Why are we continuing to grow Lay Leaders?
Why are we continuing to grow Lay Leaders?
Because it’s Biblical! In 1 Corinthians Chapters 12 to 14 God shows us that He has deliberately designed his Church as a body where everyone is needed and everyone has a part to play. Ordained clergy do not have all the gifts or talents required to lead. By Growing Leaders at all levels we grow into what God intends us to be – The Body of Christ.
Interesting times?
Everyone agrees. We live in interesting times. The pace of change is rapid. And at a time of such major change leadership is crucially important.
Leadership at every level is one of the key factors in growing healthy churches. It isn’t the only factor, but it is a crucial one. Leaders shape the church for good or bad. Initial research findings of the Natural Church Development Network indicate that ‘empowering leadership’ is consistently the lowest-graded characteristic of English churches. There is a great deal of confusion about what a leader is and how one develops leadership in a Christian context.
WE are a Church that is Growing Leaders. WE aim to grow more Leaders, and encourage existing Leaders to grow. WE also aim to help Leaders Lead more to Jesus.
Growing leaders lead in community
The New Testament makes it clear that leadership in the church is PLURAL. The model of solo leadership is foreign to the early church. Images of the body and our interdependence to one another form the backdrop to leadership and growth of the church. This community provides accountability, support, encouragement and mutuality. To meet the challenges of leadership today we need to be honest with one another about the struggles and joys of leadership, and learn to depend on one another to provide the breadth of leadership required in our changing world. That’s why community is the context surrounding all the other aspects of leadership.
Who are our Leaders?
Let’s first DEFINE CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP – Leadership is having INFLUENCE with another person for good and not for evil… MANY within our churches will be exercising leadership in a variety of contexts:-
• in their occupation – within the home (e.g. Parents), a place of paid employment, or fulltime education.
• in their ‘free’ time – leading Brigade, a PTA, or charitable work.
• in the church – leading the choir, the children’s work or a home group.
I want us to equip Christians to be Christ like wherever they exercise leadership. That is where ever people spend the majority of their time. We are the church when we are ‘dispersed’ just as much as when we are ‘gathered’. Society needs good models of leadership. Christians can be at the forefront of restoring confidence in leadership throughout society today.
Leaders are women, men and young people who spend time developing others…. A good leader is one who will leave behind them people who possess the conviction and the will to carry on without them.
If at Church and in our small groups we develop people and actively grow leaders who can develop more people this will equal growth, both personal and numerical. We will grow in our relationship with God and each other and in size.
Investing in others expresses the value of people – people matter and how we treat people matters hugely. People are of infinite value, created for a purpose and with potential for growth. One of our roles as leaders is to help people discover their value before God, discern God’s purpose for their life and develop the potential he has placed within them.
Investing in others improves the quality of the job – when we work together then TEAM can really mean ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’. No one Christian leader (ordained or not) has all the gifts or talents necessary to complete the job. God has deliberately designed us this way.
Investing in others ensures that the work continues – there is no success without successors. Jesus deliberately left behind people who would further the work of the Kingdom. Part of our responsibility is to grow Leaders at EVERY level – in their families, among their peer groups at school, university, factory floor, commerce, children’s groups and in Churches….and many more…
Please re-read 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 and decide for yourself…
Yours,
