Ministry News

5 Steps to Healthy Church Leadership

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Tuesday, 11 January 2011 14:42

God’s work in Acts 2 gives us a look into the beginning days of the church. Certain characteristics were developing then that we can identify. As the church grew, it was unified with shared vision and like-minded effort. There was an environment of awe and excitement, and expressions of genuine care for each other. This all resulted in praise to God and favor with people:

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

“Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42–47, NASB, emphasis added).

These qualities are the fruit of leadership and they’re replicated in dynamically growing environments because they provide the platform for God’s work. In my 28 years of ministry in two dynamically growing churches, I have learned what leaders can do to build a platform that sets the stage for His dynamic work to take place. Here are five ways that set the stage for God’s work.

1. Create an atmosphere for His presence. The book of James records this important truth, “Do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: ‘He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us?’” (4:5).

By our actions, we create the environment for God’s presence and work among us. We can induce or inhibit His presence and power in our churches by our words and our actions.

People gravitate to a prepared spiritual atmosphere. And once there, they will respond to God with obedient actions, motivated by a desire to serve God and people. And they will do so for a long time.

This is why we have preservice prayer teams, various lighting schemes and pre-service recorded music. It’s why we ask our worship team to complete rehearsal 30 minutes before the service begins and why we ask our ministry support teams (greeters, ushers, children’s workers and pastoral ministers) to be in place 30 minutes before the service.

Two things create a barrier to creating the atmosphere that God will inhabit with His manifest presence. The first is “di-vision,” or two visions. The inductive atmosphere only comes from unity and team effort. It’s possible to be of one mind if we all sacrifice our personal desires and take on the mind of Christ.

The second is humility and self-sacrifice. We must realize that self-interest, self-pity, self-promotion, selfish ambition and self-centeredness are what the devil uses to prevent God’s work and His manifest presence. 

2. Make the right model of ministry your focus.  The model of ministry that God blesses is a simple and clear one, but it must be vigorously protected and strategically reinforced with your ministry team. Every ministry has a focus, a beneficiary and resources that facilitate the work.

As leaders, we need to orient our team to determine the right focus, beneficiary and facilitator of the ministry. The model of ministry that God blesses makes these three determinations:

• God is the focus: Prayerfully consider what God wants in every situation and commit to accomplishing it.

• People benefit: Make sacrificial efforts in every aspect of ministry to help people.

• Resources facilitate the work: Programs, facilities and assets are the tools we use to serve God and help people.

Solomon recognized that “where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law” (Prov. 29:18). He went on to challenge all servants of God: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5–6).

3. Empower people for ministry. The work of ministry is to recruit, train, delegate, oversee and collaborate as a team to help people. Paul told his young protégé Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:1–2).

Empowerment is the attitude and the process of investing in people to produce an achievable and measurable result. When we empower we:

• Extend opportunities. For qualified and committed people we open options for ministry and administration consistent with their gifts, character, preparation and experience that stretch the individual by mentoring them to succeed.

• Offer specifically defined duties. We give the people we empower clearly defined roles and responsibilities within parameters that reflect our vision and our values for ministry.

• Train them for success. Our training defines our ministry vision and values, our ministry DNA, and the systems and process that have been defined for ministry service. We define the requirements and the responsibilities for every position as well as the boundaries of authority that come with the role.

• Provide resources. We give them what they need to do the work.  

• Provide relational oversight. Our oversight is committed to support the efforts of the person in ministry service through providing protection, direction, encouragement, constructive feedback and accountability.

4. Make relationships more important than individual perspective. We desire to build relationships and nurture them as the basis for the ministry service we do together. We nurture, value, protect and prioritize relationships as a ministry team. This way, we can fulfill God’s call without sacrificing our personal relationship with Him, our marriages or our family relationships.

As a mechanism for this, we defined the way we conduct ourselves, and we use what we defined to help each other by being accountable in our treatment of each other (see article on page TK).

5. Value open and honest communication at all levels. The intimacy of the relationships we desire depend upon regular, open and effective communication in staff oversight meetings, volunteer-leadership meetings and communication to the congregation. We must embrace and encourage feedback in order to improve ministry. Although decisions are based on prayer, we recognize that feedback is a part of how God directs our steps and how He confirms our decisions.

Commitment to communication includes recognizing the power of words for both positive and negative impact by all those involved in the communication process. Every person involved is responsible to communicate their perspective honestly, positively and with trust in God for the outcome.

May these qualities be a reflection of your leadership as you build a platform for God’s manifest presence!  —Tom Lane

Tom Lane is executive senior pastor of Gateway Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, overseeing the church ministries each week while working with the senior management team to execute the vision and values of the church.