Leadership Development

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.

October 19, 2008

Christian Standard

It”s Harder to Do than to Talk About

By Chuck Sackett After nearly 25 years training preachers at a Christian college, I returned to the local church to discover ministry is a lot harder to do than it is to talk about. I thought I had done a good job of staying in touch with the church. (I”m convinced most Bible college and seminary professors believe that.) I preached nearly every weekend, served in my local congregation, met with and sought to learn from local ministers, and attended and taught at various conferences. And still, full-time service in the local church proved to be a lot harder than

October 5, 2008

Christian Standard

Raising Up the Next Generation of Genuine Leaders

By John Derry   Sociologists have identified certain characteristics associated with contemporary generations, differences church leaders will find helpful as they seek to resolve conflict and bring generations together to achieve common goals. One generation is not better or worse than another. They are just different, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.   DIFFERENT GENERATIONS The Silent Generation or “Tradition-alists” (born between 1925 and 1946) lived through the Great Depression and World War II and experienced the postwar boom in America. They are known for loyalty, a strong work ethic, respect for authority, and resistance to change. They are

September 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Just Asking: Five Questions for the Restoration Movement

By Jim Tune I shouldn”t be writing this article. I”ve never seen myself as a poster boy for the Restoration Movement. I”ve never been much of a joiner of causes. My early days as a preacher were marked by zeal for the ministry but ambivalence toward the movement. I”ve changed a lot. This will sound decidedly uncool to my church planting peers, but the Restoration plea as first envisaged by men like Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, and Barton Stone actually quickens my pulse these days. I”ll be the first to admit that the vision for unity around simple

August 24, 2008

Christian Standard

Especially in Bible Translation . . . Close Only Counts . . .

By Jeff Miller The list usually begins with horseshoes, followed by a couple clever additions. Thankfully, however, no one has proposed Bible translation as an area where “close only counts.” Indeed, problems with the details of a translated text can nudge a reader off course to the point that accurate understanding is all but impossible. Many Christians and many congregations are engaged in discussions about women in ministry and leadership. While some disagreement is inevitable, we all agree the Bible should drive these discussions. The accuracy of our English Bibles is therefore at the heart of the matter. How can

August 3, 2008

Christian Standard

Questions for Servant-Leaders

By Mark Wesner Editor”s note: The following questions were distributed as a self-examination exercise at an elders and staff retreat sponsored by First Christian Church, Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. We believe they”re good for servant-leaders everywhere to consider. Spiritual Growth. In what way(s) are you more like Jesus today than you were one year ago? “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness,

July 20, 2008

Christian Standard

Changing the Way We Do Church

By Darrel Rowland About a year ago the founder of one of the most influential churches in modern American history confessed a need for repentance. But Bill Hybels wasn”t adding his name to the list of those succumbing to moral failures. Instead, he admitted that despite Willow Creek Community Church”s worldwide influence and 21,000 weekly attendees spread across four campuses, the church had failed. How so? By not equipping its members to become mature Christians. STALLED OR DISSATISFIED Using techniques borrowed from sophisticated consumer studies, Willow”s leaders discovered they were doing well meeting the needs of those exploring Christianity and

June 22, 2008

Christian Standard

Who Am I?

By Chuck Sackett It happened to me again . . . another noun. We don”t use nouns much at our place. It”s mostly verbs. We like actions. We shy away from titles. So, I”m not “the preacher”; I”m “responsible for preaching.” But not everyone relates to that. And certainly not everyone is satisfied with that. They want a title. “Tell me who you are.” “What do they call you here?” It”s been so prevalent over the years I”ve kept track of much of what I”m called. Some of these titles are usable in a Christian publication; the rest I”ll refrain

October 7, 2007

Kevin Stone

church leadership internships

Cultivating Church Leadership Through Internships

Church leadership internships: How internships can help churches raise up leaders from within As churches grow, leadership gaps can stall momentum. This article explains how one church developed a practical, step-by-step approach to identify potential leaders, disciple them, and progressively increase responsibility through internships. The goal is to cultivate gifts and build a healthy leadership pipeline from within the congregation. Identify leaders early and build intentional pathways for development. Use internships to formalize responsibility and increase accountability. Create a clear process that moves people from volunteer roles toward staff roles. By Kevin Stone As Christ’s Church of the Valley’s executive

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