iAsk: Robert Walter- Training Director for LeaderSource

Every Monday I will be posting new interviews with Christian leaders to find in-depth counsel on issues such as ministry, family, careers, politics, finance, and theology.

Robert Walter

My first interview is with training director from LeaderSource, Robert Walter, who lives in Chesapeake, Virginia. Earlier this year I ministered together with Robert at Bold Venture Northeast Regional Men's Discipleship Conference held in Philadelphia, PA. My hope is many who read this interview and the ones to follow will gain new insights, inspiration, and be challenged to become disciple-makers. Here are ten questions I asked Robert....

PAUL: First if you can give a small summary of who you are, what you do and what is your greatest passion in life? 

Robert: Paul,I appreciate what you are doing here and pray God’s blessings on it and you!

Who am I? I have had different job descriptions and titles but the most important one comes from Jesus – he calls me friend.  Along the way, I’m amazed at all he’s let me in on. I worked many years in the petroleum business until God called me into full time ministry. At that point, I became a pastor and as of the last 10 years, I’ve been involved in a ministry for training pastors and other church leaders. I feel like I’m in my sweet spot because I get to do what I do best – teaching, coaching, counseling. Seeing lives change is a real thrill.

Leaders from various countries praying for the
North Korean Church in Hong Kong.

PAUL: 1. You just recently returned from a trip to Hong Kong, China where you met with Christian leaders from 20 different countries. Tell me about your experience there. What were the results of your meeting? 

ROBERT: Leaders can easily get isolated. Our Leader Development Consultation was a time of being connected, encouraged and being equipped.

There were several great outcomes. One was a renewed sense that even though we come from different nations, we are one family. We know that in our minds but it is far better to experience it.

One example was the commitment Chinese church leaders made to bless Christians in North Korea. This followed a report from North Korea about the amazing endurance of North Korean Christians in the face of the most humiliating persecution. There was a time of powerful intercession for our brothers and sisters in North Korea as we wept with them. Several strategic partnerships have now been established and the Chinese have pledged to get more involved.

Another great outcome was that leaders left with a much more holistic and comprehensive view of how to develop the next generation of leaders.  They have a new paradigm for discipleship and very practical ideas of how to reach nations and raise up leaders.

Several leaders (from the left) Robert Walter, Dr. Jessy Thomas (New India Bible Seminary faculty member), Dr. Jaison Thomas (New India Bible Seminary Director), Elie Haddad (Arab Baptist Theological Seminary President), Raj Chevelraj (LeaderSource India Director)

PAUL: 2. What is the number one challenge facing Christian leaders in the world today?

ROBERT: I don’t know the number one challenge but I will tell you that modernization brings many temptations that have undermined scores of leaders in the undeveloped (majority) world.

With the internet comes a connection to lots of great resources but also a connection to internet pornography. And it’s no longer a problem just for men; many women also report a struggle with this issue.

Another challenge is materialism. You can’t serve God and money. We see many leaders falling out because of the lure of material success as capitalism sweeps their nation.

PAUL: 3. As the training director of , LeaderSource, a Christian leadership organization and a pastor, what was something you saw in Christian leaders in Asia that you have seldom seen elsewhere?

ROBERT: I serve with a guy named, Malcolm Webber, who does a fantastic job leading our organization called LeaderSource.

One thing I notice is how dedicated Asian leaders are to learning and to ministry. In the US, people complain if I speak longer than 45 minutes; there they complain if you can’t teach for at least four hours.

But their dedication comes with a price. Many of these leaders work 7 days a week and rarely take a break. They often neglect their own families. It can happen in the West too but it is a far greater problem there.

PAUL: 4. Why have you invested so much time, energy, and resources in training leaders around the world?

ROBERT: Evangelism gets all the press but lack of healthy leaders is the bottleneck. Jesus pointed this out to the disciples when he told them the harvest is great but the workers are few.  He directed them to focus their prayers not on getting more souls but on getting more shepherds.

One leader from Papua New Guinea told us this crazy story. He actually told his evangelists to STOP sharing the Gospel. Here is what was happening. The evangelists go into a village to pray for the sick and miracles start to break out. As a result the whole village often comes to faith.  But the problem is that there aren’t enough pastors to care for these new believers where so many remain superficial believers or fall away. So this leader from Papua New Guinea finally told his evangelists to STOP sharing the Gospel and focus instead on discipleship. He desperately wants someone to help him train pastors.

Jesus did ministry but where would the church be if he had not also trained the next generation of those who would do ministry and plant churches. That’s why we equip experienced Christian leaders to train emerging Christian leaders.

PAUL: 5. There has been in the last decade a plethora of books, DVDs, and training manuals written and produced on Christian leadership yet we still have moral failures, financial scandals, and disgraced leaders leaving the ministry. What do you see as the weak point Christian ministers and leaders should be addressing?

ROBERT: The problem is not just that we are focusing on the wrong issues, we are also using the wrong methods. Our goal in training tends to emphasize competencies. But we need to be developing more than just competencies (Biblical knowledge and ministry skills). We also need to help leaders grow in their relationship with Jesus, grow in their family and team relationships, and grow in their character.

This is all easier said than done. To actually accomplish this goal we can’t rely on teaching alone – no matter how good it is. People learn in relationships; they learn through experiences. Jesus was a brilliant teacher, of course, but his genius is not just his content, it’s in setting up a context for learning that is rich in relationships, experiences and the work of the Spirit.

We tend to think the answer is in the curriculum, but books and lectures don’t make leaders. Leaders grow in the crucible of life in connection with other godly men and women. 

PAUL: 6. Share with me some examples of Christian women in key leadership roles that have affected the expansion of the Great Commission in the body of Christ from your personal encounters? ...and as a follow up... women have been marginalized some even outright forbidden in holding roles of leadership in the church around the world, what would change this view in Christian men to see the value of godly and leadership gifted women?
 
ROBERT: We’ve had the privilege of working with some mighty women of God. One I’m thinking of has planted thousands of churches but still hesitates among her peers to exert her authority.

PAUL: 7.  What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

ROBERT: I’d say 1) dedicate yourself to growing in intimacy and dependency on Christ – apart from him we can’t do anything of lasting value.  And 2) build your support team – safe people who can pray for you, encourage you, coach you, challenge you and cheer you on. Finally, 3) realize you don’t have to be perfect. God chooses the weak to shame the strong and the foolish to shame the wise. This isn’t an excuse for lackluster performance but it is a reassurance that God delights to use everyone of us.

PAUL: 8. Can you share with me one or two leadership failures that you have personally gone through, how it affected you internally, and what would your advice be for someone in a similar position?

ROBERT: My advice (above) comes from lessons I should have learned from the Word but instead had to learn from my own mistakes.

In my early years of full time ministry, I experienced a lot of success. Unfortunately, that led me to depend more on my own experience and education.  I got by until there was a time of great testing and things started to fall apart. It was then that I realized my big mistake: I was so busy doing things for Jesus that I didn’t have time to spend with Jesus. I had become a hollow man.  And you can’t give what you don’t have.

Long story short…I reconnected with Jesus on a mountain in New Mexico and that led to deep repentance. Then he had to rebuild me before he could rebuild the church. But he is faithful even when we are not.

PAUL: 9. Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you? Why and how did this person impact your life? 

ROBERT: There is more than one but let me mention a person who was a lifeline to me during a long season of testing in my ministry. I had a spiritual mother named Betty. She believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. She prayed for me every day, exhorted and encouraged me. Meeting with her each week was often the highlight of my week. She is with the Lord now and I miss her.

PAUL: 10. What are a few resources you would recommend to someone looking to gain insight into becoming a better leader?

ROBERT: There are lots of good resources out there. But a book or a course is nothing compared to a spiritual father or another Christian leader who you can meet with face to face. All the same, we do have some good resources on our website. You can check it out at www.leadersource.org

Twitter: @PaulMuzichuk