Blessed Second Anniversary!

Posted by Arlen Nagata on Jan 17, 2012 in What's Up | 1 comment

Dear Unified … family,

Today’s reading: Proverbs 17, Psalm 17.

Today is January 17, 2012. Happy Anniversary Unified … ! Today marks the second anniversary of our church and the beginning of my third year as senior pastor. So many changes have occurred in such a very short time.

I realize that my leadership in the last season was mainly to set a new course and lay the foundation on which our church culture is now being built. When I look back, I am grateful to the Lord for the grace he gave me to navigate the challenges of that season. Since being installed as the senior pastor of the church on Sunday January 10, 2010, my mandate from the Lord came with the awareness that my final accountability was to God. Since then I have done my best to discern and obey His voice, whatever the cost.

Like any construction project, there are times when we need the input of consultants depending on the needs of the project. I have been amazed at how the Lord has been directing key people to help us, and I sense we are in another of those seasons.

Prov. 24.3-4

A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense.
Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.

I’ve recently asked myself, do I want to be known as a good leader, or do I want to be known as a leader who developed great teams? I function by a golden rule, that I can only impart what I first possess. I believe people will always follow a good leader. Like anyone else a leader will have his own strengths and weaknesses. As a result the kind of team a leader builds can also be prone to the same strengths and weaknesses of that leader.

My goal is not to be known only as a good leader, but to be remembered as someone who developed great teams. I believe an important key that distinguishes a great leader from good leaders is in the way he learns to manage his strengths and his weaknesses. Not that he has to be the best at everything, but he needs to know his limits and how to overcome his weaknesses through the strength of others. To do this a leader must be open to recruit people on his team who may be more qualified than himself and not feel threatened to do this. That is one way a leader can avoid becoming the lid of limitation which stunts the growth of those he leads.

In this new season, we will face many new challenges. I am grateful to the Lord for sending us Danny Silk. In a nut shell, Danny is more than qualified to help us with what Unified… needs at this moment in time. I admire Danny’s gifting in developing pastors and training leaders, so I have asked him if he would act as a coach and consultant to Kerry and I. We developed a wonderful trusting relationship with Danny over the years. Danny also has a special fondness in his heart for our Unified … ohana, so he agreed to help us develop in our leadership and as a pastoral team so we can better serve all of you.

The timing of this occurring is vintage God. Kerry and I were also invited by Pastor Bill Johnson to attend a week long Apostolic training school in Bethel. It was a personal invitation to 20 couples from around the world and a chance to be mentored by Pastor Bill himself while connecting with other world leaders. It is an honor to be invited to sit under Bill’s wisdom and teaching. Kerry and I would appreciate your prayers that we would receive all that the Lord has to pour out on us while we are there.

God is up to something bigger than any one of us! It will involve all of us working as a Unified … family and a Unified … team to complete it! I do anticipate more changes to come as we further position ourselves to align with God’s plans. Are you ready?

I also realized just a few days ago, that when the Lord set the date to kick off the new church, it was on the same day 117 years ago when the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown on January 17, 1893. Coincidence or what? It seems we are destined for a head on collision down the road with Heaven, and I don’t want any of you to be left behind.

What an exciting year we are facing before us! Yes, Jesus is building His church!

Our love,
Pastors Dean and Kerry