As we participate with Christ in developing leaders in our congregations, it’s important that we give attention to their character, calling and competencies—all centered on Christ. In his article, A New Paradigm, Malcolm Webber points out how Jesus went about developing leaders in all three areas:
He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. (Mark 3:14-15)
Jesus’ leadership development methods involved providing four transformational elements:
- Spiritual. A relationship with God (with himself and the Father)
- Relational. Relationships with a mature leader (himself), and others (the disciples)
- Experiential. Challenging assignments (diverse learning opportunities)
These three elements constitute the context (environment) within which leaders tend to emerge. Then there is the fourth element, the content:
- Instructional. Focused, relevant instruction
When all four of these elements are in place, the spiritual life of the emerging leader is nurtured, their relational capacities are strengthened, their character is developed, their calling is clarified and their leadership capacities are built. For more about these concepts, watch this video:
On Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/138862819
For a helpful article related to this topic, click here to read “Don’t Wait Until You Need a Leader to Find One” by A. Trevor Sutton.
