First of all one must be a sincere
follower of Jesus Christ, if they hope to be an effective leader. Not just a casual Christian but one who is
deeply committed to Christ and demonstrating mature Christ-like
characteristics. Effective ministry
leadership requires obedience to God, and a dependence upon Him resulting in
his favor.
Second, effective ministry
leaders discover and live in the will of God.
Square pegs in round holes don’t work very well. Service in God’s kingdom usually involves a
progression from working where there is an immediate opportunity moving toward
one’s sweet spot of natural and spiritual giftedness. The body of Christ is very diverse and each
member has a God given contribution to make.
Finding one’s place in God’s plan requires preparation and discovery.
Third, effective ministry leaders
are united with the church. Arrogant,
self-serving attitudes diffuse effective ministry. Effectiveness in God’s kingdom requires a
humble spirit, respect for authority in the church, and a perspective that we
all are working together to achieve one purpose. They seek the success of other ministries
within their church as well as their own.
Fourth, effective ministry
leaders honor the body of Christ. They
lead with a servant’s heart, and treat people with love and respect. They understand that each member of the body
of Christ is equally important to God and do not make the mistake of projecting
their gift set and passion for a specific ministry on others.
Fifth, effective ministry leaders
are visionaries. They have a God given passion
for and are students of their area of ministry.
They can picture the desired results of their ministry and develop a
plan to achieve the objective. They are
collaborative in the fine tuning of the plan welcoming the input of others
engaged in leadership with them. They
develop a vision for their ministry that is harmonious with the mission and
vision of their church.
Sixth, effective ministry leaders
administrate diligently. They engage and
develop others in the work. They are
accountable. They communicate with those
in authority over them and with those under their authority. They listen and learn; remaining flexible so
as to move the ministry forward efficiently.
They pray – a lot – for the work they are doing.
Seventh, effective ministry
leaders overcome the perils of leadership.
They learn how to successfully deal with criticism, disappointments,
change, spiritual opposition, burn out, and success.
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to
be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people
for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all
reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and become
mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13
