Healthy leaders lead to healthy church, which leads to healthy leaders.
Engage: recognize & recruit
- Healthy pastors/leaders create an environment of recruiting and invitation.
- We model a pattern of recognizing and inviting others into life with Christ and participating in the ministries of the church.
- We keep in mind the diversity of giftings and skillsets while recruiting developing ministry opportunities. We are intentional to find ways to involve all members in some way.
- We are sensitive to the work and calling of the Spirit in the life of others. We intentionally invite others in and give them opportunity for participation.
- We are intentional about engagement occurring in the life of our local congregations and our focus neighborhoods.
Equip: develop & multiply
- Healthy pastors differentiate between ministry workers and ministry leaders in equipping.
- We are intentional about developing ministry leaders who can develop ministry workers.
- Our training is relevant and timely to the stage of development and area of responsibility.
- Our equipping includes both character and skillset development.
- The meat of our equipping happens at the local church level, is ongoing and hands-on.
- We accept that developing a healthy leader requires intentionality and recognizing the difference between a ministry worker and one that leads others.
Empower: create space & commission
- Healthy pastors and Avenue champions empower leaders by creating ministry spaces for new leaders.
- We give room for the apprentice leader to lead.
- We create spaces for leaders to step into leadership roles. We commission them before the body for recognition and a healthy charge.
- We allow others to lead according to their gifting, style, and personality—not as extensions of the self or as pawns.
- We recognize that in the liberation to lead there is still accountability.
Encourage: call up & affirm
- Healthy pastors understand that leaders are mainly volunteers and that ministry can become difficult. Thus, we are attentive and encouraging.
- We lift each other up throughout the difficult journey of ministry. This includes words of affirmation, times of shared prayer, honest conversations, handwritten notes to encourage, etc.
- We recognize when to lead with strategies, support, or challenge but will also recognize when to pastor and encourage a ministry leader.
- We acknowledge that encouragement is more than giving praise. It is sharing what we see in a person, calling out their strengths, as well as opportunities for growth.
