LeaderLines – from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas  Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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Hillcrest Church Office
October 21, 2004

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“Purpose-Driven Examples”
by Tom Goodman

As a part of the Hillcrest leadership team, you play an important role in helping our people become Purpose-Driven.  I’m not speaking about just helping out at the campaign events and “talking up” the campaign at church.  Those things are an important part of leadership, of course, but there’s more.  As a leader, you need to be an example of Purpose-Driven living.

John Schulz, a manager at Lockheed, once talked about his days as a high school football player:

When I played high school football, I had three coaches.  The first two were exactly alike.  Each said, "Men, while you are training I don't want you to smoke, drink, stay up late or fool around with girls.  Got that?"
Then we would watch our coaches during the season.  They would smoke, drink, stay up late and fool around with women.  So what do you suppose we did?  (Boys will be boys, after all!)
My third coach was the best I ever had.  At the beginning of the season we had the same locker room sermon as with the other coaches.  Except this coach just said, "I have only one rule.  You can do anything I do.  If I smoke, drink, stay up or fool around with women, then I would expect you to do the same.  But if I don't you better not!"
That was the most difficult season I ever played football.  The guy was a regular saint.
We want our Purpose-Driven campaign to be more than just an 8-week church activity.  We want it to transform the life of our church.  We want an entire church of people who know what it means to worship, fellowship, grow, serve, and reach out.  This won’t happen just by reading a book and attending some small-group studies.  It will happen only as we put into practice the things we’re learning.

As the old song goes:  “Lord, send a revival; and let it begin in me.”  As a leader, keep up with your reading, reflect on what you’ve read, and let it impact the way you live.  Lead by example and watch the “renovation of the heart” take place!

—Tom

Note:  John Schulz’s story was recounted in The Leadership Challenge, page 198.