BY THE REV. CANON PHIL ASHEY, CHIEF OPERATING & DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

As I look back on the history of the American Anglican Council and look forward to our future, I believe that leadership development has been and will continue to be a signature emphasis of our mission. From the raising up and developing of leaders (including many leaders today in the ACNA College of Bishops) through the fires of TEC General Conventions, to our Clergy Leadership Training Institute (CLTI), the AAC is committed to developing faithful leaders-leaders who have both godly character and competency to lead in times of conflict and of peace.

One such leader in the Old Testament was King Hezekiah. He did "what was good and right and faithful before the Lord" (2 Chronicles 20:20-21). Because he did so, he and the people he served prospered together. If you take a look at his leadership, you'll find that he took the following steps that resulted in great blessing that overflowed from his life into the people he served:

From left to right, the Rev. Chuck Filiatreau, All Saints Anglican Church, Jackson, Tenn.; the Rev. Canon Phil Ashey; the Rev. Chris Larimer, Holy Apostles Anglican Church, Elizabethtown, KY; and the Rev. George Ivey, Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Flowery Branch, GA; at a CLTI small group retreat on the Gulf Coast. CLTI groups like these meet regularly for peer support and accountability as well as further training. Photo courtesy the Rev. Steven Saul. Trinity Anglican Church, Douglasville, GA.

1. He remembered God's compassion (30:9): "If you return to the LORD, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the LORD your God is gracious and compassionate." Leaders like Hezekiah look into the eyes of the people whom they serve. They see the conviction and pain the people are carrying. We need to develop leaders like Hezekiah who can see the almost visible change that comes over peoples' faces when they are convinced that God forgives-and who preach and teach that they can find a fresh start in the healing grace of Jesus Christ!

2. He kept going despite ridicule (30:10-11): "The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun, but the people scorned and ridiculed them. Nevertheless, some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem." Leaders will always have their detractors. The challenge is not to take it personally but to stay focused on the mission and vision God has given you-and to do so as patiently as Hezekiah did. This is one of the principles we teach in our Clergy Leadership Training Institute-how to stay in the "blue zone" in church conflict by calmly leading people forward on the basis of values, vision and mission.

3. He contributed generously to God's work (31:3): "The king contributed from his own possessions for the morning and evening burnt offerings and for the burnt offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moons and appointed feasts..." Tithing and generosity begin with the leader. We cannot expect the people we lead to give generously out of their own possessions if we do not. When Hezekiah gave publicly and generously to the Lord's work, his invitation to the people to give had integrity. They responded so quickly and so generously that "They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything." (2 Chron. 30:5). There were literally "heaps" of gifts to God! And that released even further blessings-praises to God and blessings upon the people.

4. Holiness of life-Hezekiah aggressively removed evil influence from his life and his peoples' lives (30:14; 31:1): "...When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh." Today more than ever we need Christian leaders who will call the people they serve to a standard of right and wrong that is grounded in God's word, the Bible, rather than what feels good, majority opinion or sheer force. This is exactly what Hezekiah did-first in his own life and then in the life of his nation. As a result, the nation enjoyed peace, prosperity and spiritual renewal.

5. Intercession-Hezekiah prayed for the people he served (30:15-20): "...But Hezekiah prayed for them saying ‘May the LORD, who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God... And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people." Do we love the people we serve enough to pray for their forgiveness, their healing and their salvation? Whether you are a parent, a priest or a postmaster, the people you serve are all around you and need your prayers. Hezekiah distinguished himself as a leader by the fervent prayer for his people that flowed out of his heart for them.

6. Worship-Hezekiah was open to spontaneity in worship (30:23): "The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully." Several weeks ago I spoke with a young priest who shared how leading worship can become dry and deadening. It is an occupational hazard for those who lead worship to become preoccupied with the mechanics. Like Hezekiah, leaders need to be open in their private and public worship times to spontaneous moves of the Holy Spirit that will refresh them and, by extension, the people they serve.

Compassion, perseverance, generosity, holiness of life, intercession and worship-These are just a few of the qualities we seek to develop, with God's help, in the faithful leaders we have been privileged to raise up. Please join us with your prayers and support. And may God give each of us the grace to embrace these qualities of leadership, as Hezekiah did, for the healing and renewal of the people we serve! †