Church leadership training differs from other forms of leadership training in that there should be an emphasis on training leaders to be servants. In contrast, most business models are led from the top down. The concept of leading as a servant is Christ-centered and could be thought of as leading from the bottom up.
Qualifications of a Church Leader
The Apostle Paul listed several qualifications in the 3rd chapter of 1st Timothy. Such things as being above reproach, exhibiting self-control, possessing a calm and gentle manner, able to resolve conflict, able to teach, stays away from foolish arguments, and understands the value of the family. Church leaders should be humble, seeking the good of others in the church. Church leaders love God and love those they serve. They are ever mindful of the example of Christ getting a basin of water, a towel, and proceeding to wash his disciples feet. Those in leadership seek to do for others as they would have others do for them. In the example of Christ, Jesus is seeking to teach his disciples to do for each other as he has done for them.
Characteristics of Church Leadership
The dynamic of church leadership can be challenging because it is based on meeting the ever changing needs of many different types of people. Therefore, in order to meet those needs, the Church must have a wide range of competent and trained leaders able to administer the scope and breadth of leadership. Church leadership begins with the pastoral staff who must lead with vision. It is written: “without a vision, the people perish,” (Proverbs 29:18). Most, if not all churches will need leaders to reach out to shut-in’s, seniors, singles, youth, and marriage and family groups. Most of these leaders will be volunteers from the congregation.
Ways To Implement Church Leadership Training
Consider using a co-op model for pastoral leadership. Instead of having a Senior and Associate Pastors, use the title Senior Pastor or simply, Pastor for all pastors on staff. Hi, my name is John and I’m one of the pastors here on staff.
Search for ways to clarify the language of the Church and of the Bible. Instead of sanctification or redemption, try to use illustrations that describe Biblical concepts. People don’t want to think they need a doctoral education in theology before walking through the doors of your church.
Create camaraderie with a weekend retreat.
Utilize an online prescence. Broadcast services, studies, and teaching through the use of television, radio, internet, podcasts, and mobile apps.
Contact us today for more details on how we can assist you with training leaders in your church.
Sometimes, people think that they have to be very experienced if they want to lead other people. They might assume that you can’t be a leader if you’re young or you don’t have too much experience in the field. However, being a leader isn’t only about how much you’ve done in the past but also about how you utilize your experiences. Do you learn from your experiences or do you forget about them once they’re over? Leadership courses can help you put these things in perspective.
Owning Your Experiences
If you think about it, everyone has had experiences. Even the most uneventful lives are composed of doing things, seeing things and understanding things. If you work a 9-5 job, you’re still going to work, either by public transportation or by car, both of which can be experiences in themselves. You’re spending eight hours a day dealing with certain people, tasks and problems. You probably know enough about your field and these people to write a novel. Consider The Devil Wears Prada which is a book about spending a year working in the fashion industry. It’s not far-fetched to imagine that the author spent a year working in this industry herself before she wrote the book. Most creative work, leadership included, is autobiographical in nature.
Going Over Your Past Experiences
When it comes to leadership, the most important thing is learning to deal with people. In order to do this, go back over your experiences with individuals you have met in your life. When have your relationships been successful and when have they fizzled out or ended with a bang? What types of behaviors do you need to adopt and what types do you need to avoid? Are there certain personalities that you work well with and others that you don’t?
Providing the Support That People Need
A leader can’t afford to work well only with certain people. You have to be able to deal with all types of personalities. Sometimes, it’s about adapting your behaviors but sometimes, it’s about getting through to that other person and letting them know that you are on their side. After all, this is what everyone looks for in a leader. They want someone’s praise, appreciation and support. No one can live without the support of others.
Often, you may find that people grow angry with you when you’re giving them support but it’s not the type of support that they need. Someone might need encouragement to be a writer but you keep telling them they’re doing a great job in their current occupation which is not what they want to pursue. So being a leader is about having the finesse to dig deep into a person’s heart and figuring out what they really need before you’re able to give it to them.
Contact us for more information on bringing leadership training to your organization.
When it comes to human communication, there are two different theories. One theory, based on the psychoanalytic model, suggests that things that are festering inside you should be allowed an outlet. So you need to share exactly what you’re feeling with people.
On the face of it, this sounds like a good idea because it promotes honesty and sharing your feelings. However, depending on how you feel, sharing your innermost thoughts may actually lead to a breakdown in communication. If you feel negatively about certain people or the things they may have done, then constantly telling them how you feel is likely to lead to arguments and fights. This may not be a bad thing if you’re sure that ridding yourself of that person is the best thing for you in that moment.
However, if you’re still interested in keeping that person in your life, it might be a good idea to refrain from making negative comments about their present or past behavior. This is the theory put forth by other writers such as Dale Carnegie who wrote the seminal book How to Win Friends and Influence People.
According to Carnegie, the cardinal rule of communication is “Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.” This is the rule he puts forth in the first chapter of his book. If you’re close to someone like a spouse, a sibling or a co-worker, constantly criticizing them, even for small things, can really affect the quality of your relationship.
Carnegie suggests that relationships such as these can be improved immensely if you just take the time to say something good about the other person rather than something bad. Biting your tongue may not come easy but it has its benefits in the long run.
When you take management training classes, you learn the comparative benefits of these two models of communication. It may not always be a good idea to bite your tongue because certain attitudes or behaviors do need to be pointed out. Racism or sexism can’t be tolerated. You can’t just led them slide. On the other hand, if you’re always pointing out what your colleagues have done wrong rather than what they’ve done right, you might end up alienating everyone in your work environment.
Contact us for more information on facilitating communication in the workplace by taking management training classes.
Executive leadership training can be difficult to implement in an organization. We want to help simplify the process. Use these three handles to start your training off in the right step.
1. Small Mistakes Now… Or HUGE Ones Later? The best reason to start leadership training early is to minimize huge risk in the future. Companies need to start putting young leaders into leadership roles earlier. Why? Wisdom is gained from making mistakes. The sooner we force leaders to understand that failure is NOT fatal, the sooner the company profits from their experience. Why are we waiting so long to bring young leaders along? We think we are protecting them, but the opposite is true Forbes confirms this:
On average, supervisors are 33 years of age (which means that many are younger than 33) but less than 10% receive training below the age of 30, and less than 1/4th of leaders receive training prior to age 35. This suggests that more than three-quarters of managers receive no formal training for their first position. They make mistakes that they could have avoided. They establish bad habits that need never have begun.
2. You ARE the Expert! Look for ways to raise up internal experts. What is the old standard for qualifying as an expert? You must live more than 50 miles away from the company you are providing executive leadership training. When was the last time you asked someone on the “inside” to provide training? One of the main reasons to stop outsourcing leadership projects comes from a 2005 Deloitte Study that found, “Outsourcing often reduces organizations’ responsiveness to market changes and poses internal political, organizational, and cultural challenges.”
Ask your best leaders to take on the challenge of executive leadership training because you will save time, money, and the fear of compromising valuable intellectual property. Experts need not be 50 miles away… they might be five feet away, or just across the hall.
3. It’s Not A Knowledge Issue. Make sure attitudes are in check. You can provide all of the executive leadership training you want, but if the leader does not have a good attitude, all of that training is for nothing. The reason is simple. Leaders with negative attitudes:
…do not listen effectively and avoid responsibility and accountability. They also blame others and are threatened by other views. Moreover, they do not seek or value feedback, see disagreement as conflict and their mindset is survival.
Before launching into a knowledge-based program, investigate personality profile tests or psychological assessments. Although a negative attitude can be toxic in the workplace, it is “fixable” and is a very good place to start with your executive leadership training.
To talk more about this, or anything else, please contact us.
“We were surprised, shocked really, to discover the type of leadership required for turning a good company into a great one…Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy – these leaders are a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.”
~Jim Collins, from his bestselling book “Good to Great“
Sometimes the best leaders are the ones who are reluctant to step into the limelight. In fact, at times, it’s hard to convince them to step into a leadership role. They are fully capable leaders. They are highly respected by their peers and subordinates. However, it may be difficult for them to see the potential in themselves that everyone around them easily recognizes.
It’s easy to identify a reluctant leader. They are the first to give credit and the last to accept praise. They always put the good of the team ahead of their person goals. A reluctant leader isn’t looking for personal gain or glory. This genuine humility is one reason they often have the greatest potential to be successful leaders.
Reluctant leaders can benefit greatly from executive coaching. When these leaders have someone speaking into their life and calling out their potential, they become more confident in their role as a leader. While their skills may be very apparent to those around them, they need to realize and understand those skills in order to effectively lead.
Executive coaching can be the key that helps unlock their talents. As confidence in their own leadership skills increase, the team following them will feel more empowered. A reluctant leader naturally focuses on the team, and this focus allows them to easily recognize the strengths within their team. A good leader is passionate about developing others and recognizing the talents of others.
Please contact us for your professional leadership training needs.
(As you can see from this joint ad by MTV and Pepsi, the erosion of spiritual foundation by popular culture isn’t just limited to Christianity.)
A report by Christianity Today recently shared the results of a survey conducted by Lifeway Research. The report showed that 70% of youth drop out of church. Unfortunately, for most people in church leadership, this is not a shocking statistic. Discussion has been circulating in Christian arenas for a while as to why young people are leaving the church. Although not shocking, it is a wake-up call that something may be missing in many church youth programs.
A quality youth development program can help you identify gaps in your current plan and give you valuable next steps to build a better program. The Bible is full of examples where God used young individuals to fulfill his work. Young people are capable doing great things, but sometimes they are not given the opportunity to grow and develop.
Young people need mature Christians in their lives investing into them on a regular basis. It’s important to identify the potential in young people and help them emerge as leaders. The training for our youth group does not have to stop in the youth room. It doesn’t have to be all fun and games either. When we empower our youth, we give them a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Great examples of this include youth mentoring. For example: A gifted young musician is a great fit to work with someone on the church worship team. The worship leader can invest in the young person’s spiritual life and help them grow in musicianship. This type of culture allows for development of church leaders for the next generation.
From helping in classrooms to running the sound board, there are many areas where youth can work alongside older Christians. It’s important for young people to feel connected to the rest of the church. This type of mentoring also helps develop a sense of belonging within the church.
Update 9/8/2020 – Developing Our Youth for Christ
We recently had a pastor from rural Africa asking us for some ideas on youth development and how to draw young people to Christ.
We’re finding this is a universal question. Pastors from New York to Nigeria struggle with this. How can we interest the young in the Gospel? How can we help them to live out a personal relationship with Jesus? Unfortunately, there is no map, no hard and fast rules but we do have a promise in Proverbs 22:6:
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it..
This does not mean we give up or leave youth development to chance. Children can be pointed toward spiritual markers that will help them find true faith.
Milestones for Establishing True Faith
The early years
Many pastors or parents start by teaching their toddlers fun Bible stories. The emphasis strongly fells on the fact that ‘Jesus is your friend.’
This might be true, but should you only focus on this, the foundation for spiritual wisdom is not being laid. What is the foundation? The foundation is respect and fear of God. The following truths are great to install respect for God in small children:
Teach them that God is strong, and He can do anything.
When He promises something, He will do it.
There are rules that we must live by, and God disciplines us because He loves us so much.
Even if nobody sees what you are doing, God still sees.
Walking with God’s Word
The next step is to teach kids to grow in wisdom. They need to start knowing God’s Word. Pastors or parents can focus on teaching children:
God is righteous, powerful, and loving. There are lots of Bible stories that can be used to teach children about God’s character. Ask of every story: What can we learn about God from this?
Where can we find the truth? From here on in life, children will be bombarded by ‘truths’ from the media, friends, and even teachers. How do they know what to believe? Teachers and pastors must be successful in teaching kids that truth and wisdom come from the Bible. It is the source. If one can establish this early on, children will struggle less with faith issues later in life.
Man is not ‘basically good’. The humanistic culture around us teaches children that ‘people are good.’ It is not what the Bible says. The Bible says that we have all sinned and that we are actually all ‘bad.’ We are in need of a Savior. The young can only appreciate this fact until they realize that they are not ‘good’ apart from Him.
Jesus is the only Way. Youth today find themselves in mixed company everywhere, rubbing elbows with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and even atheists. They need to know exactly who Jesus is and whyHe is the only Way.
Equipping early-teens
Some research has shown that most people who love Jesus and trust Him accepted Him before they were teens. So, said another way, if the youth can’t be won for Christ by the time they are teens, the probability begins to decrease that they will do so. (Of course, we still believe that nothing is impossible for our God!)
A pastor must make sure that the children in his care fully understand the Gospel.
Pray and ask God to show you those who are still reluctant to accept Christ. Ask questions to test the kids’ faith. “Why do you think you are a Christian?” and “Can you explain what Jesus did for you?” are some questions that can give you an indication of what a child believes.
The youth must not only accept God’s grace but also learn to give grace to others. Grace means forgetting what is ‘fair’ and it gives others more than they deserve. It is the best way children can learn how to be like Jesus. Teaching this is not easy—the youth’s selfish nature will rebel! The pastor needs to model this way of life continuously.
Key Question #1: What will life hold for me?
Young teens everywhere ask this question. This is the time when religious leaders must discuss the ‘importance of trusting God with your future’ with each teen. The message is that God’s understanding is best, and He will make your ‘paths straight.’ A teen who invites God to take complete control of his or her life will have a strong foundation in the years to come.
Key Question #2: Why does God allow suffering?
Often the lack of adequate answers to life’s big questions will send a teen’s faith in a downward spiral.
The youth now needs their pastor’s stories of times in his life when God had everything work out for the better. They need to see that you still trust God and that He is sovereign. If you don’t have the answer to a question, commit to finding solutions together. Here is one of the best explanations we’ve seen on answering why God allows suffering.
Conclusion
Of course, the Internet is full of Biblical resources for pastors and youth leaders. Here are a few interesting websites we found:
(Use it for practical ways to underscore the truths that we’ve outlined here.)
In the end, however, it is the basics that count.
The Bible says in Acts 17:27 that, “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him—though He is not far from any one of us.”(New Living Translation.)
God wants to be found.
He did not give us complicated instructions, and He does not hide. A God-fearing and prayerful pastor will find ways to lead the little lambs to Him. You don’t need fancy requisites or a huge building–God planted you just where you are!
