.B.C.) and a masters degree in Biblical Studies from West Africa Theological Seminary, affiliate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he won the prize for academic excellence as the Best Graduating Student in 2005. Oliver, a writer, musician and theologian, is married (to Francess) with two children (Olivia & Francis).
Email: oltharding@yahoo.com
Mobile: 232-2233-460-330
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Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The BEST Foundations For Christian Ministries and Churches
The grantmaking climate has been volatile since a 22% decline in foundation assets in late 2008 caused a steep drop in foundation giving. The decline lasted throughout 2009. But in 2010 foundations are recovering their lost assets. The S&P Index has improved by 68% this past year, the largest one-year upturn that since the Great Depression. As a result, 70% of foundations expect to give more this year than last year. Smaller foundations, those most likely to support Christian ministries and churches, are twice as likely to give more in 2010 than they did in 2009.
Now is the time to ensure your ministry or church is aware of the best foundations so as not to waste time and energy looking for funding from the wrong sources. Opportunities for funding abound. Here are a few reasons...
the upswing in the market means more funds are available for your organization the number of foundations in the United States is soaring - about 2,000 new foundations are expected to spring up in 2010 the sooner you develop relationships with them the better wealth is shifting from individuals to foundations
The BEST Foundations For Christian Ministries and Churches
There are no less than 10,000 foundations with assets totaling around 0 billion that support Christian ministries and churches.
The following Christian-friendly foundations are good places to begin your search. They are ten of the best funders of Christian ministries and churches based on a number of factors. They give the majority of their funding to Christian ministries and churches, they specifically support evangelism, and they give on a national basis.
MJ Murdock Charitable Trust
The foundation was granted charitable status in December 1975 in Vancouver, Washington. The Trust's purpose is to support and enrich the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest by providing grants to organizations that seek to strengthen the region's educational, spiritual, and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways.
Grants are available for Building Funds, Matching Gifts, Equipment, Matching/challenge Funding, Program Funding, Research Funding, Seed Funding, and Project Funding. The Trust's funding interests include Education, Health & Human Services, Arts & Culture, Science, Medicine & Engineering, and Scientific Research. Between 2005 and 2009, 43 percent of the Trust's funds went to health and human services, 30 percent to education, 19 percent to scientific research, and eight percent to arts and culture.
The Trust is especially interested in funding scientific and research efforts that further the pursuit of knowledge. Its educational funding interests are projects and programs in both formal and informal settings...program enhancement and expansion...and new approaches consistent with an organization's mission and resources.
Its arts and culture funding priorities are educational outreach efforts and performance and visual Projects that enrich the culture of the region. The Trust funds health and human services efforts that address physical, spiritual, social, and psychological needs. It is especially interested in programs for youth.
Its average grant size is ,000. Its largest grant is million.
ARTHUR S DEMOSS FOUNDATION
The foundation was granted charitable status in March 1959 in Washington, DC. Its
primary purpose is to support Christian Evangelical purposes. Its funding interests include Christian Organizations & Churches, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Children, and Youth & Families. Grants are available for Matching/challenge Funding, Program Funding, and Seed Funding. Grants are awarded to spread the Christian gospel through any means. This includes technical assistance to missionaries and missionary groups, and support for pastors, evangelists, preachers, and others who spread the Christian Gospel. Grants also support the printing and distribution of Christian literature, Bible and tracts, and audio and audio-visual communication.
The foundation's programs include Power For Living, which seeks to make as many people as possible throughout the world aware of the Biblical account and how people can get right with Christ; Executive Ministries, which focuses on turning business executives into disciples of Christ; Literature for Little Ones, which provides Christian literature and books, including the Bible to children.
The average size of its grants is 0,000. Its largest grant is -million.
C.I.O.S.
Christ Is Our Savior, Inc. (C.I.O.S.) was granted charitable status in February 1987 in Waco, Texas. C.I.O.S. provides grants for Program-related Investments/loans. An example of this is the three-year .1 million grant it awarded to Baylor University's Center For Family and Community Ministries in 2006. It funded a Center proposal that had four objectives... educating future community ministry leaders for churches... preparing these leaders through congregational field internships in the School of Social Work...producing community ministry resources and training for churches, much of which will be come from recent research within the school...and publishing a quarterly journal to be used as a resource for congregational leaders.
The average size of its grants is 5,000. Its largest grant is Million.
CHATLOS FOUNDATION INC
The foundation was granted charitable status in February 1955 in Longwood, Florida.
Its purpose is to proclaim the glory of God by funding nonprofit organizations in the US and around the globe.
Grants are available for Building Funds, Equipment, Operating Funds, Land Acquisition, Matching/challenge Funding, Program Funding, Publication Funding, and Technical Support. The foundation's funding interests include Bible Colleges & Seminaries, Religious Causes, Liberal Arts Colleges, Medical Issues, and Social Issues.
The foundation's average grant size falls between ,000 and ,000. Its largest grant is 0,000.
THE CROWELL TRUST
The Crowell Trust was granted charitable status in August 1941 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Grants are available for Building Funds, Equipment, Operating Funds, Matching/challenge Funding, Program Funding, Scholarships. The foundation's funding interests include Christian Organizations & Churches, Missions, Religion, Theological Education, and Youth Ministries.
The foundation's mission is to provide grants that teach and actively help spread Evangelical Christianity. Its grants promote Evangelism and Discipleship, International Cross-cultural Missions, International Church Planting, US-focused Missions, Christian Higher Education, and Christian Leadership Development.
The average size of the foundation's grants is ,000. Its largest grant is 0,000.
TYNDALE HOUSE FOUNDATION
The foundation was granted charitable status in December 1966 in Carol Stream, Illinois.
Its purpose is to minister to the needs of the people through grants to Christian charities. Its charitable fund supports Christian work around the world. Although the foundation is most noted for its support for Christian literature projects, including new translations of the Bible in languages throughout the world, it also supports Christian Higher Education, Evangelism, Disaster Relief, and Social Services in the United States and abroad.
Grants are available for Conferences & Seminars, Operating Funds, Matching/challenge Funding, Program Funding, and Publication Funding. The foundation's funding interests include Christian Organizations & Churches, Human Services, Language & Linguistics, Literature, Protestant Organizations & Churches, and Religion.
The foundation's average grant size is ,000. Its largest ever grant is 0,000.
HUSTON FOUNDATION
The foundation was granted charitable status in August 1959 in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
The foundation's grants support health, social, and human services, arts and culture, Christian organizations, education, and public policy. Grants are available for Annual Campaigns, Building Funds, Emergency Funds, Equipment, Operating Funds, Matching/challenge Funding, Program Funding, Research Funding, Seed Funding, and Technical Support.
The primary purpose of the foundation is to fund ministries that have a strong Protestant, Christ-centered, Biblical-based foundation. This includes ministries that have an effective prayer and a unique calling by the Holy Spirit to promote evangelism and discipleship around the world. Nationally it focuses on secular issues, including humanitarian needs. It also seeks to encourage problem solving and innovative, practical approaches to meeting the changing needs of our regional, national, and international communities.
The average size of the foundation's grants is ,000. Its largest grant is 0,000.
A previous article also discussed the National Christian Foundation, the Maclellan Trust, and the Harry J. Lloyd Foundation. Combined these are the best foundations as of 2010 for Christian Ministries and churches.
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Jeffrey J. Rodman is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a Certified Grants Specialist (CGS). He is an experienced grantwriter, fundraiser, and nonprofit executive, who operates Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting and Church Grant Writing providing consultation for grant writing to Christian ministries and Churches worldwide. Jeffrey received his BS and his M.Ed. from George Mason University.
Jeffrey supervises a team of writers, researchers, editors, and administrative staff in providing consultation for grant proposal writing, nonprofit development, and fundraising in almost every state and a dozen foreign countries and has worked on proposals to Federal, State, and Local government as well as to Foundations, Civic groups, and many others. He has written 100's proposals, secured millions of dollars in funding, and maintains a funding rate of nearly 80%.
Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting
Jeffrey J. Rodman, CFRE, CGS, M.Ed.
President & CEO
Website: http://www.npfunds.com
Blog: http://npfunds.com/blog
Phone: 1-866-HERE-4-U-1
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Friday, January 25, 2013
The Characteristics of Good Leadership
Introduction
Some leaderships have been characterized as good and have been used as challenges for others to emulate. This description however raises an obvious question: upon what criteria were these leadership characterized as good? It is certain that some leaders, whose leadership does not fall within this category, have good qualities that others can emulate. For this reason it is important not only to know that a leadership has been characterized as good but also to know the characteristics that qualifies it as good. According to Anthony D'souza, leadership involves an inter-relationship between three elements:
(a) The quality skills and needs of the followers
(b) The need and expectations of the group
(c) The demands or requirements of the situation.1
The Characteristics of Good Leadership
It can be observed from what D'souza has said that the first element deals with the personality of the leader; the second, his followers and the third, the task to be accomplished.
On the basis of what has been said the characteristics of good leadership will be identified under the following headings:-
(a) The personal characteristics of the leader
(b) The characteristics of the followers
(c) The leader's task or mission. Selected leaders in the Bible, whose leaderships
have been classified as good will form the basis of this presentation.
(a) The Personal Characteristics of the Leader
It can be observed from scriptures that God was very selective in choosing leaders for specific tasks. God specifically chose Nehemiah to spearhead the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall; Moses to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt; Paul, to pioneer missionary work to the Gentiles and David, whose kinship would have a lasting dynasty, to replace Saul. These men certainly had qualities that were essential for good leadership. God recognized these qualities in them as potentials when He chose them.
In this section some of the qualities of leaders mentioned above will be discussed in a more general way. The goal is to show that it has been recognized that the good personal qualities of leaders, when applied to leadership are characteristics of good leadership.
Nehemiah
In reflecting on the book of Nehemiah, John White said that "the book of Nehemiah serves primarily to unfold for us part of God's on-going plan for his people. But always it is the man, his character and his leadership that holds my interest".2 Two important things stand out from John White's evaluative statement about Nehemiah's leadership that are characteristic of good leadership. The first is the character and conduct of Nehemiah himself as a leader and the second, is his leadership ability. White further commended that probably one of the reasons why Nehemiah was chosen as a cupbearer was because of a well-trained personal quality like that of a stable character. Such well-trained stable character was not just the effort of Nehemiah alone. This can be seen in the following statement - "God used Nehemiah's active prayer life to mold him into a godly leader".3 As a godly leader, Nehemiah was dependent upon God from whom he received his personal support and encouragement, which motivated him enough to succeed. Nehemiah achieved his ministry goal and his leadership has been characterized as good. His good character and conduct and his demonstration of leadership abilities were personal characteristics of his leadership, which made him succeed.
Moses
Moses' childhood training as an adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter was tailored towards leadership. The incidence, which led to his escape from Egypt, revealed that he recognized his leadership qualities before God called him to leadership. However, it took 40 years from the time of his escape from Egypt, before God called him to leadership. Joyce Peel observed that Moses learns how to be a shepherd. Long years of looking after sheep taught him the patience he was to need as leader of the cantankerous children of Israel.4 This observation by Joyce Peel shows that the personal quality of patience in Moses' life was a characteristic of his good leadership. This quality was made evident in the life of Moses through the great challenges he faced as a leader over Israel. One example was when he came down from Mount Sinai and found the people worshiping the golden calf. He smashed the tablet inscribed with God's commandment, and, with a rousing cry, 'who is on the Lord's side?', summons the faithful Levites to a massacre.5 The next day he reproaches the people and then brokenhearted, goes back up the mountain to plead for their forgiveness.6
Patience was not the only personal quality that Moses had. But it has been used to show that good personal qualities, when applied to leadership, bring about positive results. Therefore, good personal qualities are characteristics of good leadership.
Paul
Paul made great achievements in the ministry God called him to. Achievements should however be seen as pointers to personal abilities or qualities that a leader has that made him to succeed. What then were those qualities in Paul that made him to succeed? First it would be important to look at some of the achievements that Paul made. He made remarkable impact in his missionary work and also in his writing. John Stott observed that thirteen letters ascribed to Paul in our New Testament form almost exactly one quarter of the whole New Testament. It was the rediscovery of the theology of Paul which led to the reformation of the sixteenth century, that theological revolution which prompted an upheaval within the Roman Catholic Church and led to the birth of all the present day Protestant Churches.7 Paul's educational background gave him this advantage. It should not go unnoticed that this great apostle used all that he had personally achieved in his formative years in his leadership role. Making use of his personal qualities in bringing about positive results in his leadership was a characteristic of Paul's good leadership.
David
According to Ted W. Engstrom, David the second king of Israel was a striking contrast to Saul, the first king.8 This was because of his noble, generous and admirable qualities he demonstrated in his leadership. This comparison indicates that David's leadership was not only better than Saul's but his leadership can be characterized as good. John C. Maxwell also compared the two leaders. In answer to a question, which he posed - 'Why did Saul fail as Israel's king while David, who appeared to be weaker succeed?' he said that it was because of David's attitude. Unlike Saul, David tried to become a better leader.9 It is clear from these two authors that David's personal qualities, especially that of his attitude to always be a better leader were characteristics of his good leadership. Having the qualification or qualities is one thing, but applying them in one's leadership role is quite another. David applied his leadership qualities in leading and made an impact as a leader.
The Characteristics of the Followers
Some of the characteristics of good leadership can be identified with the followers. Before identifying these characteristics, it would be helpful to examine some definitions of leadership, to be reminded of the relationship between leaders and followers. According to Oswald Sanders, leadership is influence. It is the ability of one person to influence others to follow his or her lead. Ted W. Enngstrom defines leadership with just two words - 'leaders lead'. Myron Rush also gave a definition of leadership and his definition of leadership as 'leader reproducing himself on the followers'. These definitions point to the relationship between leaders and followers but most significantly, what they considered to be the goal of the relationship. Oswald Sanders and Engstrom focus on the aspect of following. This focus identifies one of the characteristics of a good leadership - willing followers. If one gives consideration to D'souza's point cited in the introduction, that one of the elements of leadership is 'the needs and expectations of the group', it follows that one reason why people will willingly follow their leader is because their needs and expectations are met. Another characteristic can be identified from Myron Rush's definition - making leader out of followers, there is a guarantee of the continuity of that ministry. The four leaders, Nehemiah, Moses, Paul and David, whose leaderships have been classified as good, will now be used as test case to identify the two characteristics.
Nehemiah
When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem from Susa, he first personally assessed the situation of Jerusalem's destruction. Afterwards he called the people and shared his vision. The Bible stated that the people responded to Nehemiah (see Neh. 2:8). This shows clearly that from the start of his mission Nehemiah had willing followers. They were willing to follow because they realize that the vision was good and that some of their needs as a community will be met. Maxwell noted that the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt because of Nehemiah's ability to work with people and lead them where they need to go.10 This shows that Nehemiah had willing followers.
In addition Nehemiah gave recognition to subordinate leaders as he delegated responsibilities to them. This, as he said, opens the leadership potentials for others.11 Therefore one can rightly say that Nehemiah not only had willing followers but also leaders were reproduced under his ministry.
Moses
When Moses returned to Egypt to set the Israelites free, they were at first excited. But when Moses made their situation worse they were no longer excited about freedom. However, by the end of the ninth plague they had realized that Moses was God's servant sent to deliver them. They followed Moses' instructions in observing the Passover and then willingly followed him as he led them out of Egypt.
There is also scriptural evidence that leaders were produced under Moses' leadership. One example is that of Joshua, who replaced him. Joshua who had been the personal assistant of Moses was mentored by Moses to become a leader. Moses' leadership therefore had the characteristics of willing followers and that of reproducing leaders.
Paul
Even when he was "Paul the aged", he remained the model and leader of a group of dynamic young men. The affection he kindled in his followers' heart was mirrored in the tears that flowed when he told them they would see him no more (Acts 20: 36-38).12 Sanders revealed in the passage cited above that the apostle Paul's leadership had the characteristics of willing followers. His ministry had great impact in the lives of many, who were also not willing to exchange his leadership for another.
Like the Lord Jesus, Paul invested his life on a few people because he expected much from them. These were the people he took on his missionary journeys. Two of the people, Timothy and Titus became leaders of local Churches. Therefore, like Moses, Paul's leadership had the characteristics of willing followers and that of producing leaders.
David
David rose to fame when he killed Goliath, the Philistine giant. Eugene H. Merrill, commenting on David's victory reserved that with his rising popularity among the people came a deterioration of his relationship with Saul, for the king became insanely jealous of Israel's new hero.13 It is obvious that David had a large following. People followed him because of the potential they saw in him. They recognized him as a great leader, even before official recognition was given to him.
David ruled Israel for approximately 40 years and by the time he was stepping down as king, Solomon, his son had already been groomed for that position. So, like Nehemiah, Moses and Paul, David's leadership was characterized by willing followers and the producing of leaders.
(c) The leader's task or commission
It can be observed from scripture that God always give a specific task or mission to every person he calls to leadership. Some of the characteristics of good leadership can be identified in the way the leaders set out to accomplish their task or mission. There are two things that are of primary importance to how a leader accomplishes his task. These are his vision and his style of leadership. A leader's vision and style of leadership can be characteristics of both good and bad leadership. However, in this section the purpose is to shoe how these two characteristics can be characteristics of good leadership.
According to John Haggai, a vision is important because it is a key factor in successful leadership.14 A leader can have a good vision and yet his vision does not contribute in any way to make his leadership good. Haggai points out what a leader needs to do to make his vision a contributing characteristic to good leadership. First, he says that both leaders and followers must grasp the vision. It is the leader's responsibility to help the followers understand the vision and accept it. Second, both leader and followers must commit themselves to act on the vision. This action involves designing a goal program to fulfill the vision. In this way both the leader and followers are prepared to face difficulties and eliminate obstacles. It is in this way that a vision can be a characteristic of good leadership.15
The other aspects mentioned that can be a characteristic of a good leadership is the style of leadership. Leadership styles have been given different classification by authors. Anthony D'souza classified leadership styles in a continuum in which one end is described as task-oriented and the other as relationship-oriented.16 Myron Rush also agreed with D'souza that leadership styles can be seen in a continuum, but he used different descriptive terms for the different styles within the continuum.17 The four styles used within Rush's continuum are: dictatorial, authoritative, consultative and participative. These authors argument about styles was not to point out the best but rather to show the importance of all of them. The point that they were making was that a good leadership had the characteristics of the different leadership styles. The leader must be flexible to the changing situations. When he is able to adjust his leadership styles to changing situations, then his leadership styles... become characteristics of good leadership. Myron Rush gave examples of situations where particular leadership styles are appropriate. He said, dictatorial leadership style is appropriate in an emergency or when people's lives, are at stake; consultative style in conducting on-going planning for the department or organization; authoritative style when employees constantly misuse authority and participative style as people become competent in performing their routine responsibilities.18
The four leaders mentioned in this paper, whose leaderships have been classified as good, will now be used as test cases to determine whether the points mentioned here are characteristics of their leaderships.
Nehemiah
Joyce Peel, commenting on Nehemiah's task of building the walls of Jerusalem said that a dispirited nation needs an inspired leader who can unite and galvanize his people into action. Such a man was Nehemiah.19 These words not only revealed that Nehemiah had a clear vision of his task but also was able to make his followers understand the vision and commit themselves to act on it. This was just one reason why they were able to rebuild the walls in fifty-two days. Many Jews lamented over the ruins of Jerusalem city wall, but it took the vision of one man, who united the people and gave them hope to change the situation. Engstrom also pointed to the fact that the people caught Nehemiah's vision and acted upon it, when he noted: "One has only to read the Book of Nehemiah to discover the importance of people at work. The leaders in building the temple and city walls never lost sight of the total goal and overall picture. They were able to keep this focus by using all the people as well as experts who were trained to do specific work".20 Nehemiah's leadership had the characteristic of a clear vision which was actively pursued by himself and his followers.
It can be observed from the book of Nehemiah, that Nehemiah used the consultative style of leadership when he got to Jerusalem to begin the work. However in the last few chapters of the book, when things were going wrong, his style of leadership changed to an authoritative one. Therefore it can be said that Nehemiah's leadership had the characteristics of a vision and a changing style of leadership.
Moses
Moses has a clear vision when he returned to Egypt to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. The Israelites wanted to be free, but they doubted the possibility of Moses setting them free. However, when they became certain that Moses was God's servant who will set them free from bondage, they obeyed his instructions and later walked out of Egypt following him.
The biblical records also show that Moses varied his leadership styles. Before Jethro came to visit him, he carried a heavy load of work all by himself. Myron Rush pointed out that it was an authoritative style of leadership because Moses had to make every decision.21 After his encounter with Jethro his style of leadership changed to more of a consultative one.
Paul
Paul's vision was not only clear to him but also to his followers. Since his Damascus road experience, he knew he has been called by God to be a missionary.
Sanders observed that Paul was a missionary trail-blazer, leaving behind him a string of new Churches. It is a significant face that the greatest missionary advances of the last fifty years have followed the rediscovery or re-emphasis of Paul's missionary principles.22 It is because Paul's vision and principle of accomplishing that vision was so clear that long after he has gone people still followed his steps.
It can also be seen from the Acts narrative that Paul varied his leadership styles. For example, in the contention between himself and Barnabas over John Mark, Paul displayed an authoritative style of leadership. Most times he is also authoritative when dealing with issues in the Church. At other times he demonstrated a consultative style of leadership - in the issue that lead to the Jerusalem council. It can be seen that Paul's leadership was characteristic of a clear vision and changing leadership styles.
David
Two things are very clear in scripture about David. The first is his vision for Israel and the second his vision for God. David was a king of war and he led his army in battle against Israel's enemies and took the land God gave to them. He also lived his life in devotion to God. He had a vision to build a dwelling place for the Lord. Although God denied him this privilege, he made great preparations for this temple, which was later built by his son Solomon.
It is evident in scripture that David changed his leadership styles in accordance with changing situations. He displayed an authoritative leadership style when he led his men in battle. For example in the situation when Nabal refused to reward him and his men with food supply for protecting his servants and sheep in the fields. At other times he demonstrated a consultative style of leadership. When the biblical records are examined, one could clearly see that David's leadership show characteristics of a clear vision and a changing style of leadership.
Conclusion
In this article some of the characteristics of good leadership have been identified. This was done under the following headings: (a) the personal characteristics of the leader, the characteristics of the followers and the leader's task or commission. These divisions were based on the findings of Anthony D'souza, which revealed that leadership involves an inter-relationship between three elements - the leader, the followers and the task to be accomplished. Six characteristics of good leadership were identified and they are as follows:
a) The personal qualities of the leader, which give him his leadership ability.
b) The leaders conduct or character which is formed by the godly life he is living.
c) The willingness of the people to follow without coercing.
d) The reproducing of leaders from the followers.
e) The clear vision of the leader, which eventually becomes the people's vision and
focus in the ministry.
f) The variations in the style of leadership to meet different leadership situations.
Six leaders, whose leaderships have been characterized as good, were used as test cases to see whether the qualities mentioned can be found in their leadership. It was proved that these characteristics were evident in each of their leadership. There are many more qualification of good leadership, but it is primary importance to have a balance in the three major areas identified. An individual can have all the good qualities of leadership and yet his leadership may not be good because of his style of leadership. Also, the people may not follow the leader because his vision is not clear to them. Good leadership does not only depend on the leader or on the follower or the style of leadership but on all three of these qualities. When there is a balance in these three areas, leadership becomes exceptional and that was the kind of leadership Nehemiah, Moses, Paul and David portrayed.
END NOTES
1. Anthony D'souze, Being A Leader (Achimota: African Christian Press, 1990),
p 25.
2. John White, Excellence In Leadership: the Pattern of Nehemiah (Leicester:
Intervarsity Press, 1986), p 10-11.
3. Ibid, p 14.
4. Joyce Peel, A Journey Through The Old Testament: The Story of God's
Relationship With Man Woman and the World (Oxford: The Bible Reading
Fellowship, 1993), p 35.
5. Ibid, p 41.
6. Ibid. p 41.
7. John Stott, Men With A Message: An Introduction To New Testament And Its
Writers (Suffolk: Evangelical Literature Trust, 1996), P 86.
8. Ted W. Engstrom, The Making of A Christian Leader (Michigan: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1976), p 30.
9. John C Maxwell, The 21 Most Powerful Minutes In A Leader's Day; Revitalize Your
Spirit an Empower Your Leadership (Nashville: Thomas Nelson's Publisher, 2000), p 4.
10. John C Maxwell, The 21 Most Powerful Minutes In A Leader's Day: Revitalize Your
Spirit and Empower Your Leadership (Nashville: Thomas Nelsons Publishers, 2000),
P 68.
11. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), p 166.
12. Oswald Sanders, Paul the Leader: A Vision For Christian Leadership Today (Glasgow:
Kingsway Publication Ltd., 1983), p 42.
13. Eugene H Merrill, I Samuel: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Colorado: Chariot
Victor Publishing, 1985), p 449.
14. John Haggai, Lead On! Leadership That Endures In A Changing World (London: Word
Publishing, 1986), p 16.
15. Ibid. p 17.
16. Anthony D'souza, Being A Leader (Achimota: African Christian Press, 1990), p 36
17. Myron Rush; Management: A Biblical Perspective (Illinois: Victor Books, 1996), p 219.
18. Myron Rush, Management: A Biblical Approach (Illinios: Victor Books, 1983), p 226.
19. Joyce Peel, Journey Through the Old Testament: The Story of God's Relationship with
Man. Woman and the World (oxford: The Bible Reading Fellowship, 1993), p 141.
20. Ted W Engstrom, The Making of A Christian Leader: How To Develop Management
And Human Relations Skills (Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1976), p
21. Myron Rush, Management: A Biblical Perspective (Illinois: Victor Books, 1976), p 220.
22. Oswald Sanders, Paul: A Vision For Christian Leadership Today (Glasgow: Kingsway
Publication Ltd, 1983), p 967.
END NOTE
1. Anthony D'souza, Being A Leader (Achimota: African Christian Press, 1990),
p 25.
2. John White, Excellence In Leadership: the Pattern of Nehemiah (Leicester:
Intervarsity Press, 1986), p 10-11.
3. Ibid. p 14.
4. Joyce Peel, A Journey Through The Old Testament: The Story of God's
Relationship With Man Woman and the World (Oxford: The Bible Reading
Fellowship, 1993), p 35.
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Dr. Leopold A. Foullah is currently Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Mount Aureol, Freetown. He is also the General Superintendent of the Missionary Church of Africa, Sierra Leone Conference. He holds the following academic qualifications: Dip.Th., B.Th., M.Div., M.Th. and Ph.D (Leeds University, England). He is interested in Biblical Theology and Social Issues. He is External Examiner for both The Evangelical College of Theology (TECT), Jui and the Sierra Leone Theological College & Church Training Centre in Freetown. He is married with three children.
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