Building Church Leaders

Theme 1: Assessing Church Needs

Assessing Church Needs will help your leaders accurately appraise various aspects of your church. In the interview handout out with Kennon Callahan, nationally know church consultant, he explains clearly how to match the strengths of your church with key objectives to move ahead. This interview will generate a productive discussion that will bring change to your church. Other dynamic contributions to this theme are Eugene Peterson on “The Success of Failure” and Leith Anderson on how your leaders can be “Wise to the Times.”

Theme 2: Character of a Leader

This theme begins with the riveting interview on integrity with Chuck Swindoll, veteran pastor and seminary president. In a devotional, Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek
Community Chruch near Chicago, discusses the dangers of spiritual vitality. A case study titled “Hope for the Dry Times” will help your leaders press ahead when they don’t feel spiritual.

Theme 3: Reaching People

How should your leaders respond to the increasingly secular world around them? In a power interview, Ravi Zacharaias, a Christian apologist, shows how the gospel can be “Good News for Happy Pagans.” Plus, several assessments to aid your leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of your church at outreach. “From Friendly to Connecting”
will prompt your leaders to determine how well your church connects new people into the life of the church.

Theme 4: Church Health

Who better to speak to your leaders about church health than Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Mission Viejo? Just photocopy the interview with
Warren and lead your team in a discussion on the health of your church. To prepare your leaders theologically, pass out “What God Thinks,” a key devotional that will stir your
leaders to worry more about the “attention of God than the respect of your community.”

Theme 5: Spiritual Care

What does it mean to shepherd a soul? As pastor, you know you can’t do everything; you need an army of trained shepherds. You’ll find help to train them in “The Business of
Making Saints,” an interview with experienced pastor and writer Eugene Peterson. Plus, there are special how-to handouts to help your leaders care for chronically and
wounded people in the church.

Theme 6: Handling Conflict

Conflict can poison the life of a church. But it can also have a positive effect. Prepare your leaders for handling conflict—and thus protect your church—by discussing
“Conflict Above Ground,” an interview with Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago. This interview will train your leaders to see conflict in a new
light and help them deal with it in a more biblical way.

Theme 7: Recruiting and Staffing

Every church could use more volunteers who know their gifts and love to serve God. In the devotional “Recruiting with Twisting Arms,” you can discuss with your leaders the
kind of motivation for God’s work that truly last. Your leaders will learn recruiting skills that will fill the positions most needed in your church.

Theme 8: Finances

One thing is for certain about money: There’s never enough of it. This theme will help your leaders make better use of what God has given and explore new ways to encourage people to give more. This theme will also train them to think more biblically and
strategically about the relationship between money and ministry.

Theme 9: Motivating Leaders

John Maxwell, former pastor and now president of INJOY, an organization that specializes in training leaders, shares some of his best insights on motivation with
“The Potential Around You.” Plus, pass out “Finding Your Leadership Style,” which will help your leaders identify their primary leadership gifts-and thus strengthen your church.
These –and other handouts-will communicate to your leaders that ministry, at its core, is a heart for God.

Theme 10: Worship

In this section, you’ll find a host of resources to help your leaders understand worship better and lead it more effectively. The multiple learning formats -case studies,
devotional, an interview, how-to-articles- help train your team in the practical aspects of leading God-honoring worship.

Theme 11: Vision

Vision is easy to talk about but hard to create and implement. If your church needs a new vision or to upgrade the one it has, you’ll want to have your leaders read “A
Big-Enough Vision,” an interview with Max De Pree, Sunday school teacher and former CEO. This interview will challenge them to lead the church to another level spiritually and
strategically.

Theme 12: Building a Team

Great teams achieve great things. Turn your board into a dynamic team that can lead your church into the 21st century. Give “Recruiting Team Players” to your nominating
committee to read. Then discuss with them what type of people should-and shouldn’t-serve in top church leadershippositions. Your church will be strengthened in the
process.

M. Haase, September 2001