The Second Line.....Right hand or the Back stabber!

The Second Line……Right hand or the Back stabber

Great leaders owe their success to the second line leaders who supported and complemented them.  However second line leaders have also caused the downfall of leaders. Many kings won their battles because of the skill and faithfulness of their military commanders.  Many have lost their kingdom due to the betrayal of  their commanders.

Second line leaders become the confidants and sounding boards of the major decisions taken by the leaders.  They are often called as the right hand person and become positive influencers. But many others become power centers of their own, leading & instigating rebellion and eventually become betrayers. Jesus had Judas Iscariot and Julius Caesar had Brutus.  Many second line leaders succeed their mentors rightly or wrongly and at the same time there are many who do not. 

The scripture illustrates many good and bad examples of second line leadership. Moses was well complemented by his brother Aaron and his loyal servant Joshua. David was a loyal second line leader who even when he had the opportunity to kill Saul who had become his persecutor refrained from the act and waited patiently until the Lord allowed the Philistines to take Saul out of the scene.  Jonathan is another good example of a second line leader; a heir to the throne who recognized that God’s anointing and calling was on David his bosom friend and encouraged him to move ahead of him.  Absalom was a bad example of a second line leader, heir to the throne, who manipulated the mass opinion of the people, led the rebellion and in the end perished. Joab, the army commander was a faithful second line leader who remained loyal by winning many battles for King David.  At the same time, Joab also manipulated David to achieve his own personal agenda.  Paul mentored many young men as his second line leaders like Timothy, Titus, Silas, Apollo, and others who accompanied him on his journeys and were also assigned to pastor the churches planted by him. 

Jesus Christ is of course the best illustration of a leader who mentored twelve disciples to take over from here.  Jesus ministry did not extend beyond the Palestine region.  He did not even use the available mode of transport and 

Peter the apostle understood the difficulties of the second line leaders and in his letter writes profoundly to such younger leaders (I Peter 5: 5-11).  He advises the younger leaders to submit to the elders.  He points out that the weakness of the younger leaders is pride.  Younger leaders are often very successful in their assigned tasks and might on the surface give an impression that they are better than their leader.  Therefore Peter emphasizes that they should clothe themselves with humility. He calls the younger leaders to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God and wait for God’s timing that they may be exalted.  He warns the younger leaders that they are the target of the devil that prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom to devour.  Many younger leaders have fallen as a prey to the lion and have become the cause for splitting organizations, Churches, movements, and causing the downfall of leaders through their betrayal.   Peter does not however overlook the difficulties that the younger leader faces.

Being a second line leader is not always easy. Younger leaders feel unrecognized for the contributions they make and also feel suffocated under over-dominant leaders.   Some become very anxious to the extent that they are not sure whether they will be able to fulfill God’s purposes in their life.  Many feel that they have waited long enough for recognition and begin to feel pressurized to climb the career ladder and then they become vulnerable to the devil’s schemes and become their instruments.  Some younger leaders are denied new opportunities because they become a threat to the leader’s position or to their heirs and other competitor’s.  It is at this time that anxiety causes undue suffering.  The younger leaders are called to bear with this suffering by casting all their cares upon the Lord.  Peter offers the hope that that one day God will restore, establish and strengthen the younger leaders.

The success of a great leader is seen in the ability to develop and mentor capable successors who will follow.  A good leader is one who is able to work his way out of his job.  A good leader leaves when his followers want him to continue and not when circumstances force him to leave. This calls for a continuous concern for leadership development.  The Indian Churches and Missions have long struggled in developing capable leaders.  Many Churches and Missions struggle during leadership succession and changes.  Some of the new organizations and churches have been founded mainly due to frustrated leaders who left their former organizations. Some good organizations and churches have simply died or become irrelevant due to the failure of the former leaders in developing their successors.  As we look forward to discipling all peoples within India and beyond, we need to focus on developing multiple and multi cultural leaders.  A movement or an organization is only as good as the leaders who lead them.  The development of multiple leaders in today’s context depends on conscious mentoring, coaching, delegation and creating space for younger leaders to grow. John Amalraj

Published in Indian Missions, Quarterly of India Missions Association, 2006