Leading the faith community

1. Leading the faith community A BIBLICAL PRIMER (5)

2. Leadership Review & Assessment Keeping Focused & Leading Well

3. Accountability Relationships I am accountable to Christ and to His Church: in what ways is this accountability seen and shown and felt? Who are those to whom I report most regularly, and how do they help to shape my life and ministry? What kinds of accountability groups or systems hold my doctrine and life in realistic assessment on a regular basis and help me function as a healthy or healing person rather than as an unhealthy or morally-compromised individual? How am I being faithful to my family and friends, and who helps me check on these relationships? Who are those who report to me in ministry settings? How do I help to develop appropriate relationships of both personhood and authority? What systems are in place to restrain inappropriate behaviors, and encourage healthy systems functioning? Who writes reports to whom, and what oral reports are made, and how are these given credence in the church’s life and memories?

4. Review Regimens How clear is my position description? How often is it reviewed by me and by others? How accurate is it to who I am and what I believe I am called to do? How can it be changed as my leadership tasks shift? Who is responsible for these things, and who assists in making it happen? How are other position descriptions adopted, reviewed and changed? What is my role in these matters? How are others who share in ministry leadership guided to greater expression of their gifts, passions, and ministry mandates? What periods of probation are in place and why? What reviews help to make these positive times of ministry investment rather than fearful times of judgment? How are the tools of ministry reviews renewed and updated over the years to make them more effective? Who is responsible for this? What is the reporting system that creates a helpful performance memory or file, and how is this used to reward strong leadership initiatives, or monitor leadership failings or indiscretions?

5. Assessment Tools and Outcomes What ministry leadership assessment tools are available, and who looks for them? How is the “Personnel Task Force” created, to whom is it responsible, and how are its members selected and rotated? Who is primarily responsible for my oversight, and what tools are used in that process? What are legitimate assessment outcomes and what are not? What expectations are set in the process, and which are legitimate? What growth tools, incentives, rewards, restrictions and punishments are appropriate for the leadership reviews made? How should these be assessed? Who is responsible for them? How are they to be monitored? What opportunities for skills enhancement and career development are in place? How should they be used? What will make them more effective?

6. Paul’s Encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5: 12-24) Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.  Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.  May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.