The Four Levels of Competency

I came across this write up on Lifechurch's swerve blog some weeks ago. Originally it was an evaluation of team members but I tailored it towards my own life. As I recapped it today I begin to really think about my life and leadership. Although not officially church planting yet, running a Sattelite campus does not mean I'm not experiencing some of the unknowns of life, leadership, and ministry. I look at Church planters as the pioneers, you don't always know quite what's around the corner. Just when you get to one level and have figured out some things it turns into a whole new level of pioneering where you don't know again. One thing I have figured out though is to slow down when you don't know. There's something about slowing down that the voice of God, His direction, and His will becomes appearent and clear. My pastor used the analogy of a baseball player whose game slows down, he's able to see the pitch that's coming, he can hit the ball more effectively, not only that but he can place the ball wherever he wants when he hits the ball. Strategy and technique in leadership are learned things, learned from the Lord, from His word, and from those who God has placed in your life. It's ok not to know, if your in a place of doing anything big for God, you will often find yourself in that place. So back to the blog. I believe the following questions are important to ask yourself often, in every new season and chapter of our lives. Each question reveals maturity, and it reveals progress. If I am going to get to where God wants me to be I have to be real with where I'm at right now. In order for me to plan a travel route driving I have to know where I'm at first then and only then can I find the best route to take. Detours stink, they delay things, U-Turns are even worst, sometimes it's just part of the territory but if you can limit them there's a lot less frustration. I know in my life and in ministry that I have just come out of a chapter that contained detours and now have entered a new chapter. Looking back it's totally evident now that I just went through the process below. So as I start this new chapter, I'm asking ahead of time to limit the detours, I know where I want to go, but where am I right now? Do you know?

(1) Unknown incompetence: Do I know what I don't know.
(2) Known incompetence: Am I starting to learn what I didn't know.
(3) Unknown competence: I know now what I didn't know before, seeing results and realizing that there's an even bigger picture, and bigger person inside of me.
(4) Known competence: I know and I am aware that God has called me for this specific role.