Cultivating Transformational Ministry Leadership

Cultivating transformational ministry leadership

Why this step is important: Leadership is crucial to the process of developing holistic outreach. Leaders provide guidance, discernment, spiritual oversight, accountability, continuity, administrative management, and above all, a hunger for justice and a passion for loving the lost in word and deed. Strengthen a commitment to holistic outreach among current church leaders, raise up new ministry leadership, and build a core leadership team who can help guide the church through a period of missional transformation.

How it is helpful: Church leaders can pave the way for outreach by guiding the church's vision and equipping its members for ministry. Leaders' support for new ministry projects helps ensure that ministry plans will be implemented. Cultivating a lay leadership team expands the base of support for holistic ministry; no ministry vision can thrive without the support and involvement of a core leadership team. A long-range strategy for mission transformation requires current leaders to identify and develop the next generation of ministry leadership.

Your church might benefit from this step if ... current church leadership does not support holistic ministry, lacks a specific vision for holistic ministry, or is not prepared to lead the church through change; church members who have commitment and vision for local ministry are not represented on official governing boards; holistic ministry is led entirely by church staff, with little or no lay involvement; there are not enough trained leaders to carry out planned mission projects; the church lacks any organized process for leadership development.