In the 80's and 90's there was this buzz word - leadership. I'm not hearing about that much anymore.
Why?
What are you doing to train leaders or volunteers outside of your Sunday morning service?
Let me define what I mean by "train." I'm not talking about training them to fill a position, but to have the mindset to think like a leader. A leader is someone in my book who influences people to become more like Jesus.
Do you have another term or word for leadership? What do you call these people we have called leaders? Maybe that's a dumb question, because there really is no other word.. but I thought I would throw it out there to see if anybody is thinking about this differently. Are the times changing in other words that we are using different terms for leadership?
Questions:
1. Are we hearing just as much about leadership and if no, why?
2. What are you doing to train leaders or volunteers outside of your Sunday morning service?
3. Do you have another term or word for leadership?
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Leadership Training in Church Plants
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3 comments:
Hey Bracy,
Threw this in a file several years ago from a District function with Alton Garrison, thought it might be productive.
1. DUMPING ON PEOPLE- This is where you simply dump a task into the hands of someone. You are relieved that it is no longer your responsibility, but usually fail to understand the damage you do to the person you've dumped on.
2. DELEGATING PEOPLE- This is where you plan ahead, and think through how you will pass on a task to someone else. No damage is done this way, but the focus is still on eliminating a task, not developing a person.
3. DEVELOPING PEOPLE- This is the ultimate way to share the ministry. You plan ahead, prepare the person to take on the task, and the focus is on the training of the person. Both you and the person wins in the end.
Eric Bryant has this on his blog today about empowering leaders.
“The best exec is the one who has the sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done and self restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” - Teddy Roosevelt
“Great things happen when you don’t care who gets the credit.” - Mark Twain
Two great quotes from history that are extremely relevant to training.
Are we hearing just as much about leadership and if no, why?
I do see a change. John Maxwell, the guru of church leadership is not being talked about as much among the new generation of leaders. When I talk to church planters or pastors, they are talking more about reaching their community. They still hold on to leadership principle and train people, because you can't grow without growing the people to reach more people. But I think the emphasis has been tweaked from just talking about leadership to actually leading. Instead of talking about the principles of leadership (which is fun to me), we are living it. Because although leadership can be simply defined as "influence", leadership biblically is influencing people towards the kingdom of God.
2. What are you doing to train leaders or volunteers outside of your Sunday morning service?
It's been hard to ask our volunteers to attend another meeting when they have been giving so much over almost three years. We have struggled with how we can continue to train old leaders and the new leaders without adding to much more to their plate. How can we streamline our training and give them the reader's digest (or more if a particular individual can handle it)?
We have been working on a new concept (new to us) where you create levels of partnership with benefits that emphasizes discipleship and leadership training. Every level requires a little more. For instance, we ask the first level partners to give a percentage of their tithe (where your faith is, so be it). God meets us where we are. We are about process and encourage them to start giving. To go to the next level of partnership, you have to commit to 10% (and there's more than that to both the first and second level, but that gives you an idea).
The core motive behind the levels of partnership with benefits is to shape attenders into becoming advocates. So when it comes down to it, we are working on an eighteen month leadership training assimilation coupled with being a partner of the church.
3. Do you have another term or word for leadership?
I don't have another term. I have heard about calling your volunteers : volunteer staff.
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