Finding the Rhythm: Becoming an Equipping Church Sources: Brad Smith, Harry Jackson, Randy Pope

What Leaders Do The role of leaders is to “equip the saints” Equipping is not the purpose of the church, but is the purpose of church leaders Equipping = “fixing the net” “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” – Ephesians 4:11-12

The Goal of Equipping Goal: “Ministry that results in community maturity – Not just knowledge, but active ministry – Not just ministry, but that which results in maturity – Not just individual maturity, but communal But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love. -- Ephesians 4:15-16

Engineered vs. Organic Equipping Good “leader-cultures” understand the dance between: – intentional schedules of leadership development and – contextual opportunities to respond to people at teachable moments with care, support, and mentorship The Four Rhythms of the Dance

4 Rhythms of Leader- Developing Churches 1. They are quite particular about the character and quality of leaders at the top level … … but have easy on- ramps and minimal barriers at entry-level leadership roles

4 Rhythms of Leader- Developing Churches 2. 80% of leadership is showing up … they create time, space, and budget for the task of leadership development – Teaching spiritual discernment and strategic decision-making – Creating opps for mentoring

4 Rhythms of Leader- Developing Churches 3. Leader-rich churches create an environment of leadership development that pops up on the calendar and in conversations. – It permeates board and committee meetings, one-on-one conversations, and congregational interactions – Retreats, seminars, ConEd are valued in time and budget

4 Rhythms of Leader- Developing Churches 4. They develop leaders in ways that are consistent with who the leaders are … … yet allow others to develop leaders in ways consistent with who they are.

How to find leaders Look for them in different places! There is more than one kind of leader – Not all are the up-front, vision-casting speakers 9 types of leaders – In 3 sets of 3

Directional Leaders Visionary – reveals the need and vision to meet that need Engineer – creates the role clarity that matches strategic direction Implementer – focuses on next operational steps

Cultural Leaders Inspirer – moves the whole congregation Sage/Pastor – Discerns, guides, and cares individually in ways that affect the whole Prophet – sees and speaks the inconsistencies that guide others to change

Influence Leaders Influencers – leads by persuading others Managers – matches people with roles, comes alongside throughout Contributors – creates observable models of excellence

How can we tell if we are getting the rhythm of a leader-developing culture? 1. The work of the church is decentralized. 2. Leadership development is perpetual. 3. The people are deployed in church, community, workplace, and world. 4. The church is healthy in both tasks and relationships.

3 Steps Toward this Rhythm 1. Pre-leadership assessment 2. Entry-point work 3. Spiritual care

1. Do pre-leadership assessment. Assessing potential – With whom can s/he be a protégé? Offering trial labs – Specific leadership training – Safe opportunities to work alongside of mentors Assessing tracks – Capitalizing on the confluence of spiritual gifts, ministry passions, and community needs

2. At entry-points of leadership: Offer role-specific training Pre-, early-in (3-6 months), and exit interviews Link with co-laborers

3. Offer spiritual care to leaders Ongoing and intentional staff shepherding and coaching – Evaluate your staff on criteria of coaching Monthly or quarterly “V-H-S” Annual retreating

Atmosphere Architecture To develop a leadership culture, one must know: – Contemporary culture – Congregational culture – Calling culture your personal call and chapter – Kingdom Culture … and the places where these cultures meet (or don’t!)

Checkpoint: Family Leadership It takes the skills learned in a family to create the appropriate culture or climate in the church Leader, how are things at home? “He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?)” -- 1 Timothy 3:4-5

Atmosphere? Rhythm? Culture? How? How can we create leadership with abstract metaphors? How can we measure how we’re doing? How can we take first steps towards “what’s next?”

3 Types of Culture-Forming Leadership Training 1. Classroom – Low-structure before and during meetings – Intentional half- or whole-day events in church life

3 Types of Culture-Forming Leadership Training 2. Coaching – Utilizes principles from other settings and customizes – Can be high-structure engineered or spontaneous-organic – Seminars (attend, import, host) – Retreats

3 Types of Culture-Forming Leadership Training 3. Mentoring – Relationship-based – Ebbs and flows based on teachability and intensity of situation

A Jump-Start Tip … Most churches have a “ringer” leader – Re-deploy this person to be in charge of “leadership development” and let their gifts be used in service of building a leader culture

Leaders are “Atmosphere Architects” Our job is to gauge the spiritual temperature of the church and guard that climate Leadership is about creating climate – Are you thermometer or thermostat?

Finding the Rhythm: Becoming an Equipping Church John Chandler Copy Right John P. Chandler, 2003