LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVENUE IN NIGERIA. DR. I. D. SAMUEL

 Revenue Generation in Nigeria’s Local Government.

In Nigeria, as in other developing countries, the debate on the nature and purpose of local government has been a long and at times better one. The Nigerian political system is a federal one which implies that all three tiers of government should each function to provide good, efficient, and effective services to the people, above others, thing bring a better life to them. Many authors as well as scholars have posited that there is no one theory of local governments but rather the formulation of any theory on local governments will be based on its functions or put in another way, the aspect being studied.

Theories of local government that have been prevalent include:

(1) The Democratic-participatory theory

(2) The efficiency-services theory

(3) The Development Theory

(4) The functional theory

(5) The Resource mobilization theory

The Democratic-participatory theory of local governments holds that local government is a favorable setting for local democracy. Thus, it is seen that this will afford the local citizens the opportunities for political participation at their various levels as well as to educate and socialize them politically. Furthermore, the theory views the local government as that which should be free to make laws for its area without seeking the approval of the national and regional/State legislative bodies and at the same time, partake in the overall decision-making process of the political system. 

The efficiency services theory holds that local governments have an obligation not only to deliver services to the local populace but also to do so most effectively and at the highest efficiency rate. The focal point of this theory is that local governments exist to provide services for the local people in general and on the efficient and accountable provision of these services, it must stand or fall. Thus, these theorists, argue that the Democratic and participatory roles are the main functions of the local governments.

The development theory of local government holds that the local government is a veritable instrument of local development and should be able to bring about political and socio-economic development to the local people in the sense that it is that tier of government close to them and well-positioned or placed to reconstruct the infrastructures necessary to improve their life and bring solace and succor to them. 

The functional Theory of local government holds that the local government like other tiers of government is saddled with various responsibilities or roles to perform which are both internal and external to it. Internally, for example, it is saddled with such functions as recruitment of staff, their development, general welfare, emolument, and maintenance. Others include the provision of office equipment, stationery, etc. Externally, apart from contending with socio-economic projects, it has such roles as making contributions to national development and donating to charity, and nongovernmental organizations among others.

The resource mobilization theory holds that the Local Government is a veritable source for resource mobilization and like any other Government (Central or Intermediate), it is expected to raise its funds with which to operate and even render some to the central governments. Indeed one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Government is to mobilize enough resources to enable it to provide necessary services and secure its people. No government or any Organisation for that matter can successfully meet its obligation without money. Thus resource mobilization becomes a paramount aspect of any organisation. As Ibrahim Kida earlier puts it, "Finance or money, is a prerequisite which enables any complex organization be it private or public to maintain itself and effectively meet its commitments to the Individuals or Groups of Individuals that consume its output..."

Thus it is clear that for Local Governments to survive, they have to mobilize enough financial resources. However, one thing is to mobilize resources and another is to utilize them efficiently and effectively. Having highlighted these theories, it is important to mention that they are all germane to this paper as it goes without mincing words that to perfect each of them, the local government needs money (finance). For example, to make the people politically conscious and imbibe Democratic values, money will be required. Similarly, to provide essential services and bring Development to the people be able to perform performance-increasing sing functions in the councils, or even mobilize resources will all require money. There is no gainsaying the fact that since 1999 once again there have been democratically elected local governments at the grassroots level their performances have been low and this has been largely attributed to a lack of adequate finance as ever before. In a recent study carried out by the Department of Public Administration, Lagos State University in some selected Local Governments in the South-Western part of Nigeria, it was revealed that there is a general disenchantment with the performances of the local governments and most of the respondents attributed it to lack of finance. However, many people will argue that the reverse is the case. What then is the issue at stake? Do the Local Governments have the money and if not what are the various issues affecting Local Government finances in Nigeria, especially since 1999?

1. Revenue Generation 

This is the first issue that readily comes to mind. By definition, Revenue generation implies the amount of money that gets into the coffers of the Local Government from time to time. They come from two major sources and these are:

(i) Internal Sources

(ii) External Sources

Internal Sources

The Internal Sources are those sources from which the Local Governments can raise or generate 

funds for their use internally. Funds raised through these sources are generally referred to as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). The 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and others before it vests some exclusive rights on the Local Governments to generate funds from these sources for its various tasks. These can be classified into the following eight Heads as 

outlined by the local governments themselves.

(1) Various Taxes (Head 1001)

They include:

1. Community poll tax (flat-rate)

2. Development levy

3. Taxes on Special Services such as (Electricity, Water, and Nightguards among others as provided 

from time to time.

(2) Rate (Head 1002)

This includes:

1. Tenement

2. Penalty

3. Ground Rent

4. Government (Federal and State) grants instead of tenement rates

(3) Local Licence Fees and Fines (Head 1003)

Under this Head, the revenue sources are as much as 100 (one hundred) and they are grouped under the following subheadings:

General Licence

Bicycle license fee, Canoe license fee, Dog license fee, cart/Truck license fee, Hackney permit fees, Bus/Commercial vehicles fees, Taxi/Motor-cycle fees, liquor license fees, palm wine Taper/Sellers license fees, Native liquor fees, Beka cigarette license fees, Slaughters Hawker permit fees, Wart landing fees, Alternative medicine fees, etc.

Food Control

Slaughter fees, Abattoir fees, Eating House fees, kiosk license fees, Bakery House license fees, Registration of meat van fees, Cattle Dealers license fees, Dried fish/meat license fees, Cold room license fees, Batch license fees, etc.

Security

Auction license fees, Gold Smith and Gold Seller license fees, Hunting license fees, Social Marriage registration fees, entertainment, drumming, and temporary boot fees, control of noise permit fees, Cinema graph license fees, Naming of Streets/House registration fees, Tent of sea/Beach permit fees, mobile sales promotion license fees, Radio/Television fees, Beggars ministration fees, open-air preaching permit fees, social organization registration fees, etc.

Health

Dislodging of Septic tank charges, Night soil Disposal/Depot fees, Registration of Septic tank dislodging license fees, Registration of Night clubs, contractors fees, Impounding of animal fees, 

pest control and disinfectant charges, Birth and Death registration fees, Burial fees, vault fees, dispensary and Maternity fees, Laboratory test fees, Earning from. Environmental Sanitation services, etc. 

Others include: 

General contractor registration fees, Tender Fees, Sand dredging fees, Minor industry license feeds, Trade license fees, Petty Licence fees, Sand Granite, Iron rod and seller license fees, pit sewing licence fees forestry and fuel exploitation fees, sawmill licence fees, felling of three fees, Produce buying fees, Rice/Mill Cassava grinding license fees, Ingredient grinding mill license fees, corn grinding Mill license fees, Brown sugar machine license fees, painting, spraying and sign writing workshop fees, workshop license fees, photo studio license fees, welding machine license fees, Electric Radio, and TV workshop license fees, Wood making/Carpentry workshop license fees, Blacksmith workshop license fees, Battery charges license fees, printing press license fees, panel beater license fees, Vulcanizers license fees, Vehicle spare parts license fees, Cloth driver's license fees, clock-watch repairer's license fees, Registration of laundries and dry cleaner fees, Motor Mechanic and Car Wash Depot license fees, Building materials license fees, Photostat typing institute fees, Block making machine license fees, sewing institute license fees, Hair Dressing/ Barbing salon license fees Advertisement license fees, miscellaneous. Housing/Works Engineering and Services Workshop receipt, Sale of unserviceable store Hire charges, Sales of market Store, Survey and plot fees, Mortgage sublease approval, Customary sight of occupancy fees, commission on transfer of plots, approval of Building plans, etc.

Fines

This includes fines as a result of vehicle/car parking violations, and vehicle/cars towed among others.

(4) Earning from Commercial undertakings (Head 1004)

This includes Market fees, Motor park fees, shops and shopping center fees, cattle market fees, 

Abattoirs slaughterhouse fees, proceeds from sales of consumer Agric, Transport services, etc.

(5) Rent on Local Government Property (Head 1005)

This includes: Rent on Local Government Chairs and Canopies, Rent on other Local Government 

Buildings etc.

(6) Interest payment and Dividend on Investments (Head 1006)

This includes Interest on Vehicles and Bicycle Advances, Interest on Loans to other Local governments, Interest on Loans to Parastatals and other limited liability companies, Dividends and Interest from other Investments, Interest on Staff Housing, and other Loans.

(7) Grants/Donations 

This can come from wealthy Individuals, groups, or industries within the Local Government. It could be specific or general and it is meant to assist the Local Government as the Donors deem fit.

(8) Miscellaneous (Head 1008)

This entails other avenues/opportunities open to the Local Councils from which they can derive some revenue within the local Government. Examples are: Gains from the sale of blocks, Recovery of losses or overpayments, payment instead of notice of resignation, etc. 

The above items are the various sources through which the local governments in Nigeria can raise or generate funds or revenues internally and there is no gainsaying the fact that they are enormous. 

However, generating funds internally has remained low and become one of the biggest problems plaguing Nigeria's Local Governments over the years.

External Sources

These include:

(i) Statutory allocations from the federation account

(ii) Statutory allocations from the State governments (10% of their internally generated revenue).

(iii) Foreign Aids and Grants.

(iv) Loans from Financial Institutions.

(v) Donations

The statutory allocations from the federation account to the local governments are 20% of the total amount distributed monthly and this has remained so since 1st June 1992. Similarly, in addition to the above, the local governments of a State are to receive 10% of the internally generated revenues of the State Government. Further to this, Local governments are entitled to 30% of the total amount accrued to the value-added Tax (VAT) pool account with the state and Federal governments having 50% and 20% respectively. Other revenues, which are shared with the local governments, include: 

Privatization proceeds, GSM proceeds, Fertilizer subsidy and Stabilization fund, and General ecology.

The local governments also have foreign aid and Grants, which help a great deal in Developmental projects, social services, and security among others. The councils can also seek for They obtain loans for specific projects which they must pay back before the expiry of their tenure. 

Donations also get to the councils as the Donors may deem fit or are persuaded to do. These are the various external sources of local government revenues for now in Nigeria

Local Government Systems in Nigeria, Structures, Functions and Challenges

Local Government Systems in Nigeria, Structures, Functions and Challenges

The idea and practice of localizing government is a universal and age-old phenomenon. In Nigeria, before the emergence of the contemporary state system, governance

In all originality was locally or community-based, with the emergence of the state system, local government still found a place in the Scheme of things.

The need for localizing governance in the modern-day setting is the need to bring governance closer to the people. Even as its functions and relevance sometimes overlap with those of other levels of government, it’s still seen as a way of making governance more efficient and effective in a democratic system of Governance.

Structures and Functions of Local Government in Nigeria:

Under the 1999 constitution, Nigeria has a single-tier system of local government. One other significant provision on local government in the constitution is the clear creation of room for separation of powers.

The Executive Arm of Local Government

The Executive Arm of local government consists of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Supervisors, and Secretary.

The Chairman is the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the local government. His designation as the Accounting Officer however excludes the signing of cheques and vouchers, though he has to authorize all payments. He performs numerous functions. Some of these functions include: observing and complying fully with the checks and balances spelled out in the existing guidelines and financial Regulations governing receipts; he ensures accountability as he can be held accountable while in office and even after the expiration of his tenure and he is to face periodic checks to ensure full adherence to all relevant laws on finance. He is to render monthly statements of income and expenditures and annual reports to the local government council for consideration and debate; he is also to render quarterly returns of the actual income and expenditure of the local government to the state government for further necessary action. Beyond these, the chairman also directs the affairs of the local government; he allocates responsibilities to the vice chairman, supervisors, and the secretary to the local government; he conducts the meeting of the executive committee of the local government – vice-chairman, supervisors, and the secretary – at least once a week.

Furthermore, he maintains liaison with the legislative arm of the local government; he countersigns the Annual Performance Evaluation Report of the Heads of the local government departments. He has to address the local government council at least once a year. During this address, he has to give an account of his achievements and the problems or challenges he has encountered in the year. He is to also present his annual budget to the local government council at the beginning of the year for consideration and approval. In exercising his powers and discharging his

For administrative and financial functions, he has to consult with the vice-chairman, supervisors, and secretary.

 

 The Executive Committee of the Local Government

The Executive Committee of the local government consists of the chairman, a vice-chairman elected with him, the supervisory councilors appointed by the chairman and a secretary also appointed by the chairman

Upon assumption of office, the chairman presides over the meetings of the committee. The committee meets at least once a week. It considers memoranda from the departments and any Head of Departments may be summoned by the committee to clarify any matter relating to its memorandum or any issue under the consideration of the committee.

Vice-Chairman

The vice-chairman in the administration of the local government is assigned the responsibility of administering the department of the local government. He acts for the

chairman in his absence.

 

 The Secretary to the Local Government

The secretary is an appointee of the chairman. In his capacity as the secretary to the local government, he performs the following functions: Secretary of the meetings of the Executive Committee of the local government and keeping the records of the meetings; coordination of the activities of the departments of the local government; liaising on behalf of the chairman, with the local government council through the Leader of the Council; liaising with the appropriate officers of the state government on state-local relations and carrying out other duties that may be designed to him from time to time.

 

 Supervisors

These are political appointees of the local government. Upon appointment, they are assigned a department each for supervision. More specifically, their functions include:

serving as political heads of their respective departments; serving as members of the Executive Committee of the local government; giving directives to the professional heads of their respective departments on general policy issues; assisting the chairman in supervising the execution of local government projects within their respective departments and carrying out such other duties or functions as the chairman may assign from time to time.

In running the affairs of the local government, the Executive arm is assisted by other key support staff. These are heads of the departments in the local government.

They are all equal in status. Chief among them are the Head of Personnel Management (Director of Administration) and the Local Government Treasurer (Director of Finance).

 

 

 

 

 

The Legislative Arm of Local Government

The Legislative arm of the local government consists of the Leader, the Deputy Leader, and Councilors. All the councilors are elected and the leader and the deputy leaders are chosen among the councilors.

The local government council is saddled with the following functions:

● Debating, approving, or amending the annual budget of the local government council subject to the chairman’s veto which may be set aside by a two-thirds majority of the members of the local government council;

● Vetting and monitoring the implementation of projects and programs in the annual budget of the local government;

● Examining and debating the monthly statements of income and expenditure rendered to it by the chairman of the local government;

● Advising, consulting, and liaising with the chairman of the local government.

The law passed by the local Government is called bye-laws. After the passage of bylaws by the council, the chairman must assent to it for it to have force of law.

Functions of Local Government in Nigeria

The functions of local government in the country are contained in the 1999 constitution, according to the fourth schedule of the constitution; the following are the functions of Local Government; Collection of rates, radio and television licenses; Establishment and maintenance of cemeteries, burial grounds and homes for the destitute or infirm, Licensing of bicycles, trucks (other than mechanically propelled trucks), canoes, wheelbarrows

And cart, Establishment, maintenance, and regulation of slaughterhouses, slaughter slabs, markets, motor packs, and public conveniences; Construction and maintenance of roads, streets, street lightings, drains and other public highways, parks gardens, open spaces, or such public facilities as may be prescribed from time to time by the House of Assembly of a state, Naming of roads and streets and numbering of

Houses, Provision and maintenance of public conveniences sewage and refuse disposal, Registration of all births, deaths, and marriages, Assessment of privately owned houses or tenements to levy such rates as may be prescribed

by the House of Assembly of a state, Control and regulation of Out-door advertising and hoarding, Movement and keeping of pests of all descriptions, Shops and kiosks, Restaurants, bakeries, and other places for sale of food to the public; Laundries and Licensing regulation and control of the sale of liquor.

Some other functions included, the participation of the council in the government of a state in

Respect of the following matters,

The provision and maintenance of primary, adult, and vocational education, development of agriculture and natural resources, other than the exploitation of minerals, provision and maintenance of health services, and such other functions as may be conferred on a local government council by The House of Assembly of the state.

 

Challenges.

The local governments in the country have been found to perform below expectations because of the following factors:

One of the problems and challenges facing local government administration in Nigeria today is the unceasing growth in the rate of corruption. Indeed, corruption and abuse of office by local government administrators have assumed gargantuan proportions. It is perpetrated by both local government bureaucrats and political office-holders.

These categories of local government administrators are neck deep in inflation of contracts, outright embezzlement of council funds, taking kickbacks on contracts; and nonexecution of contracts among other corrupt practices.

Second and related to this is the growing perception among local citizens that local governments are indeed citadels of sharing the national cake. For example, it is now

Public knowledge that local government chairmen are not supposed to account for security votes. Thus there is eagerness among the poor rural folk to share this so-called free money, whereas, if properly applied and judiciously spent, the vote is supposed to be used by the local government chairmen to pursue their protective functions.

Third, in another related development, there is the growing practice among the state governments to divert local government funds through state-local government joint accounts. This is possible because local government allocations from the federation account are disbursed through the state governments. Most state governments have taken this advantage to divert part of the allocation to other otiose projects thereby robbing the local governments of the capacity to perform their functions and live up to the expectations of the people.

Fourth, there is also the growing problem of overstaffing and redundancy in the local government bureaucracies all over the country.

Another constraining factor is the overpopulation of some local governments. Over the years, the population of some local governments has grown beyond the management capacity of their leaders. In such local governments, the needs of the people are hardly met. Some local governments that ought to have been split into many local governments could not be split because of constitutional hurdle which has made the creation of more local governments in the country almost impossible. Specifically, the reluctance of the Federal authority to grant the constitutionally required imprimatur to the creation of more local governments by states desirous of more local governments has remained a serious albatross for the creation of more local governments in the country.

Also, the use of caretaker committees usually constituted by some state governments instead of elected local government officials has hindered the performance of local governments in the country. With a caretaker committee in place, it becomes easy for State governments to manipulate local authorities to the advantage of the state government and even for the personal gains of state political leaders. More specifically,

With a caretaker committee in place, transparency and accountability are further held in abeyance.

Finally, there is also the tendency of the local populace not to pay their taxes, rates, and levies. It is assumed among other reasons by some people that, local governments are rich and have little or no need for internally generated revenue. For fear of losing the political control of the local government, every political party in power often shies away from enforcing tax and levy rules rigorously, thus the low financial standing of many local governments in the country which has in turn adversely affected their service delivery capability.

For local government to be able to effectively assume its catalytic position in national

Development comes to strive for good governance; the following recommendations may be helpful.

First, there is the need to as a matter of urgency entrench new ethical orientation in the local citizenry as to the essence of local government. This should be aimed at letting the citizens know that local governments are not contrived to engage in “cash sharing”, but to discharge their constitutional functions to the citizenry effectively and efficiently.

Second, instead of direct sharing or transfer of cash, local government should embark on programs that can empower the local citizenry.

Third, the controlling state governments should show good examples of transparency and accountability to local political leaders. This will minimize corruption at the local level.

From the foregoing, it is safe to conclude that local government has come a long way in the country. However, it is observable that most of the local governments in the country are hardly effective and efficient. Indeed there is still a loud yearning for good governance at the local government level. Whichever the case, it appears that good governance at the local level can only be guaranteed via attitudinal change on the part of local politicians and even the local people and not necessarily through unceasing or endless structural changes we call reforms.

The Dynamics Of Followers- Dr I.D Samuel

To start this new series, I want to talk about followership because – and I’m going to give away the point of the message this morning – there is only one leader who does not follow, and that is God. We Christians are called to be followers of Jesus before we are anything else. Great people follow great leaders well before they lead well. It is inevitable and necessary that we understand followership, or this enterprise of life in our culture and our church is going to fall apart. 

We talk a LOT about leadership. From the time we are in elementary school and everybody wants to be the “line leader,” we are drilled with the idea of being leaders and not followers. Be a trendsetter; be innovative.

If I see a conference advertised for Christians, it’s almost always about leadership. (‘Church leadership conference’: 20 million hits on Google. ‘Church followership conference’: 135,000 hits and a quick look at the list showed half the title contained the word ‘leadership’ as if the whole point of learning how to follow Jesus well is so you can lead. So…not really about followership after all. It’s seen as a means to a more important end). I’ve yet to get a mailer for a Followership conference. If I did, I doubt it would be held in a stadium. Maybe a classroom somewhere.  

Nobody takes pride in our culture in being a follower. We associate it with weakness.  You never hear at a funeral, “They were trend followers. They knew how to line up behind good leadership. They knew how to follow so well.” 

We live in a culture that devalues the art of good following. And I think that’s a problem.

 I get it: terrible things happen when people blindly follow a leader. I remember as a kid reading about Jim Jones and his cult, and wondering how on earth people could be so gullible. The history of racism in our country was often the result of followers blindly accepting a grossly unjust status quo, and it was leaders (often Christian ones) who challenged this. 

 So, yeah, it’s important that we not be “sheeple” (docile, foolish, easily led by other people).

But…have we considered that the first recorded rebellion against God was because we (humanity) didn’t want to follow? We wanted to lead, and it was not our place. The best thing Adam and Eve could have done in the Garden was to follow God, and they didn’t.  When you read the stories of the primary figures in the Old Testament, their problem over and over is that they try to lead without having first learned how to follow the God who placed them in leadership. 

In the New Testament, the term “leader” as we think of leadership[1] in the church community is rarely used. More often than not, ‘leadership’ carries with it the idea of being an example. When words that more closely align with our idea of leadership are used, they are surrounded by cautions: 

 ·      “Not many of you should desire” it (James 3:1)

·      It’s going to look a lot like being a servant or a slave to others (Matthew 20:25-27). 

·      It’s not going to be the kind of leadership the world values: it’s not for your gain; don’t ‘lord’ over others (1 Peter 5:3). 

Following – “imitating Christ” or “being a disciple” – is the focus over and over again. Any discussion of authority or leadership stems from one’s passing on the message of Jesus and exemplifying the life of Jesus in words and actions. Over and over, this is about following Jesus – following him into radical self-sacrifice as seen in the “broken and spilled out” part of communion; following him into servanthood by doing lowly but honorable things, such as washing feet, etc. 

In God’s church design, ‘leaders’ are Christ-followers exemplifying Christ-followership and then helping other Christ-followers flourish in following Christ.

 Only some have this as a formal appointment, but we all have this as a calling. 

I’m not going to talk today about leadership and followership between people. Maybe that will show up this year because it’s an inescapable part of the human community –we need good leaders, but not everybody is (or should be) leaders at all times or in all ways; we also need followers, which all of us are at some point or in some way. But that’s going to have to be a sermon for another time. 

I want to talk about Foundational Followership: Following Jesus. I will use three categories to help us think about this today (Rod Dempsey at disciplemakingblog.wordpress.com wrote the original list that informed my thinking here). 

Kingdom Perspectives

1.    There is only one King that we follow. (Eph. 1:21; Rev. 19:6).[2]

2.    Our job is to help others follow this King. When Paul says, “imitate me,” it’s paired with “as I imitate Christ.” 

3.    We are stewards who follow the vision of our King. Our successful stewardship will compellingly point others toward the King and pave the way into the kingdom. “Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.” (I Peter 2:12)

4.    Humble obedience is a badge of honor for a good steward; it is how the King plans for His followers to flourish, and by which the name of the King is made great. “Do you want the Kingdom to run like the Romans run their kingdom? Their rulers have great power over the people, but God the Father doesn’t play by the Romans’ rules. 26 This is the Kingdom’s logic: whoever wants to become great must first make himself a servant; 27 whoever wants to be first must bind himself as a slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as the ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28)

 

Kingdom Principles

1.    To represent the King, we must spend time with Him:

·      his mission: save lost people 

·      his orders: spread the good news

· Our design: in His image (value, worth, dignity)

· Our purpose: glorify God by becoming like Christ

· Our worldview: the values of the King (God-others-self; people over things; love everyone as Christ loves us; be stewards committed to shalom) 

2.    If we spend time with Him, we become like Him. To be a good follower of the King, we must “be” before we “do.” (Like the Minions say, “be-do-be-do-be-do.”) Otherwise, when we go on a mission, we run the risk of misrepresenting the King. I don’t mean we should passively wait until we are perfect. I mean we need to spend time with the King even as we go about the King’s business.

3.    A follower is a “doer” and not just a “be-er.” Followers don’t study the Bible and congratulate themselves on how smart they are. They do something with it. If we don’t – if it doesn’t change our lives in radical ways – we are deceiving ourselves (James 1:22). 

4.    God’s word is our textbook. Not Forbes, not the WSJ or the Washington Post, not CNN or Fox or The Constitution or somebody’s blog. Not our favorite preacher or teacher.[3]Followers of God have one primary text by which all other texts are judged. Be ready to feel the tension between the texts of empire and the Text of Kingdom. 

 

Kingdom Practices

1.    Followers connect new followers to the King. We are ambassadors or diplomats, tasked with representing the heart of the King, the message of the King, and the values of the Kingdom. 

2.    Followers follow the King together. Our King demands Kingdom community; forsaking community is not followership. That means face-to-face, dysfunctional, messy, hard, annoying, and deeply meaningful family community.

3.    Followers are vulnerable and teachable. Leave no thought undiscovered, no behavior unexamined, no pattern unshaken, no assumption unchallenged, no attitude unchecked, no talent unexplored. #surrenderistotal

4.    Followers Follow the Mission: preach the gospel, and make disciples.

 

“[What] did Jesus first command us to do? “Come, follow me” (Matthew 4:19). In fact, it’s His first command, period. Maybe the place to relearn following is the place where we strip away all we have followed and find the core of what, why, and whom we should follow.

“Come, follow me.” In His language, Jesus was asking His disciples to come away or come out. “Follow” did not mean to trail behind someone like a groupie waiting for an autograph but to choose to leave behind one life and completely enter another. Followers were to turn their backs on all other loyalties and priorities and turn their faces to Jesus alone. It was a radical change of focus.

That others do not want to follow our Jesus may have something to do with the reality that we do not leave behind the things we should. We talk about following Jesus, but our political, cultural, economic, or personal glasses continue to filter every decision we make and every opinion we form. We are the tourists traipsing along behind the tour guide, getting sidetracked by sore feet and street vendors when our Guide is trying to point out the great kingdom sights for which we came. 

If we want the church to be a place where people come to practice followership, we need to follow Jesus — not a political party, country, doctrine, church style or type, leader, or celebrity. Just Jesus.” Jill Richardson

 

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[1] 1 Corinthians 12:28 is a close definition of what we think of as leadership. “2941 kybérnēsis – properly, someone who steers (guides) a ship; (figuratively) the divine calling which empowers someone to lead in affairs relating to the Church. ("a helmsman who steers") refers to a pilot (a captain, as in Plato) – a director who guides, administrates, etc. (Abbott-Smith). Kybérnēsis only occurs in 1 Cor 12:28.).” Even then, “others would take it tropically here, and render it wise counsels.” – all quotes from Biblehub.

[2] “First, no one can be an effective leader until they first learn how to follow. Second, the heart of Christ's life is not leading – it’s following. The clarion call of Jesus to all who would listen was, “Follow me!” Finally, Jesus also made it clear that the greatest among us are those who serve others (Mt. 28:11).”  - James Emery White

1.     1 Corinthians 3:  “One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Um, no.