Sharpen 09 Leadership Conference
The first El-Shaddai Leadership Conference, Sharpen 09, was a resounding success and an opportunity for leaders from all over the UK and further afield to be taught, inspired and challenged by Dr Ramson Mumba and his seasoned team of guest speakers, Pastor Casey Treat, Pastor Michael Smith and Dr Ricky Temple. This was a ‘no-holds-barred’ weekend of incisive training on the key skills and attributes needed to help you grow as a leader in your personal, professional and spiritual life.
Conference host Dr Ramson Mumba, founder of El-Shaddai Ministries, began by issuing a challenge to all those present to model the kind of leadership that goes the distance, dealing ruthlessly with inferiority and living life as though there were no limitations. As he continued to pack each session with practical wisdom for leadership borne out of his thirteen years of ministry, he urged his listeners to give attention to the assignment factor, to count the cost of success, to develop their faith so that it would be strong enough to manifest their vision, to take into consideration the appreciation factor and the adversary component and finally, to be mindful of the legacy they leave their followers.
Dr Ricky Temple from Overcoming by Faith Church in Savannah, Georgia, used his two sessions to focus on the power of being connected to God, to the vision and to your man and woman of God. Using the example of Achan and other biblical leaders, he encouraged the gathered delegates to take a sober look at the consequences of not living a connected life and pin-pointed the root issues that cause us to disconnect.
Pastor Michael Smith, from the Church Group Worldwide in Florida, used the dual metaphors of the garden and the building to demonstrate that as co-labourers with God, we are supposed to both grow people and build His church. Pastor Michael showed how an awareness of the organisational life cycle will help leaders to identify where their church or organisation is currently, in order to strategise and build effectively for the future.
Pastor Casey Treat, from Christian Faith Centre in Seattle, based his two sessions on the importance of sharpening our core strengths for leadership. As leaders intentionally strengthen their core or their heart, they will grow big on the inside and be able to produce corresponding, lasting fruit. Having given practical and accessible guidelines on exactly how to go about building your core strength, Pastor Casey closed by exhorting the delegates to be leaders who build, finish, fight and win.
On Saturday evening, Dr Mumba brought this life-changing conference to an unforgettable close, outlining in the final session what he called 12 qualifiers for leadership - practical lessons on how to develop the skills necessary to achieve maximum impact in every sphere of your life. This was the kind of ‘raw meat’ leadership training which, when implemented, will impact nations for generations to come.