Leadership Development equips churches and ministry teams to identify, train, and empower leaders for long-term discipleship and mission. Explore practical, Bible-based resources on mentoring, coaching, apprenticeships, and building leadership pipelines for elders, staff, and volunteer leaders. You’ll find guidance on cultivating character, clarifying competencies, delegating responsibility, and creating a healthy culture where leaders grow and multiply. Whether you’re developing emerging leaders, strengthening current leadership, or building a repeatable process for your church, these articles help you invest in people who can faithfully lead in Jesus’ name.
Christian leadership isn’t just strategy or skill—it’s a matter of the heart. Through David’s story, this article warns against pride, highlights humility, and calls leaders to remember that God, not the gifted, is the source of true leadership.
April 25, 2007
Three excerpts from Christian Standard bloggers challenge leaders to confront reality, call the church to pray for revival, and reflect on the growing urgency to lead in ways that matter now and for eternity.
April 22, 2007
Why do newcomers and long-term rural residents clash in local churches? This article explores agrarian and cosmopolitan differences—from success and planning to meetings and relationships—and offers practical ways leaders can ease friction and encourage healthier church life.
April 18, 2007
Tom Ellsworth urges patient, listening-first leadership when guiding change in smaller churches. Mark A. Taylor introduces a book excerpt on helping town and country congregations respond faithfully to demographic shifts and unchosen change.
When ministers fall, the question returns: where is accountability? This reflection explores how plans can fail, why a weekly confessor matters, and how honesty—one week at a time—keeps a vulnerable heart away from the edge.
April 15, 2007
Kent Fillinger urges church leaders to move past “dysfunctional politeness” by setting clear expectations, monitoring results, and evaluating ministry programs so churches can adjust and bear fruit.
April 1, 2007
What makes a leader’s work endure? This article challenges the church to raise up “Timothies” who will carry the gospel forward—because there is no success without a successor.
March 18, 2007
Using a coaching metaphor, Jim Putman urges church leaders to equip believers for ministry and prioritize disciple-making over spectator Christianity—developing leaders from within so the whole body works together.
A Sunday school convention conversation prompts a searching question: do ministers truly “seek the Lord” amid relentless demands? Mark A. Taylor reflects on vocational ministry’s pressures—and the quiet danger of being consumed by the work.
January 28, 2007
Three leadership models shape today’s church, but only one is biblical. Randy Gariss contrasts storefront and foreman approaches with shepherding—personal pursuit, prayer, compassion, and responsibility for God’s people.
January 20, 2007
By Victor M. Parachin In 1964 as Winston Churchill”s health was rapidly declining, former President and World War II Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower visited his friend. Eisenhower sat by the former prime minister”s bed for a lengthy period of time. Neither man spoke. After a while, Churchill slowly raised his hand and painstakingly made the “V” for victory sign, which he was well known for, often flashing it to the British people during the darkest days of World War II. Eisenhower, fighting back tears, stood up, saluted Churchill, and left the room. Composing himself, Eisenhower spoke to his aide in
January 6, 2007
A leadership lesson from an elderly worshiper highlights why strong leaders handle problems so congregations can worship. The article outlines a shepherd’s responsibilities—lead, guide, feed, and protect—and calls church members to submit to spiritual leadership.
December 31, 2006
Jesus chose imperfect people and shaped them into leaders. This article explores the qualities he modeled and sought—humble service, compassion, discernment, prayer, action, delegation, and courage—for leaders serving the local church today.
November 19, 2006
A pastor reflects on the hidden danger of people-pleasing in leadership and the temptation to make decisions by popular opinion. Looking to Moses, he urges leaders to pay attention to God’s voice and remember their call.
November 8, 2006
Veteran minister Charles Cook reflects on what strengthens a church, how leaders grow, and why family stability matters. He also shares lessons from missions work and how suffering reshaped his priorities.
October 22, 2006
Stephen Bond reflects on training for and completing a 2.7-mile open-water swim across Donner Lake—and the leadership lessons it reinforced about big goals, preparation, opposition, mindset, and realizing untapped potential.
September 10, 2006
Church peace is not the absence of trouble. This article equips leaders to prepare for disputes with humility, Matthew 18 wisdom, and practical steps that model reconciliation for the sake of the gospel.
August 6, 2006
Jeff Krajewski reflects on Paul’s counsel to Timothy, apologizes for youthful arrogance, and invites older and younger leaders to pursue humility and unity as the church navigates change together.
Psychologist James Prochaska’s “stages of change” framework—first observed in how smokers quit—offers churches a practical way to understand denial, intention, planning, action, and the ongoing work of maintaining change.
Debbie Jones reflects on her calling to ministry, the expectations women often face, and the ways churches can encourage women to develop and use their gifts to build up Christ’s church.
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