Model of Church Leadership Development - Report Example

Model of Church Leadership Development Affiliation Introduction Church leadership is the core element of enhancing the performance of a particular church in facilitating the evangelism in the society. Church leaders provide the congregation with sufficient guidance on various aspects of Christianity. In addition, the leaders are responsible for diversifying church’s perspective regarding different social issues in a particular region. Most Christians in the world emulate the actions of the church leaders in promoting the concept of Christianity in various regions worldwide. Further, Christians participate in various activities in the church based on the existing leadership approaches to evangelism. Church leadership also develops and implements church policies regarding particular social elements such as dressing, evangelism, community services, development projects and expansion of the church. The paper examines various aspects of the leadership development programs in the church. In addition, the essay develops a leadership development model, which is applicable to the church. The leadership development model is essential in providing various churches with an effective platform to enhance leadership and promote different evangelistic initiatives in the church. Background Information Leadership development in the church entails various processes of enhancing the abilities of evangelism. The processes of development of leaders include training of leaders, preparing young generations for the leadership position, equipping the existing leaders with appropriate and reliable equipment for evangelism (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). Leadership development also entails various initiatives of enhancing the abilities of the church leaders by training reliable assistance and funding leadership development initiatives in the church. Leadership development in church is essential because of several reasons. First, leadership development promotes the continuity of evangelism in a particular church in the instance an existing leader passes on (Wayne, 2004). The operations and mission of the church continue during instances where the top leader dies or experiences difficulties that hinder them from preaching the gospel effectively. In this case, the leadership development initiates in the church facilitate by substituting the existing leader with an effective trainee or qualified leader. For example, when a senior pastor in a particular church dies or is hospitalized, the church elders appoint a fresh graduate from the leadership development program to lead the church. This process of developing leaders promotes the continuity of the pastoral and leadership in the church. Secondly, leadership development enhances the expansion of the church to different parts worldwide. The leadership development programs enable various churches to expand to different regions in the world because of the availability of leaders to head the churches in the regions (Wayne, 2004). The program provides the church with skilled leaders to promote the gospel and success of the church in various parts of the world (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). In addition, the leaders posted to the new regions can pass their skills to other prospective leaders, which is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of the ministry worldwide. Third, leadership development plans enable the church to strategies effectively regarding their funding and spending in promoting effective leadership. The church council of elders can establish the cost of implementing a particular leadership strategy that promotes efficiency. Additionally, the church can identify potential leaders among the youth in order to incorporate them into the plan at an early stage. Leadership development models enable the church to plan effectively regarding their expansion initiatives in different parts of the world (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). Fourth, leadership development models enable the church to purchase appropriate equipment for enhancing a particular ministry in the church. The model provides reliable guidelines regarding various approaches to leadership development that is essential for facilitating feasibility and efficiency (Wayne, 2004). The models also identify the most sensitive issues in the leadership development initiative in the church. This identification of the sensitive issues enables the church to classify their plans based on the urgency levels. The leadership development model is crucial to ensuring effective management of resources for leadership enrichment in the church (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). The models also highlight specific projects in the leadership development plan, which enhances efficiency during the implementation process. The leadership development models also enable the church to identify specific equipment and tools for leadership training in the church. Identification of the tools is important in ensuring effective use of the available resources for the development of leaders in the church (Wayne, 2004). Moreover, the church can obtain the appropriate equipment for developing the leaders on the right, which facilitates timely training. The tools used for the development of church leaders entails training equipment, guidelines, locations and pastoral tools. Additionally, leadership development in the church requires reliable individuals to identify potential leaders among the youth in the church (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). The models are essential in providing reliable guidelines to promotion of leadership in the church. The concept of leadership development in the church was developed to enhance the achievement of the ministry in the society. Additionally, the process involves training new leaders in the church and facilitating the performance of leaders through additional training and equipment (Wayne, 2004). The process involves various initiatives of identifying potential leaders in the church, providing relevant training to the leaders and incorporating them in the leadership system of the church (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). In addition, it involves various seminars and training initiatives among the existing leaders in order to enhance their knowledge regarding different aspects of the religion and the church. The model also entails initiatives that promote interaction between the experienced church leaders and incoming graduates or trainees. The prospective and existing church leaders are equipped adequately with appropriate and reliable skills to facilitate evangelism in the society. Leadership development models are developed to provide reliable guidelines to the church regarding the training and absorption of new leaders in the church. The models also specify the areas and issues to be addressed during the development process. Research indicates that, leadership development initiatives in different churches world aim at creating a strong foundation for the church (Wayne, 2004). A church with an effective leadership foundation performs effectively in spreading the gospel in various regions worldwide. The models highlight on appropriate approaches to developing reliable leadership in the church. Leadership development models in the church aim at enhancing the activities of evangelism from a leaders perspective. Most Christians in the society associated with churches that display effective leaderships in their operations. Leadership development initiative occurs at all levels in the church in order to promote performance and coordination in the operations of the church (Wayne, 2004). In addition, the development models focus on promoting teamwork among the leaders in the leaders in the church. Teamwork is a crucial element of church leadership because it facilitates efficiency among various leaders in the church. Additionally, the leaders at different levels in the church pass the teamwork concept to the worship, which promotes unity among church members. The leadership development in the church focuses on enhancing efficiency in evangelism at different levels of the church (Wayne, 2004). For example, individuals participating at a pastoral level are trained to preach effectively based on the teachings of the Bible. On the other hand, the management team in the church receives adequate training regarding different concepts and approaches to management (Wayne, 2004). In addition, the youth leaders are trained typo handle and guide the young members of the church appropriately to create a stable foundation for the future of the church. The church choir leaders also obtain appropriate training and guidance regarding various aspects of music in the church context. Leadership Development Model The leadership model focuses on promoting efficiency and performance in various levels of the church. The model depends on the existing leadership framework in the church in order to establish an effective guideline on leadership (Wayne, 2004). The leadership development model in the church incorporates various elements such as assessment of the needs of the church, recruiting the suitable candidates to address the needs and equipping the trainees adequately to enhance their performance. The model also involves the concept of evaluating the performance of various leaders in the church to establish the effectiveness of the training (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). Leadership development model for the church aims at creating an appropriate avenue for promoting development and expansion of different factions in the church. Moreover, the model targets at creating a good atmosphere for worship in the place of worship. The leadership development model provides guidelines for the existing leaders on filling loopholes in the church leaderships (Wayne, 2004). The model also promotes unity among the leaders, which is essential for minimizing wrangles and conflicts between different church departments (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). The model for church leadership development specifies the functions of the various departments in the church, which eliminates conflicts. The model for developing leaders in the church comprises of several factors and stages, which include need assessment, recruiting, equipping and evaluating the trainees. The needs of the church are assessed based on the requirements of different factions in the church. The church elders further establish various avenues for training individuals to meet the church needs. Consequently, the trained leaders are provided with appropriate equipment to enhance their performance in evangelism such as relevant documents, transportation, housing and electronic appliances to use in the church. Further, the performance and efficiency of the leaders in the church context is assessed appropriately (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). Figure 1: Church leadership development model Needs Assessment Assessment of the needs of the church involves various initiatives by the church committee to identify different loopholes in the leadership. The process of examining the needs of the church is essential is establishing the reasons for stagnation of various projects and initiatives in the church (Wayne, 2004). In addition, it enables the church committee to identify the leadership factors that hinder effective performance of the church (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). The need to establish the needs of the church occurs due to leadership conflicts and underperformance of particular departments in the church. Additionally, the process of assessing the church needs arises due to overreliance on a particular leader in the church. In a situation where a leader in a particular department in the church has trouble performing, the church identifies the need to develop another leader to assist in the vacant position. For example, if a choir leader has trouble leading the choir during, the church experience crises in managing the choir effectively. Overreliance on particular leaders hinders performance and evangelism in the church, which calls for the need for development of more leaders (Wayne, 2004). The initiatives to assess the needs enable the church to identify the cause and solution to a particular situation and leadership problem in its operations. During the stage of the leadership development model, the church needs are identified effectively as well leadership approaches for satisfying the needs. Various needs arise during the assessment stage such as replacement of leaders, training of young leaders, and enhancing performance in various departments as well as promoting evangelism in the society (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). Recruitment of the Leaders The recruitment process in the leadership development model involves the process of identifying, selecting and training appropriate individuals to the leadership positions in the church. The church committees identify prospective leaders in the church among the young church members. The identification criteria entail evaluating the participation of an individual in various church activities and illustration of potential leadership qualities in the individuals. The persons identified are requested by the church committee to submit their academic qualification in various fields in the church in order to proceed to the next stage (Wayne, 2004). Consequently, the candidates undergo a vigorous selection process that involves various activities such as examination of their background, academic qualification and participation in the relevant church department. The candidate then undergoes an interview process in order to establish their knowledge of the specified leadership position (Wayne, 2004). The interviewing process is crucial in establishing the interest of the candidate in a particular field (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). In addition, it enables the church committee to establish the qualifications and commitment of the candidate to the position identified. The church committee also identifies various personal characteristics of the candidates that are suitable in the church context. The committee selects various individuals that are suitable for the position in order to undergo the relevant training in the fields. The process of training the candidates aims at instilling appropriate and adequate skills on them in order to enhance their performance (Wayne, 2004). The candidates undergo training on various aspects of the church leadership such as transparency, commitment, and servant leadership. The candidates also train on different elements and characteristics of a church leader such as adequate knowledge of the gospel, teamwork and participation in community service activities (Wayne, 2004). The training process is geared towards preparing the effectively for the duty of promoting evangelism at different levels in the church. The candidates are also exposed to various aspects of their respective roles in the church such as preaching, music, accounting, stewardship, community service, management and conflict resolution. Training is a crucial component of leadership development because it exposes the candidates to different elements of their line of duty in the church (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). It also prepares individuals to overcome challenges in their respective levels of leadership in the church. Consequently, the candidates are attached various experienced leaders in the church to acquire first-hand experience in their areas of training (Wayne, 2004). Equipping Equipping is a critical step in leadership development model in the church. It involves various activities such providing the trainees with appropriate equipment and guidelines for practice. The equipping process entails various aspects of leadership such communication, welfare and extended knowledge of their practice. The church committee identifies the appropriate equipment for different levels in the church and provides the fresh leaders with them to enhance performance. The evangelism equipment includes Bible, leadership guidelines, housing, transportation and electronic as well as mechanical machinery (Wayne, 2004). Evaluating The evaluating process involves various steps of examining the performance of the candidates in their respective fields of practice. Existing leaders and the church committee do the evaluation procedure in order to determine the leaders effectiveness in the various fields of practice (Malphurs & Mancini, 2004). In addition, the process of evaluating the candidates occurs in different ways such as evaluation exam, observation and oral questionnaires. The leaders are also examined regarding their grasp of the relevant concepts in their respective practices (Wayne, 2004). Conclusion Church leadership is an essential aspect of the church because it ensures effective planning and coordination of various activities in the church. The leadership also provides counseling and appropriate guidance to the potential leaders in the church and society. The process of developing church leadership focuses on promoting efficiency in various departments and levels of the church. Additionally, it is crucial in promoting the continuity of various factions in the church. The model for leadership development in the church aims at instilling appropriate and reliable leadership skills to the prospective leaders in the church. The goal of the model is to enhance performance in different departments in the church in order to promote evangelism in the society. The leadership development model entails various steps, which include assessment of the problems, recruitment, equipping and evaluation of the leaders. The stages of the models ensure that only appropriate and committed individuals join the church leadership at different levels. References Malphurs, A. & Mancini, W. (2004). Building Leaders. Grand Rapids: Baker Pub. Group. Wayne, C. (2004). Doing Church As A Team The Miracle of Teamwork and How It Transforms Churches. Regal Books. Read More