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Leadership Defined
Putting the pieces together.
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"When I came I found people who did not want to do church as usual. They did not know what they really wanted, but they knew what they didn't want—doing church as usual. Thus there was an immediate match. I came looking for people ready to follow me as a leader with new ideas—and they needed a leader," says Slocum. While developing trust and collegiality among the leaders was one focus of Pastor Slocum's approach, the other was to help the congregation develop the freedom to be open with each other about what God wanted for them in their church and community. God's purposes for them needed to be discovered, and Scott's role in this process was key. Fourth, there are always purposes for leadership. The purposes can be stated or implied. When I lead my children to faith or in spiritual growth, the purposes unfold according to the needs and seasons of their lives. When I lead a ministry team, then I must also clearly state the purposes from the outset. Understanding and unpackaging the purposes of a group require astute insight that stems from research, mission definition, goals, plans, implementation, monitoring, and evaluating our effectiveness. In addition to group purposes, we also forge out individual purposes that are defined by relationship and need. Fifth, and most important for Christian leaders, is the fact that the leadership process is supernaturally empowered. We cannot perform our leadership responsibilities in our own strength, power, or wisdom. Leadership means that we know how to follow the Leader and rely fully on his power to guide and direct our every step. Our most significant resource for becoming an effective church leader is the Holy Spirit's influence on our daily life and service. Servant leadership is impossible without a life in full submission to the love and lordship of Christ. It's folly to proceed without the leadership of our Heavenly Father guiding and upholding and gifting us for service. The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Macchia serves as the founding president of Leadership Transformations, Inc., a ministry focusing on spiritual formation needs of leaders and the spiritual discernment processes of leadership teams in local church and parachurch ministry settings nationwide. He is the author of Becoming A Healthy Church (Baker, 1999), Becoming A Healthy Disciple (Baker, 2004) and the Becoming A Healthy Church Workbook (Baker, 2001) from which this article has been adapted by permission. Steve's books and additional church health resources can be found at your local Christian bookstore or by visiting the LTi ministry website at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and click on "shop." |             |
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