Leading With Purpose in a Christian Organization Research Paper

Introduction

Leadership principally entails influencing people towards a common objective. The rise or downfall of a ministry is usually attributed to the concept of leadership. Poor leadership basically causes the downfall of a ministry. On a similar account, effective leadership is an ingredient for the rise of a ministry. In any Christian organization, good leadership is paramount.

This is principally due to the fact that decisions that leaders make have impacts on the ministry. Such impacts can be either negative or positive depending on the frameworks of the leadership that was applied during the decision making process.

Everyone can be a leader regardless of the position he or she holds, it draws down to the decisions one makes and the role he or she plays in influencing others. In a Christian setting, it is imperative that the leadership approach should be based on the principles of Word of God and should specifically uphold a Godly standard towards the principle of effective leadership (Norma and Craig 56).

Activities

Vision

Through youth empowerment, the ministry shall be able to cultivate young visionary spiritual leaders. The ministry shall explore all the available youth leaders towards the realization of the just cause to continue upholding the word of God at all the service levels.

The youth ministry shall collaborate with other ministries to ensure there is a Godly leadership within the church. The youth ministry is responsible for upbringing the spiritual leadership within every believer in the ministry.

Reactions by the youth leadership towards the vision

The youth leadership team was positive towards the vision. It was of the general view that everybody had to demonstrate spiritual leadership at his/her capacity. From the perspective of the youth leadership team, they wanted the concept of spiritual leadership to contain an element of servant hood and demonstrative leadership.

Since the main goal of spiritual leadership is to draw individuals close to God, one of the approaches suggested was youth empowerment through the Word of God and basing on biblical principles. Another suggestion by the youth leadership team was the time frame for the vision. However, it was reached that the vision was not just like any other project, nurturing spiritual leaders requires ample time and patience.

To convince the youth leadership team to accept the vision was a significant challenge. I had to carry out discussion groups to illustrate to the team what were the elements of spiritual leadership, the various ways through which spiritual leadership can be instilled among the youths in the ministry and the responsibilities that everyone has a spiritual leader.

As a matter of fact, I had to make a few adjustments to original vision in order to gain support of the vision. One of the adjustments was through the inclusion of the phrase “through youth empowerment”. Youth empowerment entails using the teachings of God so that individuals can apply the biblical principles during their spiritual leadership tenure.

The significant source of resistance towards the acceptance of the vision was the fact that the vision laid more emphasis on the youth ministry, rather than the whole church. In order to challenge this resistance, I had to include collaborative efforts with other ministries in the church.

After a number of discussions with the youth leadership team, it was agreed that the goal of the vision was to bring individuals closer to God, and that the time frame for the realization of the vision was a prerogative of God.

Reactions of the Church leadership team towards the vision

The church leadership team was positive towards the vision. According to the Church leadership, there was a leadership vacuum in the church, and the vision presented an opportunity to prepare young leaders for spiritual leadership. For the rise of any ministry, spiritual leadership is a key requirement. Spiritual leadership is important if it is nurtured early enough among the youthful church members.

The church leadership team proposed that the vision be inclusive of the entire church members instead of focusing on the youth ministry. The church leadership team also proposed that the concept of spiritual leadership should be aimed at exploring the call for the youth to be leaders in the church.

According to the church leaders, spiritual leadership is a responsibility of every church member and therefore the vision should be extended to include all the other members of the congregation.

From the views of the church leadership and youth leadership, there was no need to make any major changes in the vision. The church leadership and the youth leadership team approved of the vision.

Evaluation of the activity

Date of Activity: 12^th January 2011- 15^th January 2011

Comments: the activity was positive, considering the fact that the youth leadership and the ministry leadership accepted the vision and agreed to support me in making sure that the vision was realized. The goal of the activity was realized.

Strategy

Strategy basically describes the plan of approach towards the realization of the vision. A strategy should be biblically based. Biblically based approach typically entails the application of biblical foundations when planning the strategy; which are described by the greatest commandment and the greatest commission (Norma and Craig 100). A spiritual leader must adopt a strategy that significantly uses the two ‘greats’.

The great commandment is vital in revealing to us what is important in life; love for God and love for others. The great commission reveals how the ministry is supposed to grow, basically through making disciples who in turn make disciples. The great commandment and the great commission provide a framework for which a strategy for the vision can be established.

The principle behind the strategy will be to influence people to be disciples under the kingdom of God (Norma and Craig 105). The challenge is the people who the vision is trying to reach. The strategy for this vision identifies the following potential audience:

Community students

This group includes teenagers who reside close to the church. Community students have one common characteristic among them; their lack of commitment in attending the church. This implies that their lives are not based on Godly principles. They constitute of the majority of the teenagers in the community, approximately 50 per cent.

Crowd students

This group includes teenagers who attend majority of the events that involve the youths during the weekend. Crowd students have a commitment in attending the church. They can be said to hearing about Christ. The percentage of crowd students in the community is approximately 30 per cent.

Congregation students

This group includes students who have a commitment with the church, they attend the church sermons and bible studies during the weekends. They can be said to have a relationship with Christ and other fellow Christians in the church. This category constitutes approximately 15 per cent.

Committed students

This category includes students who have a commitment in developing their spiritual lives. They can be said to be growing in Christ. The composition of committed students in the community includes approximately 5 per cent.

Core students

This category includes students who have grown in terms of their spiritual lives, and they have realized their spiritual talents which they are using to influence others to spiritual life. Others are in the youth leadership team.

They are actively involved in ministering the word of God to other students; they can be said to be serving the purpose of Christ, making disciples. This category has the lowest composition among the teenagers in the community. They approximate to about 3 per cent of the teenagers in the community.

The above statistics clearly depict the urgent need to minister the word of God in the community as majority of the teenagers have no commitment with either Christ or the church. Spiritual leadership is required in the area in order to make teenagers live a Godly life that is based on biblical principles. According to statistics, approximately 80 per cent of the target age comes from within my community.

The ministry does not reach all the youths in the community, this is probably due to lack of proper visionary frameworks in the community. The ministry can only reach for about 70 per cent of the youths in the community.

According this context and the considering the percentage of the target age which the ministry can reach, the following commitment levels are proposed.

Non-Christians teenagers

This category represents the teenagers who have no interest in church and the word of God. This is primarily due to lifestyle, family backgrounds regarding Christianity and their perceptions towards religion.

Non-committed Christian teenagers

This group represents teenagers who go to church but are not committed to upholding Christian values and principle. They attend the church due to pressure from their guardians or in case of a social youth event in the church.

Interested Christian teenagers

This category represents the teenagers who have a commitment of attending the church sermons at their own will, or probably due to being ministered by a spiritual leader. They participate in activities such bible studies and church activities that require participation of the youths such voluntary community work.

Growing Christian teenagers

This group includes teenagers who are in the process of developing and improving their lives with Christ and the church. They are in process of strengthening their faith in Christianity through constant consultation with their spiritual leaders and mentors.

Ministers

This group represents teenagers who are fully grown in Christ. They are committed to upholding Christian values and principles. They can be said to be spiritual leaders because they are constantly influencing other individuals to be close to God.

Current programs in ministering the word of God at the ministry

An effective strategy should cater for the needs of all the commitment levels as identified in the potential audience. The disciple making approach should incorporate different approaches to the different commitment levels.

The current program is divided into four basic steps, with each step tailored for a particular commitment level. The disciple making process basically includes: Win, Build, Equip and Multiply. The application of each phase depends on the level of commitment and the opportunities for drawing the youthful towards a Godly life.

The Win strategy is applied to the crowd and community students group because they have no idea of what Christianity entails; they are therefore in dire need of Jesus. The build strategy is deployed on the congregation students because they need to grow spiritually in their newly found faith to avoid backsliding.

The Equip strategy is employed on the committed students because they require adequate spiritual guidance so that they can be spiritual leaders. The multiply approach is used on the core students since the community needs more ministers and spiritual leaders.

Meeting with the youth leadership team concerning commitment levels

The meeting with the youth leadership team was scheduled on January 20^th 2011. The main agenda of the meeting was to give them an insight concerning the commitment levels of the target youths.

From their perspectives, trends of the commitment levels presented an opportunity to launch a vision that was directed towards drawing the youths closer to God. The youth leadership reported that they have been conducting monthly youth events in attempt to motivate the teenagers to attend the church sermons; the target being primarily the community students.

With respect to commitment levels, the youth leadership team had assigned spiritual leaders to minister to each commitment level. Once an individual had attained a core student commitment level, he was viewed as a spiritual leader to minister to their counterparts in the community and crowd commitment levels. The youth leadership team was of the view that one approach can not be applied to all the commitment levels.

This meant that each strategy had to be tailored to meet the requirements of a particular commitment level. Applying the same strategy to all the commitment levels would results in meeting the requirements of one particular commitment level at the same time overlooking the other.

For instance, one strategy could meet the needs of community and crowd students, and ignore the needs of the committed students. Each commitment level should therefore have a tailored approach that is able to cater for the needs of each commitment levels.

Planning session: developing the program and setting goals

The basic approach to the vision is win, build, equip and then multiply. Different strategies were established towards the different phases of the disciple making process. The proposed plan of approach is outlined below.

Win strategy

The win strategy will be applied to the community students and crowd students commitment levels. The win strategy basically involves getting the teenagers to show a commitment in attending the church sermons. Once they begin getting close to the church, it is important that strategies will be employed so that they do not get back to their ungodly lifestyle.

Since the aim is to get them to start attending the church and show commitment to the church, encouraging them to attend the youth events at the church will a kick start procedure, after which they will be ministered concerning the importance of upholding the Godly principles and maintaining a close relationship with God.

Consistent teaching will be used to retain them in the ministry and to encourage them to continue living a Godly life.

Build strategy

The build strategy is directed towards teenagers in the congregation students commitment level. The objective of the build strategy is to help congregation students to continue holding on to the new found faith.

This will be achieved through consistent teachings and testimonials by the spiritual leaders. Constant monitoring and consultation with their spiritual leaders is vital in ensuring that the newly converted continue to uphold their Christian values.

Equip strategy

The equip strategy is directed towards the commitment students. The equip strategy is primarily meant to prepare the commitment students to begin ministering to other people.

One of the most important equip strategy that will be employed will be consistent consultation with the commitment students and providing them with the basics of spiritual leadership. The commitment students require being equipped with spiritual leadership skills in order for get ready to minister to teenagers in the crowd and community students commitment levels.

Multiply strategy

The multiply program is majorly focused on the core students. The goal of multiply strategy is increase the number of ministers who can be able to make Disciples of Christ.

The core students are supposed to minister serve as spiritual leaders in the community. The main program that will be implemented during the multiply strategy will be to carry out leadership sessions on how to minister to the community in order to bring more teenagers closer to God.

List of programs

Current programs that are working well

The programs that are being implemented on the build and equip strategy seem to be fruitful. The significant successful programs include: consistent teaching and testimonials, and provision of spiritual and disciple making basics to the committed teenagers

Current programs that do not work and fit well within the commitment levels

The current programs that are not bearing any fruits are the programs that are being implemented at the multiply strategy, basically because rate of making disciples in the ministry is stagnant. The core students are not ministering to the community effectively to bring more teenagers close to God. Another program that is not consequently working well is the program implemented on the win strategy.

The community teenagers are attending the church sermons but loose interest after a short time. This is so primarily because the win strategies do not meet their needs so that they hold on to their commitment of attending church sermons.

Proposed new programs

The proposed new programs are meant to eliminate the lack of progress in the disciple making process at the ministry. The new programs are based on effective spiritual leadership principles. The proposed programs include: encouraging youth participation in community youth events at the church in order to increase the interest of the community and crowd students in the church and living a life based on Godly principles.

The current programs that are not working will be revisited in order to evaluate the reason behind the lack of progress. After the evaluation, they will be integrated into the proposed new programs for implementation.

The church has sufficient leaders who are capable of making the program work with a goal of making more disciples for Christ. The challenge is making sure that the leadership team is fruitful in bringing more teenagers close to God.

As part of the leadership team, I will make sure disciples are being produced through focusing on the multiply strategy, more disciple makers are required for the programs to be effective and facilitate the realization of the goal. Constant evaluations on the progress will also be a priority that will be aimed at measuring the rate of the progress.

Resources needed for effective implementation of the programs

The effective implementation of the programs only requires spiritual leaders and the relevant literature materials. Spiritual leaders have the responsibility to minister to the crowd and community students. During the process of ministering, they will require resources such as literature to help them in ministering.

Literature may include materials such brochures which talk about the importance of maintaining a relationship with Christ. Other materials required during the ministering process include leaflets which contains the details such as the church location, order of the services and the prayer days and important contact. The following will lead the various plans:

1. Brother Patrick, who is the youth ministry chairman, will be in charge of the ministering to the crowd and community students plan. This is due to his long time service in the youth ministry.
2. Pastor Marvin, who is a member of the church leadership team, will be in charge of build strategy. This is due to his experience in ministerial services and theological background.
3. Brother Kevin, who is a member of the youth leadership team, will be in charge of equipping the committed students. This role was given to him since he is the youth counselor and he has demonstrated effective leadership while ministering the youth.
4. I will be in charge of multiplying strategy.

Evaluation of the activity

Date of activity: 15^th January 2011-22^nd January 2011

Comments: The planning activity was a success; I managed to establish planning sessions and learnt a few insights from the youth leadership team. The main objective of the activity was realized.

Goals

Setting goals is an important aspect of the disciple making process. The goals should be based on the frameworks of the vision. The measurement of the set goals are used to evaluate whether the vision is being realized or not. The goals for this vision are outlined below

1. To release many ministers as possible to the crowd and community students so as to bring the teenagers close to God. The process is based on the principle: Disciples who make disciples who make disciples… The process of disciple making is continuous and never stops. The process is best illustrated in figure below.
   
2. To facilitate spiritual growth among the teenagers in the church. Spiritual health is based on constant spiritual teachings and biblical principles. Spiritual growth is a key requirement for spiritual leadership.
3. To increase the participation of the teenagers in the youth ministry in the various events at the church, both at the service and community level. Spiritual leadership is based servant hood and demonstrative leadership. The youth ministry therefore has the responsibility of serving both the community and the church.

Measurement of the above goals

Measurement of goals is primarily aimed evaluating if the vision has been achieved (Norma and Craig 150). One of the ways through which the goals will be measured is through evaluating the increase in the number of teenagers who are showing a commitment to the church and are interested in growing their spiritual lives.

An increase depicts that the vision is being attained. The participation of the youth in various activities at the church will be another parameter that will be used to evaluate the realization of the vision.

Evaluation of the activity

Date of activity: 15^th January 2011-22^nd January 2011

Comments: The activity was a milestone in the process of implementation of the vision. I had to evaluate how the ministry relates with the community around.

Presentation Of The Planning Report To The Supervisor

The detailed planning report was presented to the supervisor for evaluation. The supervisor was positive with the planning report concerning the planning and strategy towards the realization of the vision. The supervisor was of the view that dividing the youths according to the commitment levels and evaluating their needs was an effective approach towards the realization of the vision.

He suggested that the emphasis was to be laid on the crowd and community students and the core students since they complete and begin the cycle of disciple making process. The supervisor was willing to offer support to the vision where necessary.

The supervisor suggested appropriate plans were to be laid down concerning the plan strategy. He said that it is not easy to uphold a newly found faith by oneself, the congregation students required spiritual support and advice concerning how difficult and challenging it is to be a Christian, especially if one has just been transformed from an earthly life.

In conclusion the supervisor suggested that the effective approach was to release more ministers as possible back to the community and the crowd students.

Evaluation of activity

Date of activity: 22^nd January 2011

Comments: The supervisor was positive towards the vision for the ministry. This was a key milestone towards the implementation of the vision.

Change Leadership

Vision for change

Changing people and contexts requires implementation of appropriate changes due to the fact that what is working out today might not work out in future. The purpose of effective leadership is to effect change in a manner that the people he led follow. In effecting change, a leader must have a clearly stated purpose behind the implementation of change. The approach to implementing change in a ministry includes:

1. Forming a clear vision; a vision is the starting point for implementing change in a ministry. The vision should be clearly stated communicated to the respective members of the ministry. In formulating the vision for change, I had to carry out the following steps.

1. Evaluate my attitude towards the vision for change; the vision for change was a God’s will and it was based on glorifying God and being obedient to Him. The change was not ego-driven but aimed at glorifying the almighty God. This revelation had to come through consistent communication with God through prayers.
2. Painting a clear picture; I was convinced that it was the will of God to instill change in the ministry. The change was regarding the leadership of the ministry. Currently, people in the church leadership consist of majorly the old aged. The change was aimed at giving the youthful a chance in the ministry leadership team. The youth should be given a chance to explore their leadership abilities at all levels. The ministry requires effective service of the youths at all levels. The outcome of integration of the youth in the leadership framework of the ministry is that the youth will be able to nurture their spiritual leadership, for the good of the ministry as a whole. The goal of the change is to provide more effective spiritual leadership approach to the ministry.

Testing my vision for change; testing my vision for change involved sharing the vision with at least four people from the church setting

Their opinions and insights were put into consideration, and necessary changes in the vision were incorporated

1. Meeting with the pastor; the pastor was supportive towards the vision for change, and agreed that the youth too should form part of the ministry leadership and be allowed to offer service to the ministry at all levels possible.
2. Meeting with the ministry leadership team; the team was supportive towards the vision. However, they proposed that only the youths who have demonstrated effective spiritual leadership qualities will be given a chance to lead. They concluded that they waited for God’s revelation concerning the vision for change.
3. Meeting with the most trustworthy parent; my trustworthy parent agreed to support the vision for change in the ministry and agreed pray for the vision.
4. Meeting with the most trustworthy student; the student agreed to offer prayer support towards the vision for change at the ministry.

Planning the change; it is important to the change due to the impacts it has on the programs of the ministry and the personnel at the ministry

I had to evaluate the nature of the impact on the personnel, the structures and the programs of the ministry so that the change can be implemented effectively. The following is analysis of the plan for the vision for change.

1. The change had a great impact, especially on the personnel and structure at the ministry. In order to accommodate the youth leaders in the ministry leadership, there was need to create more leadership positions, and or replace youth leaders with the already existing leaders.
2. The only skills required for implementation of this change are spiritual leadership skills.
3. The resources for implementation of change at the ministry are available. There were enough office spaces for the new leadership posts to be created.
4. The vision for change will have an impact on the youth ministry and the overall structure of the ministry, especially in terms of ministry leadership team.
5. The personnel affected will be assigned ministerial duties in accordance to their preference. The support of those affected will be gained through consistent communication to them concerning the importance of change in the ministry.
6. The implementation of the change significantly depends on the support of the youth leadership team and the ministry leadership team.

Communicating the change; effective leaders do not stop communicating change. The following avenues will be used to communicate the vision for change

1. Through small groups which consists of influential individuals such as influential parents, students or leaders. After winning their support, I will appeal to them to begin influencing other members of the ministry.
2. Use all the available channels to communicate the change.
3. Creating the readiness for change; change only takes place when people change also. In order to prepare the people of ministry for change, I will continually highlight to them the benefit of the change, and clearly state the purpose of implementing the change. I will constantly remind them that the change is God’s purpose for the ministry.

Measuring the success of the change; the basic parameter that will be used to measure the success of the vision for change at the ministry will be an increase in the number of youthful leaders serving in the ministry leadership team

Another way of measuring the success of the change will be through evaluating the success of the youthful leaders serving in the ministry.

Evaluation of the activity

Date of activity: 23^rd January 2011.

Comments: Through prayer and counsel, God’s revelation for change at the ministry was revealed. I had to ask for prayer supports in order for the vision to be a success.

Work Cited

Norma, Everist and Nessan Craig. Transforming Leadership: New Vision for a Church in Mission. New Jersey: Fortress Press, 2008.