The Real Intention of Leadership

In today’s leadership talk, Pastor Priji converses with Zack Cherian, Senior Pastor of Brazen Grace Fellowship, San Antonio, Texas.
A true leadership is not about influence but calling out people’s value. Tune in to know:

Transcript:

Pastor Priji:
We would love to know how you got saved? Did you ever envision yourself as a leader with influence? How did the transition happen from where you began and where you are today?

Pastor Zack:
Often times, people say that leaders are born, and I do not think there is any truth to that, and we are doing it based on an outward judgment of their personality. I only believe that leaders are developed.

I was born to missionary parents and raised up in Hyderabad. We grew up incredibly poor, but my parents put the word of God in me. Growing up as a missionary kid comes with its own challenges. My dad was always out preaching. I was looking for a father and a leader which I did not find at home, and the only leadership I found at that age was in the gangs and I really messed up my life. I struggled with a lot of identity issues until a youth pastor accidentally walked into my room and he pursued me with the love of God and lot of things fell apart in the world that I was involved in and I was really suicidal and sitting in my room I was telling if this God that the youth pastor was talking about is real now it would be the great time to reveal Himself to me and at that moment God revealed himself to me with all His love and goodness, and I was completely transformed.

I began my walk with Jesus in 1993 and got involved with my local Assembly of God Church in Hyderabad and served there for a few years. My ministry started in 1996 by serving in the youth ministry. A few years later, I moved to Pune, and during that time, my fiancée moved to America and the Lord spoke to her about me moving to the US which I hated completely because I really felt like India was where my heart was and that is why God called me, but God had a much bigger and better plan, and early 2002, God moved me to America and I worked as staff in the local church in San Antonio, Texas under Pastor John Hagee and then God opened doors supernaturally and ended up being the worship leader of that Church for 7 years until God released me to start this international ministry and I have been doing this for the last 11 years now.

Pastor Priji:
Could you add a little more light on how was the shift for you once you wanted to start serving God and did you find your personality stand in the way of you wanting to serve God?

Pastor Zack:
If personality becomes an excuse to us being used by God, then that personality needs to bow its knee. After giving my life to the Lord, I started to understand and read scripture and grew in submitting to the leaders that God placed over me and naturally love for people started to grow in my heart and there was a natural desire to see people fulfil their destiny. Today, I serve as a pastor of a beautiful church in San Antonio. We have a very amazing successful international ministry around the world. My desire is to train leaders. Ten years ago when I left Pastor John Hagee’s ministry, God started to bring in a bunch of young people and we invested in their lives and called out the potential and the destiny that God has placed in them and now they are the pastors, leaders, coaches, youth pastors, worship leaders of our ministry around the world and it is just the greatest joy to see what God can do.

In 2007, while I was in Pastor John Hagee’s Church, I went through a very strong transition. My ministry seemed incredibly successful in the religious world and yet I was at a crossroad. I was taught that our job as a youth pastor is to just call out the sin in people, and hopefully, they will repent, turn their ways and fix their lives, and I would go to the youth conferences and I would do what I was told and the altars were full, and yet now there is one problem, it is the same young people hitting the altar all over again. I told God there is nothing happening here and we are not changing anything. I had an encounter with God and He told me that all you are doing is telling them who they think they are and stop telling them who they think they are and start telling them who I say they are. Speaking in the terms of leadership, we look for what people are good at and what people are not good at based on our perceptions, and we seclude people into groups of our choice, but the way God picks leaders is very different. Over the years, I was taught that leadership is about influence. After 25 years of leadership, I am changing my definition of leadership. I don’t believe that leadership is about influence and leadership is about giving value. Leadership is not just finding people to get stuff done but call something out of somebody that is not and all of sudden now you start seeing people walking in the fullness of their destiny and purpose.

The revelation of God is very important, but it is incomplete without us getting the revelation of who we are. People gave their outward opinion of Jesus, but Peter gets the revelation, and as soon as peter get the revelation of who Jesus is, Jesus gave Peter a revelation of who he is, and It is completely contrary to anyone who knew about Peter. It does not matter what the world or even the church says about you.

Pastor Priji:
How important it is for us to have the right mentors or leaders above us? When you do not find the right environment how do you process that?

Pastor Zack:
It is beneficial to find a mentor. If you will be faithful to where God has placed you, sooner or later there will come an opportunity that will put you in your destiny. You need to have discernment and wisdom to know whom to honour and whom not. If you honour the right one, your promotion is just around the corner. Your promotion does not come from your boss or your spiritual father but from the Lord.

Pastor Priji:
How did you become a worship pastor in Pastor John’s church ?

Pastor Zack:
After 6 to 7 years of struggling in India, in 2001, God took the ministry to a whole new level for me, opening doors all over the middle east and the ministry started to explode. During that time, Lord moved my wife to America to do her postgraduate in molecular biology and the Lord spoke to her about me doing ministry in America. God confirmed it through random people and also in a dream to me. On Feb 28, 2002, I moved to America. I called the John Hagee Ministry for an opening. Initially, I worked for free answering prayer calls. I got promoted and started overseeing the prayer line and then I got into the shipping and handling department and later into the maintenance dept. During that time, I got an opportunity to lead worship in women’s bible study. God did wonders. The word started to spread. Pastor Hagee’s son asked me to lead worship in a new service called Joshua Generation, and about a year later, I was leading worship at an event called Encounter and the power of God hit that place and the word went straight to John Hagee, and he asked me lead worship on Sunday service and I did it. My life changed overnight. I had a great time for 7 years at Corner Stone Church until the Lord spoke to me about leaving in 2009.

Pastor Priji:
What is the best way if one of our listeners want to get in touch with you and receive from you more?

Pastor Zack:
You can contact me through Instagram @zackcherian.