Beeley, C. A. (2009). Theology and Pastoral Leadership. Anglican Theological Review, 91(1), 11-30
Beeley makes the argument that theology lies at the center of Christian leadership. It sites early theologians from the past, later theologians in the Anglican and other traditions. The author provides the relationship between theology and practicalities of leaders work, the ministry of the word, pastoral interpretation of Scripture, and the regular study of the work of Christian leadership. He points out in the article that pastoral leadership is a metaphor for all of the church 's leadership which includes the laity. The church is led by pastors, deacons, and some laity that all work together to be ministers of the gospel in the world.
Personal Reflection
From this article, I gained a greater understanding of the practical application of theology in leadership. The author makes the points that it is a mistake to believe that the more something is theological makes it less practical. From the time of the first century, church leaders have had a practical application for their theology. The author notes that Bible study provides for Christian growth, and effective Christian leadership is the direct consequence and the goal of biblical covenants from the time of Christ to the second coming. The chief function of Christian leadership is to guide believers through their ongoing transformation to sanctification, and strong pastoral leadership requires a lifetime of prayerful
Countries disintegrate, place of worship and corporation fail, people become dysfunctional, descendants lose their direction, and mankind drift from God on behalf of one distracting reason; insufficiency of leadership. These disappointments are often for the reason that of the deficiency of instruction, appropriate leadership, and misperception on what Christian leadership subsists and exactly how that leadership is pertinent to every component of professional and personal life. From a Christian worldview perspective, Psalm 112:5 explains, “A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion” (NKJ). A Christian manager should always keep in mind that bounteousness and admiration for God, demonstrates that one has placed trust in Him, and not our material possessions.
Atkinson (2014) believes effective leadership displays, “No person is less divine than another, and therefore no person is less than another” (p. 145). Throughout the bible, there are many people in scripture that God placed in leadership roles. Jesus, David, Moses, Paul, Peter, Abraham and many others are some of those leaders. There are core attributes discussed in the lecture that personally reflect my opinion of what an effective leader of Christ needs such as, a shared vision, model of the way, empowerment of others, challenge of the process, and encouragement of the heart.
Both Baxter and Witmer, in their books “The Reformed Pastor”,” The Shepherd Leader”, argue about how to be a good leader in a biblical way for Maturate Pastoral Ministry. While Baxter is describing from his own point of view, Witmer harmonizes with Baxter including other points. Firstly, in this essay, we will Compare and contrast Timothy Witmer’s framework for leadership with his “old shepherd friend” Richard Baxter in The Reformed Pastor (1657)
One of the most shocking statistics noted in Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good by Amy Sherman is that if one attends church on a weekly basis, they spend 5 percent at most of their waking hours at church. The other 95 percent are spent out in the world. This illustrates the importance of why this book matters. Sherman starts off by setting the tone for readers – she gives a background as to why she found it necessary that she write this book – and how she read a book by Michael Lindsey in which he discussed research of prominent evangelical business leaders and how their faith impacts their behaviors and decisions at work. A few stood out, while the rest stated they kept a Christian plaque in their office or wore a cross around their neck. They did not fulfill their religious identity in conjunction with their careers. There was a complete disconnect between the two sectors of their lives, and Sherman recognized that. Kingdom Calling is a guidebook for anyone who has ever been concerned about living a divided life – especially for pastors and religious leaders, but for lay people and congregation members as well. In Kingdom Calling, Sherman sets up a three-part framework on how to grow and empower a congregation, a specific group in the church, or a single member.
Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, showcase many qualities that any person in a position of leadership should have. Whether this is someone who is starting out in ministry, holds a position in a church, or even the ordinary Christian, Paul demonstrates qualities that every follower of Christ is called to practice. Believers should be people willing to strengthen and improve their character, and Paul provides the necessary tools in his letter to the Corinthians. Looking further into the qualities and characteristics of a leader, this paper will focus on how Paul utilizes them or encourages the church of Corinth to do so.
Aubrey Malphurs takes the definition of leadership and turns it up another notch. Leaders just don’t have influence over the people they lead. They use their influence “to influence people in a particular context to pursue their God-given direction”.[1] In other words, it is the church leadership’s job to help the people they lead to see God and His work in their lives, to understand their purpose,
The United States know Jim Cymbala as the very successful preacher of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a megachurch of over ten thousand people. Under the leadership of Reverend Cymbala, the church has grown from less than twenty people in 1972 into the enormous congregation it is today. Out of the same congregation, Jim Cymbala and his wife have fostered the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, “the 280-voice choir, which for the most part is composed of vocally untrained church members, has recorded three videos, three DVDs and numerous albums, winning five Dove Awards and six Grammy Awards.” Jim Cymbala defines leadership. Under his wing, evangelism and revival have stormed Brooklyn and overwhelmed the people with the love of God. By examining the life of this renown reverend, one can better understand how to practically apply leadership techniques and strategies in every aspect of the leader.
Visioneering is a vital part of success to every leader who assumes influence to a church. Researchers such as Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development (FASICLD) and National Church Life Survey has been conducting surveys of church growth and leadership development to churches which in this research will be tackled the integral part of a leader’s vision as significant factor of a successful leadership in evangelical churches. This study investigates the effect of framing urgent need for vision in successful leading evangelical churches. We will be tracing the outcome of a leader who is a vision driven in relationship to a significant growth in churches in terms to its numerical goal, future direction, and mission. How does visioneering affects an evangelical church to fulfill what was commissioned to them? This review will exclude steps on how to be successful visionary leaders. This will not also explore leadership principles that will apply in creating visions which are most effective and relevant to every evangelical church. The intentions of this research will focus on visioneering as fundamental factor of leadership success.
Leading others can be challenging and the search for an ideal, multi-purpose leadership method has been in progress since human beings first began to organize into groups. Christian leaders have the added dimension of seeking to utilize leadership methods that support the values of their faith. Many have looked to theology for leadership direction, using their understanding of God as a foundation for leadership theories and behavior. One such theology of leadership presents God as the Master of all leadership methods inviting humanity to become like Him. The following is a discussion of two historical leaders and an analysis of their leadership methods followed by a presentation of the author’s personal theology of leadership.
In the following paragraphs, I’m going to compose a brief leadership manifesto of what Christian leadership means and, more specifically, what it may means to my life and career. A significant aspect of my statement would include reflection on Perkins and Gordon’s book, Leadership Revolution.
Section two emphasizes Matching Leaders and Ministry Opportunities: Options. This section points out the four styles which are characteristic of leaders. The Catalyst Leader helps to create atmosphere where positive goals are reached and people are built –up. The Commander Leader expects others to follow. The Encouraging Leader emphasizes relationships more than mission. The Hermit Leaders are uncomfortable with people and goals. The leadership triangle provides three elements for interaction within the congregation. The three elements are a preferred and comfortable leader style; the comfortable relational style of the followers, and the productively structured ministry. Dale concludes this section by exemplifying the four models of leadership
Leadership in the missional church can be instrumental in creating an environment where all people in the community “all owned the community.”(Bolger, 203). An emerging church requires leadership to foster an egalitarian point of view towards its community of members because this promotes an environment where people can feel they are productive, contributing and making a difference for their missional community. According to Bolger, “When leadership is
"And the winner is…” Much of life involves competition of some sort. Candidates compete in athletic events, educational competitions such as spelling bees, or for seeking that next job which offers a higher salary and better benefits. In recent decades, the field of leadership has seen similar efforts. The idea of leadership is not a new one, however a number of models have been proposed with the hope that a more effective system might be found. Of course the circumstances and dynamics of each situation are unique. Consequently, finding the most appropriate leadership model for any particular structure requires a careful analysis. The three leadership models considered were: the
A philosophy of strategic leadership for a church congregation or a church affiliated organization must give a definition that contributes to three entities, the community, the local church body and the advancement of the Kingdom of God. The philosophy, plan or process will be for naught, if not founded on biblical principals to
Another concern for the 21st century church is the vacuum of leadership, and to be more exact, transformative leadership that will make a difference. Powers and Roberson wrote, “As church leaders and as transformational leaders, our task is to make the church a transformistic organization.” The need for this type of leadership is exacerbated in a climate of mistrust and cynicism that often fills the airways and Internet. The importance of transformational leadership is connecting