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Philosophy of Leadership Development
Global LEAD Alliance sees Christian leadership development as a specific and deliberate process of equipping disciples of Jesus Christ to be effective change agents in their spheres of influence. Leaders are ultimately servants, first of all serving God and then serving His people in the world. Leadership development flows out of discipleship, the process of becoming Christ-like in heart, motivation, character and relationships. Leaders are disciples who develop themselves and are called to a higher level of influence than others. Jesus’ commission was to make disciples; however, His disciple-making process developed effective leaders that changed the world. We are called to do the same.
Leadership development is a process, not an event. Events are useful in this process but cannot replace a lifelong journey of growth as a leader. We choose to use the word “development” rather than “training” to reflect this distinction.
Leadership development has a purpose: to speed the fulfillment of the mission of Jesus. Strong leadership is needed in the church if we will reach the billions who are still waiting to hear the Good News we possess.
Leadership development has a specific focus: helping persons lead more effectively. Much training being done is called “leadership training.” Indeed, many current and future leaders experience various kinds of academic or technical training. However, they are not necessarily being trained in character, the skills of leadership, or how to influence others to enthusiastically work towards a common goal. Our observation is that in many parts of the world, Biblical knowledge or technical information has been the primary focus with the assumption that this qualifies a person to lead.
We believe Christian leadership development includes life transformation encompassing all three essential areas: character, knowledge, and leadership skills. We represent this as a three-legged stool with Christ at the center.
Character
Christ-like leaders demonstrate a lifestyle of consistent integrity. Character and integrity are foundational in the life of a credible leader. Character is the sum total of the moral qualities that define a person’s life and is foundational to leadership. Character sustains leadership by providing credibility and trust. When a leader demonstrates a lifestyle of consistent integrity, lifestyle of consistent integrity, people more enthusiastically follow. Credible leadership begins on the inside and flows outward. Character thus shapes the motives and call of a leader in profound ways that greatly determines effectiveness.
Effective leaders develop Christ-like character as they grow in five key areas:
- Intimacy with Jesus - Developing a deep, personal relationship with Christ
- Leading with the heart of Jesus - Incorporating Jesus' model of servant leadership into everyday practice
- Family Life - Establishing a strong foundation for leading others
- Attitude - Creating the environment from which a leader influences
- Integrity - Building character and trust
Knowledge
Christ-like leaders possess knowledge that enables them to serve as influencers in all walks of life. This knowledge encompasses several areas:
- Scripture - Provides a foundational and growing understanding of the Bible and ability to correctly interpret and apply the scriptures
- Self - Empowering the leader to embrace his/her own strengths and weaknesses and affirm the gifts of others
- Vocation - Equipping the leader to recognize his/her work as the call of God and to do it with excellence
- Leadership principles - Allowing the leader to develop as an influencer instead of protecting a position
- The impact of leadership in fulfilling the Great Commission - Enabling the leader to understand the critical role of leaders in carrying out the Great Commission
Skills
Leaders have the ability to influence others to enthusiastically work towards a common goal. These skills are based on Biblical principles but are distinct from the knowledge mentioned above. Leadership skills are applicable in a broad range of vocations and complement vocational training. For example, a teacher must possess a basic understanding of the subject matter and know how to teach. However, this does not make the teacher an effective leader. The same is true for a church leader who has Biblical knowledge and good theological training. This does not ensure that he/she will be an effective leader in the church.
The skills of leadership include a wide range of learned abilities in areas such as:
- Leading self - Building the foundation from which leading others flows
- Relating to others - Allowing the leader to build relationships
- Leading change - Enabling the leader to accomplish God's vision
- Equipping others - Allowing the leader to multiply him/herself
- Building effective teams - Increasing the leader's ability to accomplish the goal
Our belief is, therefore, that leadership development is an ongoing process of equipping disciples to become Christ-like, having a healthy balance of character, knowledge, and skills with the goal of building the church and reaching those who have never heard the Good News of Jesus.
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