Chapter 5
MINISTRY LEADERSHIP
THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIAN
LEADERSHIP
Christian leadership resides in the person more than the process. Ultimately Christ was a leader not because of what He did, but because of who He was. This principle is found throughout Scripture. People such as Moses, David, and Paul led because of their relationship to God, not because they were expert managers. Once we are the kinds of people God wants us to be, He will uphold us as leaders.
Christian leadership is thus a matter of personal spiritual maturity and growth. Sheep follow the shepherd not so much because he knows where green pastures are, but because they trust him and recognize his voice. Mastery of managerial skill will enhance a leader'’ success but is no substitute for spiritual maturity.
Christians are attracted to spiritually mature people and responsive to their influence. These salt and light team members emerge naturally as role models. They lead because they follow God! Those whom Gad calls to leadership He first calls to spiritual maturity.
Leaders work more through influence (role-modeling) than power (formal authority). People follow them because they want to, not because they have to. Therefore, leadership is not tied only to positions of formal authority—it is not job specific.
Since Christ’s model of leadership is based on sacrificial service to others, Christian leaders expect to serve rather than to be served. This requires that we subordinate our own needs and attend to the needs of others, following Christ’s example. Such selfless devotion to rise above their own needs. Such leaders are able to build themselves into others because of the overflow of their spiritual blessings. Those who have the most, serve the most.
SITUATION REVIEW 5.1
Salt and Light Review
State how much you agree with the following statements (2 = strongly; 1 = agree; 0 = disagree).
1. I have several strong personal needs I depend on my ministry team to satisfy.
2. I am a positive spiritual influence on the members of my ministry team.
3. I interact with my team members primarily on a professional level and not so much on a personal level.
4. I regularly pray with the members of my ministry team.
5. I rely on my formal authority (position power) to make most things happen in the ministry.
6. I feel responsible for nurturing the growth of my team members spiritually as well as professionally.
7. I value my team members primarily for the contributions they make to the ministry.
8. Ministry team members often come to me for advice and counsel.
9. I spend about the same amount of time with each of my team members.
10. I have a strong sense of conviction that God is supporting me and the ministry work I do.
11. People don’t always listen to what I have to say or follow my advice.
12. I view my work more as a ministry to serve God than as a profession that enables me to make a living.
Subtract your total for the odd-numbered statements (poor leadership practices) from your total for the even-numbered (positive leadership practices). If the difference is much below 5 or 6, you may want to prayerfully consider ways to further develop your qualities of spiritual leadership. Action Plan 5.1 will be of help to you.
ACTION PLAN 5.1
Extending Your Stakes
1. How can you take greater advantage of the following ways to build yourself into team members?
A. Prayer
B. Bible Study
C. Socializing and fellowship
D. Delegation
E. Recreational activities
F. “Management by walking around
2. Consider some practical ways in which you can take greater advantage of the following to promote your own personal spiritual growth and maturity.
A. Prayer
B. Bible Study
C. Leisure Time
D. Counseling with others
E. Self-discipline and denial
F. Stewardship
G. Entering into a spiritual accountability relationship with another
3. Think about and describe how you can become a better role model in the following areas.
A. Having time for others.
B. Listening to others.
C. Encouraging others.
D. Confronting others
E. Bearing patiently with others
F. Forgiving others
G. Being receptive to the positive influence of others
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LEADERSHIP VISION
Leaders have a vision for transforming and renewing people through ministry. Their desire in to change the world through changing people, and they have both the zeal and patience to usher change into existence.
The transforming quality of Christian leadership resides in the leader’s commitment to discipling members of the ministry team through prayer, Bible study, and being yoked together in serving capacities. The more team members grow spiritually, the more they can be transformed by the Holy Spirit.
Good leadership also serves to renew people by reminding them of ministry mission and goals, by helping restore frayed or fractured team relationships, and by enabling them to develop professionally. Good leaders invigorate team members, refresh them, and recharge their serving capacities.
Christian leaders are distinguished more by their spiritually than their managerial competence. All the administrative brilliance in the world won’t transform and renew people; this is the role of the Holy Spirit.
Mature leaders seek spiritual ends using spiritual means because they have a spiritual vision. They avoid the common trap of putting their professional lives into a different "compartment" than their spiritual lives. Christ has lordship over everything the ministry leader does, including the development of professional vision.
SITUATION REVIEW 5.2
Assessing Your Leadership Orientation
For each number below, check whether item A or item B more accurately characterizes your tendency as a leader.
1.A. My desire is to serve.
B. My desire is to be served.
2.A. I focus on people.
B. I focus on programs and productivity.
3.A. I rely on God’s power and enablement.
B. I rely on my managerial ability and human strength.
4.A. I accept people before I try to change them.
B. I try to change people before I accept them.
5.A. I desire to work with others.
B. I desire to work over others.
6.A. I rely on the Holy Spirit to motivate people.
B. I try to motivate people.
7.A. This is God’s ministry.
B. This is my ministry.
8.A. I minister to the members of my ministry.
B. I manage the members of my ministry.
Check through your eight choices above. Subtract the number of B responses you checked from the number of A responses. The higher your final score, the more you probably exhibit qualities of servant leadership in your ministry.
ACTION PLAN 5.2
Strengthening Servant Leadership
1. Consider the scope of the constituency that you serve. In what specific ways would you like to see the people associated with your ministry (serving in the ministry and served by the ministry) transformed?
2. In what ways would you like those associated with the ministry to be renewed?
3. Think about the relationships you have with team members. In what ways can you better yoke yourself in a serving capacity with members of your ministry team?
4. What actions can you take to invigorate the serving capacity of your team members?
5. What can you do to refresh and recharge your own serving capacities?
6. List the three most important goals of your ministry:
A.
B.
C.
7. List the spiritual purpose, or vision of each of the ministry goals listed in question 6.
Spiritual purpose of goal A:
Spiritual purpose of goal B:
Spiritual purpose of goal C:
8. What is God trying to accomplish through your ministry team?
9. What is God trying to accomplish through you?
10. What is God trying to accomplish in you?
BODY-BASED LEADERSHIP
It is easy to appreciate why leadership is portrayed as shepherding in the Bible. Like shepherds, Christian leaders must guard the flock: provide direction, overcome obstacles, protect the welfare of the body, and maintain unity. In short, Christian leaders must care for the needs of the body.
Shepherds have to be gentle, patient, and caring toward the flock, but also willing to shear the recalcitrant ewe, dispossess diseased lambs from their mothers, and separate butting rams. There is both a soft side and hard side to the job. So it is with ministry leadership. Team members must be encouraged, rewarded, and extended second chances, but they must also be challenged, stretched, and occasionally admonished.
Body-based leaders willingly shoulder both the soft and hard duties of caring for the ministry team. They strive to do what is best in God’s eyes-what maximizes the serving capacity of the ministry. Body-based leadership is committed to three essential principles: (1)serving peoples needs rather than their wants; (2) pruning unfruitful aspects of the ministry; (3) doing what is best for the long run rather than the short run.
Body-based leaders never lose sight of the ministry’s spiritual purpose and mission and are therefore unwilling to settle for second-best (man’s was instead of God’s way). They strive to stay in touch with God’s will through prayer; claim God’s promises in Scripture; and respect God’s moral laws. The Christian leader’s ultimate purpose is to glorify God despite human imperfection. It is this willingness to serve and glorify God that qualifies people to serve as shepherding leaders.
SITUATION REVIEW 5.3
Shepherding Needs Assessment
1. In what three ways or areas does your ministry team most need leadership direction and guidance?
2. Reflect on your day-to-day service activities. What are the three greatest obstacles your team must regularly overcome in implementing the ministry?
3. What three processes or activities do you most rely on to maintain team unity and cohesiveness?
4. What are the three greatest needs of your ministry team?
5. What nonessential wants are commonly mentioned by team members?
6. Rank the team wants listed in question 5 in order of importance—which are most worthy of pursuing (once needs have been satisfied) and which are least worthwhile?
7. What are the “soft” (supportive and affirming) ways in which you most commonly shepherd team members?
8. What are the “hard” (challenging and confronting) aspects of the way you shepherd your team?
ACTION PLAN 5.3
1. What aspects of your ministry are currently most in need of “pruning” (changing, improving, eliminating, and strengthening)?
2. What sacrifices should your ministry team be making in the short run to strengthen the ministry over the long run?
3. Which members of your team are most capable of helping you shepherd the team?
4. In what ways do you need shepherding? Who is available to minister to you in these areas?
5. In what specific ways do you most want to improve in “soft” shepherding skills and in “hard” skills? How can you go about implementing these changes?
6. Differentiate between your own needs as a ministry shepherd and your own wants.
MANAGING LIKE A LEADER
Thus far in chapter 5 we have discussed the character of the Christian leader: servant, role model, visionary, and shepherd. There is also a managerial side to leadership, consisting of learned behaviors that enable the leader to achieve in a team context. God prepares us as leaders not only by building our spiritual characters, but also by developing our managerial expertise. God graciously provides His leaders with tailor-made experiences that nurture spiritual and managerial maturity.
Spiritual leaders have three essential management responsibilities: (1) to build positive team attitudes; (2) to create positive expectations about team performance; and (3) to respond positively to team member behavior. These are explained in the next Situation Review and Action Plan.
SITUATION REVIEW 5.4
Assessing Your Managerial Skills As A Leader
State how much you agree with each of the following statements (2 = strongly agree, 1 = agree, and 0 = disagree).
Building Positive Attitudes
1. I recognize team member success as well as failure.
2. I expect the best and determine how to improve less than the best.
3. I praise and compliment team members for a job well done.
4. I criticize constructively rather than destructively.
5. I emphasize team member potential more than limitations.
Creating Positive Expectations
6. I respond to all of a team member’s job behavior, effective and ineffective.
7. I treat all team members fairly and equitably.
8. I announce in advance how others will benefit when our team performs its job well.
9. I accent the positive in interacting with my team.
10. I always deliver on promises.
11. I clearly communicate performance standards.
Responding Positively to Behavior
12. I strive to praise team members for what they have accomplished and to confront them over what they haven’t accomplished.
13. I strive never to be neutral in how I respond to job performance.
14. I always find something to praise a team member for, even when performance success has not been fully attained.
15. I always look for ways to tap more of my team’s productive potential.
ACTION PLAN 5.4
Becoming a Better Leader/Manager
1. Which team members probably can use a little more encouragement and positive reinforcement?
2. Which team members are in need of being challenged and stretched?
3. Picture yourself as an improving leader/manager. In what respects can you develop and strengthen your capacity to encourage and to lovingly confront?
4. What actions can you take to raise the performance expectations of your team?
5. What untapped potential for performance excellence exists within your team?
6. What untapped leadership potential do you have?
7. What aspects of God’s power can you and your team more deeply draw upon?
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11)
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain
conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
(Philippians 2:3)
The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:11-12)