The Cost of Leadership

March 2009

Chaplains doing drills

The true cost of leadership can only be paid with the blood of one man’s life. The toll is very heavy to those who choose to travel on this road. The problem is you do not get to pay it in one lump sum; but daily the price has to be paid. For those who are called, the words of Christ in Mark 10:38 give an ominous warning, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

I often interview candidates for the field; one of the first things that I tell them is that God has called me to turn boys into men. Some take offense as they already think of themselves as men. Without exception, that reaction has proven they need to be trained. It is impossible for us to crucify ourselves. God showed me through the chaplains, that His Holy Spirit can lay a foundation of surrender and obedience in a man’s heart.

As I write this letter, I am at the chaplains training base. This morning at 5:30am, the candidates rose for an eight mile run, singing with great enthusiasm as they beat their bodies into submission. After showering and devotions, they sat in the grass roofed classrooms for eight hours with 100 degree temperatures. We serve a simple diet of just beans and corn posho for lunch and dinner with no breakfast. But, we are training them to go from being boys to effective soldiers of the cross. Our men must learn to be both physically and mentally tough. Many of the men complain about the strenuous schedule. With each class, at least 25% do not make it because the journey is too demanding.

One of the testimonies I share to inspire the new candidates is about five chaplains recruited for the SPLA(Sudanese People’s Liberation Army) Special Forces and sent to train in Ethiopia. Daily, the men were forced to run with 110 pound backpacks from morning to mid-day. To make it even more physically challenging, the course goes through a mountainous region. During training, Chaplain Obadang Thomas Okello fell and dislocated his foot. He stood up, gritted his teeth and rejoined his unit. When his commander realized that his foot was dislocated, he was stunned by Thomas’ commitment to persevere. He asked, “How were you able to run when that obviously caused severe pain?” Thomas said, “FRM trained me to never give up or leave my unit. I trained there running eight miles a day on a meager diet so I would be ready for this.” The Ethiopian commander said, “This is a base for Special Forces and yet, obviously, you chaplains were trained better than us.” All five of the FRM chaplains graduated with the highest certificate and were sent to serve the President of Southern Sudan. (As a foot note, there was a former chaplain who refused discipline and was dismissed from the Corps. He was also sent to school, but was washed out and did not graduate the Special Forces program. He was sent to a unit that is considered sub-standard.

Mountain climbers will tell you that the most difficult part of the climb is just before the summit. Marathon runners say the most painful part of the run is the last mile. The Bible says that the last days will bring persecution, trials, and temptations like the world has never seen.
Leadership is a lonely road and one that few travel. It is filled with fatigue, rising early and going to bed late. (I see this in my wife. She rises at seven and works into the night to train, teach, and make true disciples.) It can be filled with rejection and mocking from those without commitment and vision. Often stones are thrown…but true disciples will tell you none of those things move them. They only desire to finish their course and please their Commanding Officer-the Lord Jesus Christ.

I was invited to be a keynote speaker at a conference a few years ago. As I shared of the hardships in Sudan, a missionary from another part of Africa tried to contradict or challenge me after each session. In her mind, she could not reconcile God’s will being for people to suffer so much for the Gospel. Rather than accept that these men lived exceptional lives, she kept trying to cheapen the message. Sadly, this is all too common. The reality is, Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you…a servant is not greater than his master.” It is our acceptable service to walk in His footsteps and share in His sufferings. The power of His resurrection is often birthed through those sacrificial acts of obedience.

In sharing this newsletter with you, I have one purpose. Many of you are called to a deeper walk in Christ. As you step out and begin to serve, you will find that you are opposed by both those in the world and, sadly, even Christians. Do not lose sight of what God has called you to do. Do the work of God and let the fruit speak for itself. In time, the critics will be silenced by your devotion to the Lord.

Wes Bentley
Far Reaching Ministries