The Equipping Network newsletter has hit email inboxes around the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. Written by Tim Sprankle, it takes a look at how Grace Brethren congregations develop leaders. A portion of the newsletter appears below. Click here to read the complete article.
Equipping Network Coaches Churches to Connect Members with Ministries.
I recently asked for feedback about how well our church develops leaders. These types of questions open the door for criticism, both insightful and unhelpful comments. Face it: Everyone in your church has an opinion about the effectiveness of your ministry, be it preaching, assimilating, mentoring, or local outreach. Leaders who fail to invite feedback miss opportunities for personal improvement and corporate growth. I want to seize opportunities, so I asked the question.
Following a moment of silence, one woman chimed in. “We do great with delegating tasks. We struggle to develop people in ministry.” A few murmurs of agreement sounded in the room, as well as the hiss of my deflating pride.
As the pastor of an Equipping Church, leadership development constitutes a key value for effective ministry. Jesus gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to the church to equip others for the work of service (Ephesians 4:11-12). Delegating tasks constitutes a fraction of equipping. Developing leaders and gifted workers comprises the larger aim.
Our conversation continued. We provided a few examples of developing leaders(i.e., equipping): people connected to ministry opportunities and teams, who received coaching, encouragement, and opportunities rise to their full potential in Jesus. We shared more stories of delegating tasks: people filling-a-slot, assuming-a-post, or doing-a-job until their contract ran out or assignment ended.
I suspect our church is not alone in this imbalance. Developing leaders takes more time and intentional focus than designating tasks. But an Equipping Church prioritizes developing leaders.
Click here to read the complete article.