A TULIP for Leaders

Church Leadership Center   Spring is officially here, at least according to the calendar. In West Michigan, the sure sign of Spring is tulips popping up. We're getting close!   With respect for the five points of Calvinism, allow me to suggest a TULIP for leaders.   Trustworthy Leaders seek to be Christ-like. Their words and actions are "trustworthy and true." Stephen Covey points out that "Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships."   Unassuming Leaders have a quiet humility that focuses attention on others rather than on self. Leaders work with and through their followers; attention to self takes away from expressions of support for others, limiting their sense of affirmation and, consequently, even their productivity.   Limiting Leaders realize the need to limit the number and nature of their relationships. They know that is necessary to on occasion say "no." While Christian leaders must have a caring Christ-like attitude toward everyone, they limit the amount of time they spend with those who emotionally drain them, those who cause them anxiety or defensiveness. They realize that those who are unable to say "no" to people and projects that are outside their vision and mission are likely to be used, abused, distracted, or overwhelmed.   Initiators Leaders are "idea" people who have visions for what can be. They influence others. They move projects forward through their words and actions. They often initiate in key areas such as mission, style, and strategy (George Hunter III, The Apostolic Congregation, p.110).   Positive Leaders bring a positive perspective to everything they do. The composer Joseph Haydn exuded, "Since God has given me a cheerful heart, He will forgive me for serving Him cheerfully." Spring is a season of good cheer. There is freshness in the air and new life all around. Leaders live positively, not allowing the negativism of others to influence or control their emotions. They understand that one's emotions reflect the ways in which s/he interprets reality. While not being free from doubt and discouragement, Christian leaders intentionally reflect new life in Christ, peace that passes all understanding, and the joy of the risen Lord.   The pictures below are to recognize two TULIP-style leaders. They are Commissioned Pastor candidates with training plans developed by Church Leadership Center. First, Chris Hall. Chris is the church planter of Elevation Church, Wyoming MI. He is shown telling about the first baptisms in this new congregation. Next, Troy Stansberry. Troy is Director of Music, Worship, and Outreach at Rosewood Church, Jenison, MI. He is pictured with his mentor and lead pastor, Jim Goldschmeding. Church Leadership Center provides a contextualized approach to leadership development by working in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here.   Please forward this email to a lay leader or church staff member who may benefit from information about leadership development and Church Leadership Center. To contribute financially to CLC or to learn about options for leadership development in your church, reply to this email.

Leadership Lessons from St. Patrick

Church Leadership Center Of course, you would see St. Patrick as a leader, too, if he banished snakes from your country! Well, that part of the story is a myth. It likely represents the fact that through his ministry he preached against evil, of which the snake is often a symbol. Snake stories aside, there are many parts of his life and influence that provide leadership lessons for today. As a refresher, Patrick lived around 389 – 461 AD. Born in England, at the age of 16 he was captured by pirates and enslaved in Ireland. While serving as a shepherd in Ireland, he became a follower of Jesus. After six years he escaped, returned to England and then went on to France where he studied for the priesthood with a calling to become a missionary to Ireland. He was consecrated as Bishop to the Irish in approximately 431 AD. The remarkable missionary work of St. Patrick is the topic of George Hunter's book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism (2nd edition). In this work, Hunter contrasts the "Roman" and the "Celtic" ways of mission and evangelism. He aims to apply Patrick's approach (the "Celtic way") to evangelism and mission work today. Here are a few observations from the book. Patrick is identified as a mission movement leader. He approached Ireland with a core group that included priests, seminarians, laymen, and laywomen. They would engage the king and opinion leaders of an area; seek permission to camp near a community, and then talk with community members about matters of faith. The result was that 30 – 40 of Ireland's 150 tribes became substantially Christian during Patrick's lifetime, and thousands (and probably tens of thousands) were baptized. This approach is what we think of today as a contextualized approach to mission. A series of contrasts made by the author is between Roman (also referred to as European) and Celtic styles of organizational leadership as we see them in churches today. The Roman style stresses control:  -Emphasizes the first person of the Trinity.  -Features music composed before 1960.  -Has formal or "proper" worship services developed for believers.  -Has a hierarchical organization structure that produces programs for its churches.  -Thinks of the church as real estate.  -Has low expectations of members. The Celtic style accentuates contextualization:  -Emphasizes the second and third persons of the Trinity.  -Features electronic and instrumental music composed after 1960 (or 1990).  -Has informal worship that is designed to meet people's needs.  -Has a flat or decentralized organizational structure.  -Thinks of the church as a people and a culture to be respected and from which to learn.  -Has high expectations of members; giving them choices, entrusting them with responsibilities, and providing them with opportunities for leadership and leadership development. Toward the end of the book, Hunter gives perspectives, insights, and council from the Celtic (i.e., grounded in St. Patrick's) tradition. Here are a few.  -Church leaders cannot do it for people; rather, ministry is with and by the people.  -Weekly or biweekly small group meetings are essential for ministry with one another, rejoicing and weeping with one another, pulling for one another, holding one another accountable, engaging in ministry together, and conversing with one another about faith.  -In one's spiritual life, one does not engage in endless self-assessment and spiritual naval-gazing. Instead, s/he is pulled out of self-centeredness, forgetting oneself and being reconciled with God, others, and creation.  -The main purpose of the Christian life is not so much to be blessed, to get one's needs met, to become happier, or to accomplish more. It is to become like Christ. Finally, a characteristic of the Celtic way with which Church Leadership Center particularly identifies is in its approach to leadership development. Hunter would concur: "As we have already learned in the field of adult education, delegate to the people the responsibility for their own development. There are limits to what any leaders or programs can achieve in the learning and lives of passive attendees; there are no known limits to what people can become through their own disciplines and (even more important) through nurturing one another's development." Church Leadership Center provides a contextualized approach to leadership development by working in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare congregational leaders for advanced levels of service. We do this by means of assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here. Please forward this email to a lay leader or church staff member who may benefit from information about leadership development and Church Leadership Center. To contribute financially to CLC or to learn about options for leadership development in your church, reply to this email.

Who Do You Trust?

Church Leadership Center Can you complete this phrase: "In God we trust. All others __________ __________."? Society is experiencing a trust deficit. A leader writes, "It isn't unusual for me to remind our volunteer team, 'You are a primary trust builder in our ministry!'"* Trust is one of the indisputable foundations of ministry. When the word is mentioned, examples come to our minds of leaders who have broken trust. There are too many examples of leaders having extra-marital affairs, using drugs, deceiving others by living secret lives, or simply not doing what they say they are doing. Those in church leadership are to be blameless and of good behavior (1 Timothy 3:7); i.e., trustworthy. Dan Rockwell, in one of his blogs, identifies ways to spot leaders whom you can trust. Here are a few of their observable behaviors.** They honor others and make life better for them. They listen and learn eagerly, actively, and openly. This can be seen in  -How often they ask questions.  -What their ratio is of speaking to listening.  -What they are reading.  -What they have recently learned.  -How their thinking has changed.  -References to themselves being made humbly and realistically. They take responsibility for their mistakes or misjudgments. This is clear when they  -say they messed up.  -apologize or say, "I'm sorry."  -respond constructively to someone who has made a mistake or let them down. They stand on their principles and take clear positions on tough issues – after exploration and consideration. Fence straddlers serve themselves. When push comes to shove, they'll throw you under the bus. Don't rely on someone who tests the wind before making decisions: When the wind changes, so will they. They stay steady under pressure, providing a stable and calming presence. Just as there are trust-breakers, there are trust-builders who come to our minds. Who are the trust builders that you know? How are they being supported to enlarge their spheres of influence? Are there ways that you can encourage their leadership development? Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare trustworthy church leaders for grateful service. We also do assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to joyfully and wholeheartedly increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here. Please forward this email to a lay leader or church staff member who may benefit from information about leadership development and Church Leadership Center. To contribute financially to CLC or to learn about options for leadership development in your church, reply to this email. *Building Trust in Your Ministry by Gina McClain in "Church Leaders" magazine. **For Dan Rockwell's blog on 25 Ways to Spot Leaders You Can Trust, click here.

Leaders: Grating or Grateful

Church Leadership Center Over the years, I've probably reported to dozens of supervisors. Most have been grateful, some have been grating. You know the difference immediately. By grateful, I am referring to those leaders who express appreciation. They acknowledge, support, and encourage those with whom they work. There have been a few who were simply grating. That is, they have tendencies to irritate and annoy and even threaten. Working with them is unpleasant. Even anticipating meetings with them brings on feelings of anxiety, nervousness, uptightness, and stress. There may be ways in which all of us are grating to others, myself included. That's why I appreciated the recent book summary of Grateful Leaders by Judith W. Umlas in Leaders Book Summary (http://churchleadershipcenter.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=fe35401fdf9f2a380db6aa6c0&id=599d029def&e=9d8cfe455e). It is filled with common sense and well-researched information about the importance of being grateful and treating others gratefully. The author discusses characteristics of grateful leaders and the benefits that result from being one. The book summary gives principles for grateful leadership. I enjoyed reviewing these and found myself doing some theological reflection on the topic. Principles for Grateful Leadership. Grateful leadership thoughtfully appreciates and acknowledges others. It is based on the following principles. Principle 1: Gratitude is deserved by many but received by few. Principle 2: Gratitude builds trust and creates powerful interactions. Individuals may be recognized for:   • What they do to help meet a deadline.   • The quality of their work.   • Their responsiveness.   • Their commitment. Appreciation can be expressed for:   • What you admire and what inspires you about them,   • What you see in them that they may not even see in themselves.   • Their value to the team and to the organization. Principle 3: Gratitude can help diffuse jealousy and envy, especially your own. Principle 4: Gratitude energizes people – lack of it diminishes them. Principle 5: Gratitude can make a profound difference in a person's life and work. Principle 6: Gratitude improves physical and emotional wellbeing. Principle 7: Gratitude is to be practiced in different ways. Naturally, in reflecting on the topic of gratefulness or gratitude, my mind goes to the Heidelberg Catechism. One popular way of identifying its themes uses the three "Gs:" Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude. Q and A 90 is especially focused on gratitude or gratefulness. Q. What is the rising-to-life of the new self? A. Wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a love and delight to live according to the will of God by doing every kind of good work (Ps. 51:8, 12; Isa. 57:15; Rom. 5:1; 6:10-11, 14:17, Gal. 2:20). The answer to Q 90 identifies what should be normal relational qualities for everyone. They are especially important for Christian leaders. Most likely, they are more caught than taught. It is good to ask the question, As a leader, how am I reflecting wholehearted joy, love, and delight as I serve with others and seek to guide them in ministry? Church Leadership Center works in partnership with pastors, churches, and other ministry groups to prepare church leaders for grateful service. We also do assessment interviews and reports; personalized training plans, classes, and certification so that participants are able to joyfully and wholeheartedly increase their effectiveness in all areas of church life. Click here for more information. To view videos about Commissioned Pastors and those who support them, click here. To read previous blogs, click here. Please forward this email to a lay leader or church staff member who may benefit from information about leadership development and Church Leadership Center. To contribute financially to CLC or to learn about options for leadership development in your church, reply to this email.