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October 26, 2004

LEADERSHIP FOLLOWS GOD’S CALL

LEADERSHIP FOLLOWS GOD’S CALL

The greatest need in the church today is not “mo’ money,” bigger buildings, more programs or catchy phrases but leaders. Craig Miller in his book, “Next Church. Now” tells us that the kind of leadership needed in a particular setting is determined by God’s call. He uses the ministry of Paul to illustrate his point. He writes, “Paul’s goal was not just to start one church; his vision was to share the gospel with as many people as possible. And Paul’s call was not simply to create faith communities for people just like himself. If that had been his goal, he would have been content to create churches for Jewish Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Paul took the radical leap of faith to create new faith communities that would speak to the needs and visions of those who were very different from him in upbringing and heritage.” This is the tried and true axiom of form follows function. We must lead our congregations in the discovery and for some rediscovery of what is our function. Why do we exist, in this place, and in this time period? This question in a general sense has already been answered for us. The church exists for the purpose of making disciples of Jesus Christ. We exist to fulfill the Great Commission, “Go and make of all disciples!” But we must also answer this question in the specific, as well. So as we seek to start new faith communities and revitalize existing ones Miller would have us ask ourselves five questions.
· Who are the most gifted leaders in our congregations? (And who are the most gifted leaders in our conference?
· Are these leaders in places of ministry that allow them to reach new people for Christ?
· Do we know the surrounding communities well enough to identify the types of people groups that reside in our neighborhoods?
· Do we understand the cultural context in which Christians and non-Christians live their daily lives?
· Do we have a passion for sharing our faith in a way that non-Christians can understand so they can make their own decisions about God?
If the church is faithful and truthful as they interact with these questions I believe they will be challenged to move beyond the status quo and move seriously into their communities with a message of love and grace.

Once again I invite your comments, questions and reflections.
Bishop James Swanson

Posted by Bishop at October 26, 2004 05:41 PM

Comments

The thought on leadership as connected with The Great Commission shares an interesting part of our discipleship and maturity in Christ. Mature leaders make for stronger churches as they utilize their gifts and talents given to them. Strong leaders are vital for leading the church in all directions including The Great Commission. As a agriculture missionary with The Mission Society I see churches worldwide and those with strong leadership are growing and vital churches. Leadership is both a gift and a taught skill for expressing our gifts in His service.

Posted by: Larry [TypeKey Profile Page] at December 8, 2004 11:23 AM

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Great Commission. The Discipline clearly states our mission is to make Disciples for Jesus. Paul,in his letter to Ephesians, encourages us to become "mature" Disciples. I find it interesting that our focus in Holston Conference is on increasing our membership, or, at least, stopping the decline in membership which we have experienced for several years. Unfortunately, this focus does not develop the leaders which are needed. Instead, we need to focus on programs that will encourage each and every member of Holston Conference to grow towards spiritual maturity. John Wesley did this by encouraging his flock to participate in "means of grace." Mature Disciples will not only be ready to receive Jesus Christ when he returns in all his glory but will passionately work in our churches, our communities, and in our world to prepare others to meet him as well.

Posted by: donaldmorrow [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 15, 2004 09:39 PM