Category: Church

Introduction

Leadership in church, as well as change, are two things that require individuals who are committed to serving others. The two depend on one another in the sense that in order for change to happen, good leaders need to be present. A good leader is characterized by the ability to use a common language that unites every individual, facilitates and encourages sharing as well as strengthens the members narrative intelligence. This paper looks at the three.

Using A Common Language

Leadership requires that an individual with the aim or intention of guiding others be one that can speak in a language that everyone understands. Using a single language does not mean literally but communicating an agenda that resonates with every person. People will only have a path or a certain direction if they believe that it is the path they should follow. For instance, at a Christian youth camp, the agenda might be transforming the lives of young people by teaching the ways of Jesus Christ. The main language in that camp is a transformation that shows that common language or agenda unites people and helps in ensuring collaboration thus effectiveness.

Facilitating Sharing

Facilitative style of leadership concerns maximizing other peoples contributions. There are various behavior traits that represent such a leader. For instance, he or she is active in listening as well as seeking to comprehend. This consists of things such as listening intently to church members and paraphrasing what they have said. Another trait of such leaders is offering clarity as well as purpose. A facilitative leader identifies the issue that needs a solution by asking plus seeking responses and acting accordingly. Through this, the members are able to realize the objective of what they are doing, for instance, why they are tackling a certain task.

A facilitative leader is able to connect the dots, which means he or she makes sense of every piece of a task and brings together all the participants. For instance, in the Bible, Jesus Christ was able to bring different people from various backgrounds to work with Him to help spread the gospel. These are the individuals that were later known as the disciples. A good leader follows this example and ensures that every individual on a team is allowed to share their ideas and opinions. He or she is able to let these individuals brainstorm, thus connecting them through creative thinking. 

A facilitative leader supports as well as promotes collaboration which means bringing all the members to accomplish a particular task together. For instance, in the scriptures, there is a narration about Jesus Christ feeding five thousand people. He did not do this alone despite being the Son of God but needed other people, such as the one with the fish and loaves of bread. Collaboration in the church encourages love, kindness, and unity as people interact with one another more often.

Strengthening Your Members Narrative Intelligence

Narrative intelligence refers to a transformational concept in leadership that aims to improve peoples comprehension of why things work out less effectively than expected. It also targets reconfiguring the thinking process so that it supports goals, aspirations as well as well-being better, plus for reorienting individuals to be more productive when interacting with others regarding leadership. It starts with understanding that many individuals run an inside commentary on anything that is happening in their lives.

Leaders who have a strong narrative intelligence know that individuals act more from personal and deep truths than from objective, testable ones. They are created by bringing together pieces of data from lived experience. The data are chosen, plus the ones overlooked, are established by core values as well as other psychological models. Then, a person constructs the meaning of an experience in the means of a narrative, and it becomes the story they tell themselves. It mainly draws on vital people as well as events causes, plus the effect they hold on whatever unfolds.

The form taken by the narratives directly affects their capacity to impact results as well as subsequent developments. There may be some correlation between what happens and peoples belief in understanding it. This phenomenon is transformational for leadership since it forges a new scheme that allows leaders to break through. It allows them to realize that most of the obstacles they encounter start with them, plus their assumptions, hunches, blind spots, and perspectives. Many leadership courses and books claim that leadership is grounded fundamentally in styles, behaviors, or character traits.

Leading while equipped with narrative intelligence makes a leader avoid focusing on the how and what and now looks at the who. Genuine leadership concerns how to positively influence others in a manner it excites, inspires, and engages them. When loopholes arise between what the leaders claim to stand for and what other people observe in their behavior, credibility, and trust erode. This prompts members and other colleagues to start not being committed. Those with a strong narrative intelligence will not only recognize the narratives constructed concerning themselves and address the issues.

Understanding of Change and What It Means to Lead Change

In theology, leadership has various meanings, but all have their foundation in Christ. All leaders aspire to follow in the footsteps of Jesus and lead others to redemption. For instance, they chose individuals who did not believe they could lead and made them disciples. After his death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, the disciples were tasked with spreading the word to different places. This is the same thing that happens in various churches of today. Individuals serve under other preachers, and then after some time, they are allowed to start their own branches of the church where they are encouraged to continue with the message of God. This has led to many churches being formed even in places that people could not believe one would be established. Leadership is not about one person gaining or controlling everything but using others, through guidance, to reach out to sections one cannot.

Despite all the good that comes from the church, there have been some wrongdoings that do not indicate the love of Jesus Christ to all human beings. The church has been used to spread social injustice in American society. Through various scriptures in the Bible, preachers have continued to try to prove why people of color do not deserve the same treatment as their white counterparts. There are churches that do not allow black ministers to serve on their pulpits. This is very wrong and should not be allowed in the church. Jesus Christ allowed and embraced people from various backgrounds and even told stories about them.

This brings up the issue of change and what needs to be done to accomplish that. It is not easy to break the rules or go against ideas that have lasted for many years, but it is worth it. It is reported that there were missionaries in the slavery era that had slaves and still viewed themselves as good Christians. This is the same kind of behavior that Jesus was preaching against. For instance, He used the story of a Pharisee who goes to church to pray and claim before God that he is more worthy of His forgiveness than a tax collector alongside. The missionaries act like the Pharisees since they do not view other people as equals and yet claim to be of God.

The church is supposed to help make things better in society and not worse. Jesus showed this clearly in the New Testament when He rescued a woman from being stoned to death by a mob of angry people who saw her sins and failed to see theirs. The woman was a prostitute, and thus, they wanted to kill her. Jesus intervened by asking whoever felt they had never sinned to be the first person to throw a stone, and they did not, and thus, He forgave the woman and let her walk free. What is happening concerning social injustice is contrary to what He taught and needs to change. A few individuals are still held up in the idea that people of color are cursed.

Change in such a society is ensuring that all people are allowed to participate in church activities as others. It also means that the church is at the forefront of seeking justice for the afflicted. For instance, in 2020, many people worldwide were enraged over the cold blood murder of an African American male by a white police officer. The video went viral on social media and led many people in the state of Minneapolis to protest. It is important that the church be outspoken about such incidents because it is easier for the local, state, or federal government to listen to them since they help them in solving other issues.

There are cases whereby the perpetrators have been deemed innocent by judges who are also part of the wicked system. Getting involved means more pressure on law enforcement to find justice for the victims and their families. Leading such change means that the leaders are no longer selfish and think about other people who have been and continue to be affected by such injustices. Being able to stand against the ideas that have been part of someone for a long time and deciding to choose the welfare of others.

Conclusion

Leadership requires dedication and commitment to the people one is leading and their needs. This means that when someone is referred to as a leader then, they have to ignore their issues and deal with the members first. Theology teaches that Jesus Christ was a good leader and always catered for others. For instance, there are many acts that He performed that showed His love for others. For example, seeing the grief on Lazarus sisters after his death, he chose to resurrect him. At a wedding, when wine was finished, He used His powers to create a wine which shows He utilized His authority not for personal gains but for others to be happy.

Bibliography

Branson, Mark, and Juan F. Martinez. Churches, cultures, and leadership: A practical theology of congregations and ethnicities. InterVarsity Press, 2011. Web.

Du Plessis, Amanda L., and Carol M. Nkambule. Servant leadership as part of spiritual formation of theological students in contextualisation of 21st century theological training. HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 76, no. 2 (2020). Web.

Oliver, Kyle M., and Stacy Williams-Duncan. Faith leaders developing digital literacies: Demands and resources across career stages according to theological educators. Journal of Media Literacy Education 11, no. 2 (2019): 122-145. Web.

Rath, Tom, and Barry Conchie. Strengths-based leadership: Great leaders, teams, and why people follow. Simon and Schuster, 2008. Web.

Singh, Jennifer. Toward a theological response to prostitution: listening to the voices of women affected by prostitution and of selected church leaders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ph.D. diss., Middlesex University/Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, 2018. Web.

Watkins, Clare. Educational Leadership in Catholic Schools: A practice-based theology of vocation. In Researching Catholic Education, pp. 155-168. Springer, Singapore, 2018. Web.

Pentecostals represent a large group of the US population and an even larger group of Christians. About 4 million Pentecostals live in the United States, and about 500 million are members of various denominations worldwide (Casanova, 2021). The Pentecostal faith is very different from the Protestant or Catholic doctrine. Pentecostals tend to understand the Bible literally; they believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, healing, the actual existence of hell and heaven, and the apocalypse. This paper aims to discuss the Pentecostal church approach to death, after-life, and end of life.

In the context of medical interactions with patients, faith in healing is particularly important. According to this view, every believer has the right to be healed, and healing is a sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the main spiritual goal of Pentecostals. Not all Pentecostals reject medical treatment; about 68% accept medical care (Casanova, 2021). Therefore, those believers who choose to seek medical care are likely to get it adequately. However, some disagreements with other family members may occur.

Pentecostals tend to pray emotionally and recognize ecstatic conditions such as speaking in tongues, which symbolizes the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They can also sing and dance while praying, shout, clap, and say prayers loudly if this helps them connect with the Holy Spirit. It is also important to understand that Pentecostals interpret the Bible literally, which is their main difference from other Christians. The Pentecostals took their name in connection with an event recorded in the Bible, where Christians gathered in a house on the fiftieth day after Jesus death and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as predicted by Christ.

Pentecostals believe in the apocalypse and that Jesus will resurrect them by accepting believers into paradise. They think these people will be saved from the disasters on earth  hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes, and violence. They also believe that after the apocalypse, the 1000-year era of Jesus reign will begin, after which Satan and Jesus will have a final battle, and Satan will be defeated forever (Afterlife and salvation, 2021). Pentecostals tend to look for indications of the identity of the Antichrist and the exact time of the beginning of the apocalypse.

Reference

Afterlife and salvation. (2021). Web.

Casanova, A. (2021). 10 things Christians should know about the Pentecostal church. Web.

The middle ages were characterized by the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church in many religious and social aspects of the community and society. Therefore, many secular elements of culture like the creation and composition of music had their origins in the Roman Catholic Church or were at least influenced by the style and music of the Catholic Church.

Thus, the origins of modern day western music, both religious and nonreligious, can be traced to the developments in medieval Europe. At this historical period, the Catholic Church had a firm grip on nearly all aspects of society. Church traditions and rituals that involved some form of musical content such as the Gregorian chant formed the basis of subsequent musical compositions both within and out of the church.

Great composers and musicians of the middle ages and later eras, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, learned their musical skills in church before later composing secular pieces. JS Bachs secular composition Coffee Cantata, and George Frederic Handels religious piece Messiah, will subsequently be analyzed.

Coffee Cantata by J S Bach is a classical piece that tells the story of a girl who had to give up love for coffee because her dad could not let her get married. The comedic tone of the piece is easily discerned in the piece. The Violin and piano in this polyphonic piece are played in short strokes to bring about a quick if playful, tone to the article.

The choir in this piece also accompanies these instruments in quick and short pronouncements that form a melodious harmony, giving the part a perfect rhythm. The choir and instrumentation in Coffee Cantata alternate in the delivery of words and play of the instruments, with each pause acting as a prelude to the next description of the actions of the girl in confrontation with her father.

Handels piece Messiah is an oratorio that tells the story of Christs ultimate sacrifice on the cross. The musical expression in Messiah is poignant because the piece combines an orchestra and a choir. How these two parts of the band can mix the messages in the piece with the instrumentation and singing, respectively, aids the listener to follow the Messianic epic from Part I through III.

The listener is, therefore, able to guess or have an idea of the message that is being propagated in the piece even without necessarily hearing the words of the text. The listener is thus able to listen to the song and experience the different moods even before the words and phrases get pronounced.

The musical texture of Messiah is thick or polyphonic, in many instances of the composition, largely because both the choir and the orchestra are involved in this piece. At various points in Messiah, simultaneous singing (recitation) and instrumentation give the piece its polyphonic stance, and particularly the final Amen chorus of Part III exemplifies the harmonious nature of the entire article.

In conclusion, the Roman Catholic played a significant role in the early development and composition of music that came to be defined as western classical music. Most composers also learned their trade in churches. Also, any secular arrangements that famous composers such as J S Bach and Frederic Handel produced were nursed within church compounds.

My understanding of the nature and mission of the church in the light of Gods call and purpose is that the church is dependent on and defined by how well it relates with God. Since God is a mystery but and known to us, the church should therefore be never defined by the descriptions we make but rather be referred to as being a secure home. In my own view, the church should be seen in terms of the Holy Spirit and the light of Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life for it. The unity of the church depends on many factors like its ability to turn to the Light, its response to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and, finally, its submission to the power of light which sanctifies it^1. It is therefore the responsibility of every church member to live in the Light and help others who are close to them to do so.

God had a purpose in creating man; he wanted to be a father to the man he had created. This is the same purpose that God has today for mankind as found in Ephesians 1:4. After the fall of man, there was loss of fellowship between man and God. God did not intent man to fall, but in His creation, He has provided a plan of redemption. This was achieved by the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Jesus left behind the work of redemption in the hands of His disciples.

In my view, the church comprises of people who have been called from the world to live and fellowship with God forever. Godly people are to worship and obey God in everything according to the Holy Scriptures². It is by Gods righteousness and love, that His grace can be manifested. The purpose of Jesus on Earth was to establish His church on the Rock according to the scriptures. In the Old Testament, the church was referred to as ecclesia which meant a group of Gods people. The mission of Jesus was to back the lost to the kingdom of His Father and take care of them³.

The nature of the church is therefore, a group of people who have been called and set apart by God, to fulfill his will through Christ. The Church is therefore not our own nor its own but comprises of Gods people from all nations. The church was, is and will always remain as the new creation of our God in this world. It is this creation that will realize and point its initial intent of Gods original creation⁴. Through this understanding of the nature of the Church, it can be viewed as a society which, under the power and direction of the mighty Holy Spirit, is able to empower, guide, direct and inspire its members in achieving the will of God. The church is only effective only if it obeys God. By obedience, it has the ability to lead its members into new a new knowledge of its savior.

According to the Jews, the Messiah was supposed to come and build a Temple where God could dwell among His people. The Kingdom of the Lord is therefore more evident in the Church where Jesus was supposed to gather Gods people so that they can be visible to God. Jesus proclamation that the Church will gain victory over the gates of Hades meant that the powers of Satan and his demonic acts were non prevalent on the Church which was to be established on the rock ⁴.

The nature and mission of the church is to bind and loose those held captive by demonic forces. In essence, its mission is the continuation of the work of Christ. We can understand the mission by looking at the words of Jesus. Jesus said His work was to heal, and deliver the oppressed. In Mathew Chapter 16, the church should be able to overcome the works of Satan and be able to liberate Gods people from the powers of the demon and the evil spirits. The ethical discernment of the church also gives it responsibility in discerning the right from the wrong and can thus be viewed as a custodian of morality. It is therefore true that Jesus build the church on the rock so that the demonic powers in this contemporary world could be bound and the people of God be liberated from their spheres of influence. The church stands as a place for the deliverance of people held captive by the devil.

The church is as a society of ethical discernment whose responsibilities are to bind and loose its people in the world. It calls on the church to either bind or loose a sinner by confronting him or her about the sin committed and later leading the sinner to repent of his/ her sin. In cases where repentance cannot happen, then the church is given the responsibility to discipline its members. Only Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit are given the mandate to participate in the ethical discernment of differentiating the right from the wrong, calling the sinners towards forgiveness and in cases where forgiveness is impossible, discipline the church members ⁵.

The church, serves as a Kingdom center where ethical discernment can be performed. The church, therefore, has a responsibility of helping people to lead holy lives. Gods desire for His people is that they may know Him and worship Him in truth and by loving one another. To fulfill this aim, God sent the Messiah to this world so that he can renew Gods call for his people through the building of the church on the rock where Gods people can be freed from the powers of the demon and be subjected towards faithful living.

In II Corinthians 6:16, the bible says that Jesus was not only to renew the call of God towards his people but also to commission his disciples towards the proclamation of the word of God to all the world and build the church in the midst of all people in the world. It is surprising that the New Testament has no theological meaning to define the church. Instead, the Church is defined through images by writers of the New Testament. The reality of this is that Gods presence was magnified through images which meant that as much as God was known, he was also mysterious.

There are two ways that we can employ to unravel the nature of the church. First, we have to understand the theology of writers in the New Testament, like for instance Peter, Paul and Mathew which can be used to determine which images they used to refer to the church. Paul depiction of the church is not the same as Peters. Paul considers the church as a body while peter sees it as a holy nation ⁶. The other way of understanding the different images is by identifying similarity of themes of different writers. These approaches are crucial towards the development of a fully comprehensive theology of the church as depicted in the New Testament ⁷.

It is therefore important that we understand that we are part of Messiahs people and that we are not alone or our own, but part of Gods people. The church can never be a membership organization like a club where people make decisions to join it but it is people hood which the Lord Almighty God creates. In order for the church to achieve its mission of proclaiming the word of God throughout the world, it must adhere to the word of God. This means, there is need for the church to live in a different way than the nations because the church is the people of God bound by a covenant. For the church to perform its binding and losing duties, it must discern as a different community which follows a different way of life, as found in the holy bible.

Notes

1. Joseph C Aldrich, Lifestyle Evangelism. (Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 2000), 34
2. Aldrich, Joseph Lifestyle Evangelism, 2000, 36
3. Dan, Bauman All Originality Makes a Dull Church, (Santa Ana, CA: Vision House Publishers, 2001).
4. Bauman,. All Originality Makes a Dull Church, 2001, 58
5. Charles Chaney. Design for Church Growth. (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 2005), 23
6. Leonard, Bill. The Nature of the Church. (New York, NY: Academic Books, 2003), 66
7. Bill. The Nature of the Church, 2003, 66

Bibliography

Aldrich, Joseph C. Lifestyle Evangelism. Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 2000.

Bauman, Dan. All Originality Makes a Dull Church. Santa Ana, CA: Vision House Publishers, 2001.

Bill, Leonard. The Nature of the Church. New York, NY: Academic Books, 2003.

Chaney, Charles. Design for Church Growth. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 2005.

The authors define resource mobilization theory as the study of aggregation of resources in the context of money and labor (Iannaccone, Olson, & Stark 1995, p. 706). From a theoretical standpoint, religious resources consist of inputs such as time and money, which lead to the output of church growth and new members joining. In economic terms, resources are combined under two factions of labor and capital, which is equivalent to time and money. Time and labor are combined with purchased inputs such as goods and services to produce valued commodities. The authors argue that under resource mobilization theory, the higher the inputs of time and money, the greater the outputs that facilitate growth and limit decline (Iannaccone et al. 1995).

Rather than interacting with the broader social communities, denominations focus on narrowing resource-mobilizing strategies to appeal to and meet the needs of a narrow circle of followers that resource-providing constituents and benefit-receiving beneficiaries. Resource mobilization theory is not unlike market economics, or more accurately, a production process with inputs and outputs. Resource mobilization almost metaphorically symbolizes social movement activity.

A religious organization cannot exist or grow without obtaining resources from the environment. It costs time and money to construct physical structures, lead outreach, participate in evangelism and community service, educate, and any mother activities. Growth will only occur in instances of surplus resources. Therefore, the authors apply the theory to church growth by proposing that the resources available to a religious organization originate with its members. This is measured by simply accounting for the time and money that members of the congregation devote to religious activity, as well as external support such as organizations, investments, and government support. The market-oriented approach has become a new paradigm in the context of religion and its members rather than traditional secularization. The authors apply a market model to religious growth but offer insight on the topic, indicating that the church should have other measurable units besides membership, as those can be misleading. The best measure and resource would be dollar contributions, as this more accurately evaluates market power and involvement from the attending population in the congregation. The authors employed the Cobb-Douglas function from economics to measure, dividing the three variables by total membership, equations can be obtained that describe growth rates as functions of time and money per capita (Iannaccone et al. 1995, p.712). The number of members then defines growth at a later/current period divided by the number in an earlier period.

By collecting and testing data, the authors found that religious resources result in increased membership growth equitably to church growth using the standard production models. Typically denominations with high levels of attendance, participation, and contributions, such as Mormons and Jehovahs Witnesses, due to their sectarian nature, see the highest rates of growth. Jehovahs Witnesses are known for labor intensity through volunteering and going into communities to spread the word of their church, while Mormonism is highly financially focused. As these are both variables in the resource mobilization theory formula, with inputs being time and money, the expected output or growth for these denominations is expected to be high. This is indeed confirmed by reality, proving the correlation proposed by the theory is inherently correct when applied to church growth. Contributions and attendance are significant predictors of growth, with higher per capita contributions and higher attendance as part of total membership leading to improved membership growth in the span of several years. However, the authors note that not only resources may contribute to growth, with non-resource variables such as community demographics, population transiency, and the make-up of the churchs congregation can play a role (Iannaccone et al. 1995).

A wide range of data was used to create a comprehensive assessment of the resource mobilization theory in relation to church growth. First, the authors considered poll data, but that was not useful because while it does provide attendance, it does not allow measuring how much input was given by members, as some may actively participate in the church, while others only show up for worship services providing the church with no labor. Next, the General Social Survey data was used, which was enough to demonstrate the distribution of surplus labor across denominations. In addition, a GSS question introduced that asked about financial contributions became useful in this study as a measurement of the money resource, as members indicated the number of dollars contributed across denominations. Another data source applied was expert judgment, as sixteen scholars rated denominations based on demands on members resources, with a general agreement being high, suggesting the high reliability of this data source.

Some additional data included key annual reports of denominational membership from the Yearbook of the American and Canadian Churches, offering vital demographic data. The authors then considered the use of congregational data, noting two sets for analysis. The first set included congregational membership and member attributes, which were utilized as statistical predictors. The second set is from a large study utilizing a 43-item questionnaire at UCC and collected in the Church Membership Inventory. This data was used to compute aggregate values, which, in combination with the UCC yearbook, offered membership and financial statistics. Some of the data were useful, others were noisy, but notably still helpful because even inaccurate data can be vital on such a scale to remain confident in its purposefulness. However, some other data was discarded, such as demographic characteristics and diversity among church attendees (Iannaccone et al. 1995).

References

Iannaccone, Laurence R., Daniel V.A. Olson, and Rodney Stark. 1995. Religious Resources and Church Growth. Social Forces. 74 (2): 705-726.

Summary

A long time ago, a famous novelist wrote the immortal lines: It was the best of times, it was the worst of time, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.¹ Charles Dickens inspiration perhaps came to him when he struggled to describe his homelands socio-economic state, at that particular period in human history. Nonetheless, Christian leaders all over the nation can borrow the same words to describe the state of their ministry. On one hand, it is the best of times due to technological breakthroughs that made it easier to travel and communicate over long distances.

On the other hand, it is also the worst of times, as social issues and advancements in human thought made it easier for people to live in isolation, shunning the need to build communities and reaching out to those in need.

A significant decline in church membership consequently increases the number of the unchurched and the frustration of Christian leaders mandated to reach the lost. I am willing to take on a difficult ministry challenge, but I learned from past experiences, as well as from an in-depth understanding of key biblical narratives, and a personal amalgamation of the insights produced by numerous studies, that success comes if revival is the impetus for church growth, not the means to an end. When revival is the driving force for church growth, it compels a change in leadership style and overall approach, forcing the pastor to acknowledge that conventional or traditional schemes inadvertently become barriers to the accomplishment of related goals.

A Challenging Call to Ministry

A comprehensive survey of US-based church ministries yielded a disheartening revelation. Survey results revealed that on average, an American pastor is not expected to serve beyond a four year period, as a shepherd to a flock of believers.² In other words, personal challenges and other issues force him or her to resign or exit in disgrace. Pastors are expected to behave like saints, while at the same time, they are compelled to perform well under tremendous pressure.

Corporate executives need only worry about the organizations financial statements. In contrast, Christian leaders routinely contend against numerous adversaries. They are presumed to have the capability of demonstrating the true meaning of grace under pressure, and assumed to come out as overwhelming victors in a battle against personal and ministry issues. They are also expected to excel in different areas of leadership, such as the capacity to deploy superior communication skills and the ability to manage limited resources.

A pastor may get the boot so-to-speak if he ignores the need to improve interpersonal skills regardless of his ability to stretch a meager budget. A pastor is in danger of losing his post if he does not know how to deliver well-crafted sermons, regardless of the personal sacrifices that he had made to take care of a church in a middle of nowhere.

Jonathan Falwell expressed his respect and admiration for selfless leaders serving to protect and nurture Gods sheep and lambs, and he said that pastors are some of the hardest working people in the world.³ He went on to honor this special breed of men and women, but from a certain vantage point, Falwells remarks leave little doubt that those who are not called by God to serve as shepherds will eventually find it impossible to sustain a short stint as the leader of a local church.

It is imperative to point out that even confident and gifted leaders are not assured to receive and enjoy the rewards accorded to a successful ministry. This assertion finds evidentiary support in the stagnant growth of well-funded and well-organized churches across the nation.⁴ It does not require a rocket scientist to figure out the high level of inefficiencies and wastage, that are exemplified in churches with large buildings, large staff, and little growth.

Although the state of church life and church growth in America leaves much to be desired, the same research findings that painted a grim reality based on a record of actual accomplishments and embarrassing deeds, the same knowledge acquisition process also revealed insights that Christian leaders may find useful in order to turn things around. These studies produced insights regarding the leadership styles, strategies, and mindsets utilized by successful pastors of thriving and growing churches. Thus, a clear understanding of underlying principles combined with sensible biblical insights may lead to the creation of an effective church growth framework.

It has to be made clear that the deployment of an integrated solution is the primary key to success. This requires the coming together of separate but interrelated elements in the context of leadership style, strategy-making, vision casting, and a deeper appreciation of the significance and value of the Great Commission.

Solution Part A: Revival as the Driving Force: Reinterpreting the Great Commission

Research findings reveal the importance of the Great Commission as a primary driver of growth, maturation, and influence. Church growth experts like Rainer and Falwell are absolutely correct in stressing out the negative impact of ignoring the need to develop and deploy programs and strategies built around the concept of making disciples. This error in judgment ultimately yields to stagnant growth and obsolescence.

It is tantamount to the removal of evangelism programs and other activities that act as catalysts to reach out the unchurched. A church without evangelistic tools or the desire to use one easily gets distracted with other pressing concerns, and after years of going around in circles, church leaders wake up to a reality characterized by inefficiency and missed targets. This is an obvious fact. However, the more critical issue is the realization that even the stringent application of evangelistic tools does not always guarantee stellar results. In fact, the mere compliance to a certain standard and the need to hit certain church growth related numbers are behaviors and attitudes that are going to produce the same lackluster results regardless of the availability of programs designed to go after the unreached.

Pastors with successful turnaround strategies are wise in avoiding church growth frameworks that tend to encourage or induce the members to evangelize on the basis of a reward system or the threat of punishment. This type of mindset is best understood through the discussion of a popular motivation paradigm called the carrot and stick method. In this particular worldview, leaders view subordinates as unmotivated workers that are not going to move forward in the absence of a threat of punishment or the promise of a reward. This belief system is often caricatured with a mule struggling to carry a heavy burden. In most cases, the animal is carrying the task master holding a stick that looks like a fish pole, and tied to it a carrot that is dangling is dangling in front of a mule. The taskmasters left hand carries a wooden implement ready to punish the animal at the slightest display of disobedience.

It does not require a behavioral scientist to realize the short-term impact of the carrot and stick method. Nevertheless, church leaders inadvertently employ the same method when they attempt to inspire people by talking about the rewards of fulfilling the Great Commission or the promise of damnation for ignoring the same. It is not prudent to utilize the same approach as the absence of a sustainable impact prevents the establishment of a certain lifestyle or a way of life that perpetuates the deployment of evangelistic strategies.

Mothers are zealous in guarding and nurturing their loved ones without any external motivation. Therefore, the continuous and fervent application of evangelistic tools is made possible through a community that loves God and loves people with a certain degree of passion and focused zeal⁵. Church growth experts label this kind of spiritual environment or interaction as a spiritual revival.

The simplest way to describe a state of revival is to imagine a group of people saturated with the presence of God. This is the reason for using terms like revival flood or revival fire as a way to explain the phenomenon. For example, a flood is a natural occurrence characterized by a sudden rise in water levels. Without warning, a flood affects the lives of a large number of people. The unexpected impact of rushing water brings with it a cleansing force. The same thing can be said about revivals spiritual fire that cleanses the souls of men. Aside from igniting a fire that burns towards a greater intimacy with God, revival fires tend to have the same effect when it comes to interpersonal relationships.

In his book entitled Revival Flood, Gregory Frizzell highlighted the fact that revival is not only an explosion of intimacy with God, it also means God-glorifying relationships.⁶ Frizzell made known the reason to fervently pray for revival, and he wrote: Patterns of serious family breakup improve dramatically. By the millions, broken lives and relationships see glorious healing. Social improvements and missions explode manifold. In a great flood of revival, evangelism and global harvests explode through the roof!⁷ Pastors must view evangelism through this prism. It is not mandatory to seek out a national revival that affects the lives of millions of people. However, it is possible to experience the same level of intimacy and power within a community setting.⁸

Solution Part B: Leadership Style

The title of Thom Rainers book said it all. He made a bold claim and supported it with a well-designed data acquisition framework based on a qualitative research approach. Thus, when Rainer made the following assertion through the books title: Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them he was not just plucking ideas out of the blue. He supported his arguments with facts.

The lessons he learned are useful in the implementation of a turnaround strategy that are supported by biblical principles, common sense and the insights gleaned from the day-to-day experience of a Christian leader. Suffice it to say, Christian leaders eager to discover the proven methods for reaching out the unchurched should consider reading Rainers book, especially the sections that detailed the impact of leadership in the quest to reach out the unchurched.

Rainer said that leaders of unchurched-reaching churches are theologically conservative in their approach. This means that pastors of successful congregations have a deep understanding of how sin separates humanity from a holy God.⁹ He added that these pastors value personal holiness, integrity, prayer, personal Bible study, the ability to institute change, and the need to lead by example.¹⁰ If this information comes across as abstract, then, try reading between the lines as the author described the leaders habits and personal preferences. For example, Rainer listed the most influential books in the lives of these leaders and it is possible to create a leadership profile based on insights gleaned from this piece of information. Consider for instance the type of leadership produced after meditating on the contents of the following books:

• Rick Warrens The Purpose Driven Church.
• Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest.
• J. I. Packers Knowing God.
• Jim Cymbalas Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.
• Robert Colemans The Master Plan.
• John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress.
• Charles Sheldons In His Steps.
• C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity.

At the top of the list is a tome that talks about purpose. It seemed to reveal the correct mindset in order to implement church growth strategies. However, Rick Warrens book is not an endorsement on the wonderful benefits of strategy-making, because it talks more about intentionality rather than the need to develop tactics or measurement frameworks for the purpose of goading people towards a specific goal. This assertion is supported by a key discovery in the aftermath of Rainers research endeavor. He said that successful leaders in the context of reaching the unchurched ascribe to a leadership style best described as intentional.¹¹

The intentionality factor explains the proactive approach to self-improvement and to rectify problems related to church growth. One can argue that in order to emulate the examples of the leaders at the helm of unchurched-reaching churches, pastors must be willing to adopt a leadership style that is not much different from the results-oriented secular leadership exemplified by the corporate world. In other words, an intentional leadership style does not only inspire confidence, it also sheds a powerful light into church activities that are inefficient or irrelevant.

Before going any further, it is of crucial importance to point out that although an intentional leadership style mimics certain qualities of successful CEOs and managers of secular organizations, successful pastors are not all about hitting target goals at all costs. This idea comes from insights into the core values and aspirations of unchurched-reaching pastors, after considering the implications of the books that profoundly shaped their lives.

Rick Warrens books talks about intentionality and the importance of practical leadership skills. However, the books written by Chambers and Packer underscored the critical value of pursuing greater intimacy with God. On the other hand, Coleman and Bunyans masterpiece accentuated the importance of seeking the lost. Sheldon and Lewis book stressed the impact of personal holiness. Finally, the pastors reading Cymbalas book hungered for a spiritual revival to awaken their respective churches from the crippling impact of apathy and bland devotion.

Taking everything into consideration, everything rises and fall on the actions of leaders.¹² However, it is not enough to adopt a pragmatic and intentional style of leading the flock. Successful leaders of unchurched-reaching organizations develop strategies based on revival principles, and they inspire obedience through a pursuit of greater levels of intimacy with God and heightened desire for personal holiness.

Solution Part C: A Strategy of Offense: Plowing, Planting, Harvesting

An intentional approach leads to a proactive stance regarding ministry challenges and ministry issues. It is enough to point the pastor to follow a certain path. Nevertheless, a few steps into the journey reveals a circular pattern caused by unmotivated movements. It is not enough to have a vision of an unchurched-reaching organization seeking the lost and embodying the lifestyle of a revival-oriented community.

A strategy is less abstract. It is far from a tangible framework that leads to guidelines and goal posts. However, it is enough to help the group envision the kind of organization that they are going to build in order to accomplish specific goals. In this case, the strategy-making process must begin with a back-to-basics mindset in the context of the first century church.¹³ This approach encourages leaders to study how first century Christians established a community of believers while maintaining a healthy evangelistic lifestyle that paved the way for the evangelization of the known world during ancient times.¹⁴

It is a wise decision to follow this model, because of two primary reasons. First, it is a biblical model of growing and sustaining a thriving community of believers. Second, it is a proven effective method as evidenced by the multiplication of believers during the first one hundred years of Christianity.¹⁵

The first thing that grips your heart when you look into the ancient model of church ministry is the absence of formal organizations. Most of the meetings were done in secret due to the persecutions that they experienced from the authorities. Moreover, meetings were made in peoples residences. At the same time, food was central to the meetings. This kind of lifestyle was evident even before the Christians were dispersed throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, because this was exemplified by Jesus as he informally conducted teaching sessions outside the temple walls.

In many instances, the Bible recorded the evangelistic activities of Jesus and his apostles in the homes of eager followers and potential disciples. Peters mother-in-law was healed presumably in her residence. Nicodemus, the despised tax collector secured an audience with Jesus at his residence. Jesus frequently visited Martha, Mary, and Lazarus in their home located in a village called Bethany.

The first century church did not develop and deploy a rigid church program that was expected to give rise to expensive mass evangelistic efforts. They did not operate as strangers reaching out to other strangers. In fact, the early church was characterized as a covenanted community of Gods people as the source of all evangelism and mission.¹⁶ It was described in the most beautiful of terms as a community of support of families and individuals, relating to one another.¹⁷ Church people during biblical times were not only thinking about the church as a family of believers, they also think about the church as a group of people related by blood or by some form of social affinity.

The ancient church was populated by relatives, siblings, members of the same village or tribe. It was an organic expansion that produced a distinct type of community that is different from a modern day urban church filled with church-hopping members. There is nothing wrong in opening church doors in order to welcome church-hopping members moving from one church building to the next. However, in order to reach the unchurched, it is imperative to develop an organic growth process that encourages members to build relationships with family members, relatives, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

The multiplication of members using an organic approach is a biblical model exemplified in the first few pages of the New Testament. When Mary understood the ramifications of her supernatural pregnancy, she went straight to her cousin Elizabeth. This is a natural reaction for people grappling with life-changing events.

From a practical standpoint, it is easier to share the gospel to family members, friends, and relatives as compared to total strangers. It also makes a lot of sense, because it is hard to trust someone without sharing something in common with them. Thus, in the biblical narratives, the spread of Christianity was sustained within family circles and jumps from one person to the next using the shortest connection between two individuals. In other words, a successful transmission of the gospel occurs in close proximity when a prior relationship already existed. Defenses are lowered when people are talking to someone they know or love.

It was no accident or the product of random occurrence for Jesus to be able to minister to Peter and the fishermans mother-in-law. It has to be made clear that Jesus had a prior encounter with Andrew, Peters brother. The Bible also revealed that James and John were siblings. In addition, James and John had an established relationship with Peter because they were in some sort of a business partnership within the context of Galilees fishing industry.

Intentional leaders are not going to settle with generalizations. They are going to sift through current research findings related to church growth and insights on how successful Christian leaders utilize information and knowledge acquisition tools. As a result, intentional leaders are not going to rest easy and issue a general order to share the gospel to family members, friends and co-workers.

Intentional leaders are going to develop a strategy based on the revelation that a married man is more likely to visit a church because of the influence of his wife.¹⁸ It is important to follow this up with statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor affirming that women are more likely to volunteer than men.¹⁹ It is also imperative to connect a related pieces of information revealing the high number of families choosing a specific church because of a Sunday School Program that provides a safe and clean environment for the delivery of sermons and information dissemination platforms.

Solution Part D: A Strategy of Defense: Post-Harvest, Protection, and Nurture

A strategy based on an organic expansion that deliberately utilizes family and other personal connections must never view the harvest stage as the end-point of the journey. Leaders must never rest on their laurels after potential disciples made the commitment to serve and worship in a particular local church. A post-harvest program is also in order. Intentional leaders are aware of Christians leaving through the backdoor. It is of critical importance to also develop a defense strategy. It begins with the pastor and ends with the application of cost-efficient strategies that ensure the spiritual well being of all the members of the church.

Intentional leadership protects and nurtures the flock. However, everything is for naught if the pastor is unable to deal with frustrations, conflicts, and stress. A pastor must establish an appropriate and effective support system all throughout his ministry years. This is made possible by continuous learning and the establishment of a mentor-mentoree relationship with someone that the pastor can trust with his or her life. The pastor may use the same principles to develop a similar framework to encourage, protect, and nurture the members of the flock.

Conclusion

An integrated solution calls for the coming together of separate but related elements in terms of establishing the vision, assuming a certain leadership style, and the implementation of an offensive and defensive strategy based on the principles of revival. However, it begins with a clear appreciation and understanding of the revival flood or revival fire that elevates the congregation to a higher level of intimacy towards God and a greater degree of love and compassion for the unchurched. Once the motivations to reach out to the lost has been clarified, an intentional leadership style creates strategies based on biblical models of church growth. It is an evangelistic model that underscores the value of personal relationships. However, it is not enough to implement strategies that ensures a great harvest of souls. Intentional leaders plan ahead for the requirements of the post-harvest season, especially the need to protect and nurture the members of the flock.²⁰

Bibliography

Adeney, Frances. Graceful Evangelism. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010.

Bloom, Harold. Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007.

Falwell, Jonathan. Overcoming Discouragement in order to Lead. In Innovatechurch, edited by Jonathan Falwell, 11-19. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2008.

Frizzell, Gregory. Releasing the Revival Flood. Union City: The Master Design, 2005.

Hemphill, Ken and Paula Hemphill. Splash: Show People Love and Share Him. Travelers Rest: Auxano Press, 2007.

Rainer, Thom. Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.

Robinson, Darrell. Total Church Life: How to be a First Century Christian. Nashville, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997.

Wheeler, David. Outreach: Back to Basics in Strategic Planning. In Innovatechurch, edited by Jonathan Falwell, 117-130. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2008.

Willmington, Matt. Leading the Volunteer Family, In Innovatechurch, edited by, Jonathan Falwell, 45-62. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2008.

Footnotes

1. Harold Bloom, Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities (New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007), 1.
2. Jonathan Falwell, Overcoming Discouragement in order to Lead, in Innovate Church, ed. Jonathan Falwell (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2008), 11-19.
3. Falwell, Overcoming Discouragement, 11.
4. Thom Rainer, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to ReachThem (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 33.
5. Ken Hemphill and Paula Hemphill, Splash: Show People Love and Share Him (Travelers Rest: Auxano Press, 2007), 3.
6. Gregory Frizzell, Releasing the Revival Flood (Union City: The Master Design, 2005), 2.
7. Frizzell, Releasing the Revival, 10
8. Ibid.
9. Rainer, Surprising Insights, 150.
10. Ibid., 153.
11. Ibid., 152.
12. Darrell Robinson, Total Church Life: How to be a First Century Christian (Nashville, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997), 56.
13. David Wheeler, Outreach: Back to Basics in Strategic Planning, in Innovate Church, ed. Jonathan Falwell (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group), 117-130.
14. Ibid., 118.
15. Ibid.
16. Frances Adeney, Graceful Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), 18.
17. Ibid.
18. Rainer, Surprising Insights, 49.
19. Matt Willmington, Leading the Volunteer Family, in Innovatechurch, ed. Jonathan Falwell (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2008), 45-62.
20. Hemphill and Hemphill, Splash, 3.

The evolution of the concept of God and Gods nature is an important theological issue. In part II of his book on Christianitys history, Gonzalez (2010) explains that more modern understandings of God as a caring entity and humanitys father have been preceded by earlier concepts perceiving the Sun, which supports life, as a form of deity. The early Christian Church came to the realization of Gods multi-dimensional nature, including the Trinity doctrine, gradually and mainly emphasized Gods and Jesuss divinity without stating their oneness explicitly (Gonzalez, 2010). The opportunity for salvation and Gods impartiality in saving individuals was another point of philosophical development for the church. Particularly, the Christian Church has gradually expanded its understanding of Gods ability to grant salvation regardless of ones social status (Gonzalez, 2010). They claimed that wealthy individuals could be saved just like their poorer counterparts. This can be perceived as the realization of Gods love for everyone devoted to the avoidance of sin.

The early churchs methods to develop such understandings and declare them present another crucial research question. Such methods might include the leaders true devotion to the concept of an omniscient and omnipotent entity. It resulted in the inability to place human figures, even those with the noblest character, above God and the readiness to denote a clear hierarchy between the creator and the creation.

As for the involved methods, the conversion of Constantine to Christianity and his nephew Julians rise to power challenged church leaders to proclaim their priorities and opinions on Gods place above any human. Despite the associated risks, church leaders preferred to be open about Gods nature as an entity deserving their ultimate loyalty that outperformed the devotion to any leader, including emperors (Gonzalez, 2010, p. 148). Therefore, for church leaders, remaining firm in their priorities was a consciously selected strategy to avoid rhetorics that would make God the loyal helper of the powerful.

Reference

Gonzalez, J. L. (2010). The story of Christianity: The early church to the dawn of the reformation (Vol. 1, 2nd ed.). HarperOne.

When Gothic architecture first emerged in the 12th century, it made an immense impact on the popularization of faith and the attraction of new followers. Derived from the religious buildings of the Romanesque era, Gothic cathedrals were constructed specifically to represent the divine nature of God (Zhekova p. 18). For this purpose, the architects used innovative techniques to establish a brighter interior, have more light indoors, and create a sense of space (Zhekova p. 19). Namely, they utilized such techniques as pointed arches, large windows of stained glass, and rib vaults (Zhekova p. 19). All these methods implied the sense of divine light and closer connection of the followers to God. Additionally, the exterior and dimensions of the cathedrals were supposed to recreate the sacred feeling and become notable attractions of the cities. The large scale of the construction also allowed to accommodate the traveling pilgrims and mercenaries (Zhekova p. 20). As a result, Gothic cathedrals were constructed specifically to represent the concept of divine light, provide accommodation, and spread the Catholic faith.

Furthermore, the construction of the cathedrals played a vital role in the popularization of faith and the unification of followers as well. Gothic cathedrals united the people of various statuses and occupations in a communal effort to build and maintain the sacred place (Latham p. 8). Architects, faith leaders, and ordinary people contributed to the establishment of cathedrals either by creating the design or via individual donations (Latham p. 7). In this sense, people could feel their impact and personal connection to God through the common objective. Ultimately, both the construction process and the finished buildings represented the vast significance of faith and the Catholic Church during the medieval period.

Works Cited

Latham, Matthew. Gothic Cathedrals: A Shift in Christians Relationship with God. Young Historians Conference, 2019.

Zhekova, Marina. Gothic Architecture and Embellishment: A Luminous Shift Towards Divinity. HiPo: The Langara Student Journal of History and Political Science, vol. 1, 2018, pp. 18-26.

The practice of snake handling in churches is not a new tradition, and its emergence was underpinned by the spread of interpretations of the Bible. They were quite literal as the words They shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents were considered as a command to do so (Snake Handling Christians Obey the Bible). In this case, this approach was a myth, which allowed the followers to justify their actions and the extreme traditions, which are not safe for the Christians attending these meetings. Participating in them is a risk for people, which is confirmed by about a hundred deaths throughout the history of this practice (Snake Handling Christians Obey the Bible). Hence, the deadly obsession, which turned the religion into a cult, is a dubious way to view Gods teachings.

This myth spread by the church activists and pastors allowed others to believe that their actions correspond to fulfilling the will of God in the name of whom they are acting. The serpents take a central place in the Christian narrative while being associated with evil phenomena (Snake Handling Christians Obey the Bible). Nevertheless, the obedience deriving from the above myths is a subjective notion as it is solely underpinned by individual judgment based on sacred writings. From this point of view, snake handling for religious purposes supported by the generations of families believing in the feasibility of this practice is dangerous and unreasonable.

Work Cited

Snake Handling Christians Obey the Bible. YouTube, uploaded by Discern4Media, 2013.

Introduction

Leadership is a quality that people can be endowed with if they can manage other groups for development. In addition, leadership qualities are formed over a long period, thus becoming the result of a persons experience. Among leadership types, there is Servant Leadership, the essence of which is the leaders service to the people in his company/organization (Daft, 2018). This type of Leadership is among the most profitable for the company and the people when judged from moral duty. As a priest, Servant Leadership seems to be the most adapted to my work because my goal is to serve and help people. This research paper analyzes three main components: the Pastors relationship with Leadership, the purpose of Servant Leadership, and the personal qualities of the minister.

Regulation of the Management-Pastoral Relationship

Among all other aspects of relationship regulation, the pastoral Leadership and the problem of unity among the administration and the Pastor are worth highlighting. The emergence of spiritual Leadership provided fertile ground for the growth of churches and shaped notions of spiritual Leadership and church organization (Daft, 2018). It is worth noting that separating the administrative segment from the spiritual part is not uncommon, and unfortunately, conflicts arise. The result of excessive management control is a real problem with church volunteerism.

Control is a form of government that emphasizes subordination rather than mutual benefit and assistance. In cases of controlling relationships between Management and pastors, the latter often lose interest in spiritual Leadership. The priest should pay attention to spiritual growth and leadership formation because it promotes rapport with the laity and improves relationships with the church. Among all the other disadvantages of such a situation, emphasis should be placed on the decline in material support (e.g., parish shelters can help the homeless) and the risk of negative public attitudes.

Servant Leadership is a form of Leadership that does not allow for contact, so it is essential to form synergistic relationships. Servant Leadership makes it possible to organize the church to improve the spiritual connection between all people (Daft, 2018). Servant Leaders, that is, both the Leadership and the Pastor, will change the direction of the campaign: the first position will be firmly taken by seeing the real needs of parishioners and church workers. Such reform will spur the development of the church by providing a comfortable environment for all people.

In addition to the above, I would like to draw attention to the achievement of harmony. Faith unites people by becoming their spiritual guide and by forming righteous concepts in people. The goal of ministry is personal growth, healthy behavior patterns, and well-being without the benefit of the church or the priest personally. Confusing the concepts of submission and ministry is the erroneous assumption that individual leadership qualities are lost in a complete transition to Servant Leadership (Daft, 2018). This statement is fundamentally wrong because the Servant Leader gives freedom to his employees, thereby stimulating company growth from within and developing communication skills within the group. The spiritual duties include an individualized approach to each parishioner, as the primary goal is to provide help and moral support. So why would turning all divisions of the church toward Servant Leadership contribute to its decline? On the contrary, the synergistic relationship of the administrative segment and its involvement in spiritual enlightenment will open new avenues for development.

Thus, moving Management and Pastoral interaction away from controlling activities and toward a synergistic relationship is a way of implementing Servant Leadership. The disadvantages are the apparent butler/ruler relationship, leading to a misconception of spiritual administration among the laity (Daft, 2018). Forming relationships using the Servant Leadership system will broaden social attitudes about healthy attitudes toward faith and religion. In addition, synergistic relationships will promote personal and spiritual growth and the concept of empathic relationships with one another.

Purposes of Servant Leadership: Role in Achieving the Inner Harmony of the Church

Leadership ministry goes hand in hand with notions of the priests role in spiritual creation. While preaching love for people, the faith also teaches humility and understanding among people. People choose priestly paths for various reasons: some come after trying several approaches and finding themselves, while others define their lives at a young age. Nevertheless, accepting ones life purpose as serving God is right because it is a solid-willed decision.

Servant Leadership is a lifestyle where the priest focuses on the core concepts of faith, humility, love, understanding, and sense of self. According to Servant Leadership theory, a healthy attitude toward ones sense of self and place in the world is formed in ministry (Daft, 2018). In my professional life, I would like to pay attention to such aspects as promoting innovation and modern trends, testing employees capabilities, and ensuring the well-being of others. First, however, I would like to address the healthy patterns regulated in leadership ministry.

First, it is necessary to identify the goals for which leadership ministry is being developed. Chief among them is to raise authority, not with a leaders desire to seize power, but so that the figure is meaningful and one can turn to that person for support and advice. People who are just setting out on the path of faith or filled with doubts usually want answers to all questions. Consequently, the minister should turn his spiritual guidance to them and help resolve these peoples conflicts. For example, they are holding additional meetings or resolving civil issues. Other ministry goals include: encouraging expression, listening to those eager to be heard, empathy and sympathy (Daft, 2018). Priests and other church workers are guided by these principles every day, perhaps without evaluating their actions or thinking of its title.

Second, critical aspects of leadership ministry will allow for a healthy understanding of it. Concepts such as preparation and rehearsal are essential to the priest. In smaller churches, there are few congregants, so the minister can formulate issues in advance that require the support of a spiritual director (Daft, 2018). For example, worries about the epidemiological situation or difficulties with work/housing. In such a case, the Servant leaders role is to listen to people, convince them of the benefits that follow, and try to find a way to heal. The servant-leader disposes of himself, thereby becoming one as a whole, and the priest must communicate Gods will and help people. Thus, leadership ministry is not about oppressing the leader because he serves but rather about growing his personality because the Servant bears fruit.

Based on this concept of Leadership, I decided to be guided by these principles to understand the laity. I have outlined three primary goals for my ministry and the activities I will do in my environment. First of all, I will focus on innovations: the world is developing quickly, but one must not lose faith and keep up with the times. I want to understand the importance of conformity to the modern world and designate the proper moral boundaries and principles. Second, even if my path as a priest does not work out for some reason, I would still direct my activities in such a way as to empower my staff. It seems fitting to me to help people realize themselves and find their way. Third, my goal is to assure peoples well-being and assist all those in need as much as I can. Thus, leadership ministry is the most fitting and necessary path in my life.

A Demonstration of the Personal Qualities of a Priest According to Servant Leadership Theory

The theory of servant Leadership is based on the leaders help and the tremendous support of his staff. The same principles of the church can be applied to ministers and develop qualities that will contribute to spiritual growth. These qualities include both general moral principles and specific social skills. As a result of the harmonious alignment of all grades, the servant leader promotes the unification and cohesion of society.

Among all the professional qualities of a priest, we must highlight the main three: listening, empathy, healing. The work of a priest has much to do with the ability to listen to people and perhaps help them with advice. People often want to be heard, and it is the priests job to give them that chance. A confession or even a simple little talk is sure to help the person, and the priest will act as a helper in this situation and receive feedback in the form of support. Empathy is a quality that must be learned: it is difficult to empathize because it requires an emotional involvement in the problem. In addition, the principle of empathy is to listen, empathize, not judge, and be merciful, so a priest needs to acquire this quality. It is also worth paying attention to healing  in the priests case, it is both psychological help and actual help. The priest instructs people on the path of humility and service because it is to such people that God will be merciful and will certainly heal from spiritual groaning.

The development of such qualities in oneself often goes hand in hand with self-awareness and self-understanding. As a Servant leader, the priest needs to become aware of his ideals and principles, understand the intricacies of morality, and apply them to himself (Daft, 2018). The formation of a strong personality comes from within after awareness and acceptance of ones nature. Therefore, the qualities of conceptualization and foresight are also derived from self-awareness. Conceptualization makes it possible to approach decisions rationally, weigh them and assess the moral costs of their implementation. In addition, making plans and describing them in detail helps one understand the work structure. It is by looking at issues, in fact, from all angles that positively facilitates their implementation. From this quality comes foresight  the ability to assume several possible events and prepare oneself for additional difficulties. Ministry implies responsibility for all actions, so the minister must be aware of his influence on people and improve understanding.

I would also like to outline two qualities that must be carefully and wisely operated. First, there is the conviction that argumentation must always be genuine, based on personal observation and objective facts. Only then will there be a positive effect and a genuinely correct attitude to this or that problem. In addition, persuasion must be right, giving complete information about ones position: honesty and politeness in disputes are necessary for a leader (Daft, 2018). Second, stewardship: overusing ones status or position leads to unfavorable results. It isnt easy to be a good manager because it requires organizational experience and specific knowledge, but I think it is as a priest that I can get it.

In the end, I would like to outline the results I would like to arrive at as a priest. As a Servant leader, it is crucial to unite the community and form healthy relationships in it. It requires a focus on peoples growth and personal fulfillment and a wholehearted expression of support. Despite controversial and complex issues, building a society with the proper orientation and understanding of the principle of morality is one of the main tasks of the priests work.

Conclusion

Servant Leadership is a theory that is based on the exercise of service to support people. Leaders who choose to serve do not become servants literally, as their activities aim to improve cooperation and communication within the group. Moreover, servant leaders are usually well-liked and supported because they are genuinely interested in societys problems. Priests, myself included, should be guided by Servant Leadership principles because serving the people according to Gods laws is their primary activity. For a priest, the ministry is a way of learning and exercising qualities such as empathy and listening, healing and conviction, faith in spiritual and personal growth. Based on these qualities and serve as a life purpose, it is possible to regulate pastoral-management relationships and improve them. Thus, leadership service theory allows three primary spiritual motives to be captured at once: a commonality of right action, empathy, and commitment to humanity.

Reference

Daft, R.L. (2018). The leadership experience (7^th ed). Cengage Learning.