Many times when it comes to the role of being a leader in the church, many feel inadequate and may withdraw from any setting when offices are being filled by way of appointment or nomination. They will sometimes seek to justify their position by asserting that they are most effective behind the scenes and are not comfortable with even the thought of being a leader.

There is a sense of being overwhelmed with the weight of the responsibility and commitment that they feel will be asked of them as a leader, particularly in a small church with its high visibility and expectations. With it comes a mountain of what ifs that are the result of ones focus being on his own abilities to perform the task in and of himself. It is this self awareness and the related self imposed limitations that have to be addressed and rectified in order for one to succeed in the role of an effective leader

One of the greatest mistakes made in the church regarding leaders is to assume a secular leader is qualified to be a leader in the church. This is seen most often in our small churches where assistance in leadership roles is wanting. While one may possess leadership qualities in other venues, this does not automatically translate into what it takes to be an effective leader in the church. What then are some of the things we should consider in developing leaders for kingdom work?

It is imperative that we allow God to establish in us His abiding Word as we seek to abide in Him. We must meditate on it and allow it to become woven into the fabric of our character. We must come to love it as we would physical food as a necessity for life. Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. (Ps 119:97)

We have been afforded a wonderful privilege to have the eternal truths of God revealed unto us by the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit. It is the wisdom of the Word of God that enables us to know how to carry out our roles as leaders in an effective way

It is important for every leader to be teachable so that they dont become the victim of being led by the persuasive ideas of those they have been assigned to lead. By maintaining a teachable spirit, you are able to guard yourself from the spirit of pride, which leads to arrogance. Pride makes a person become self-absorbed and unteachable and blinds them to their true condition. In so doing, a person may forsake the good advice and counsel of others for that which is more in line with their own self-serving thought processes

Every good leader should take advantage of the spiritual leadership that has been placed over him/her to make sure that his direction is consistent with the overall vision of the church and the building up of the kingdom of God. No auxiliary is an island unto itself but rather must ensure that it is consistent with what God is seeking to do within the local congregation

One of the greatest detriments to ones development as an effective leader is a skewed perception of self. Many approach church leadership with a carnal mindset of reigning rather than serving. They see this as their opportunity to make a name for themselvesto carve out a place in history, a defining moment in time where they can be both respected and admired, seeking personalized glory of men

That which hinders many from being effective leaders today is their wanting to be served rather than seeking to serve; clamoring about like the disciples in the upper room as to who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom, jockeying about for the preferred seat next to Jesus. They pretend to be concerned about the welfare of others but only to the level of positioning themselves in a more favorable light. (John 13:1-17) It is in this setting that Jesus gives a visual presentation of what it means to be a servant in the kingdom

Leadership is not a matter of simply delegating. It requires more from you as you become responsible for upholding the principles of the master who called you. Effective leadership has much to do with ones character. Character is defined as being one of the attributes or traits that make up and distinguish the individual

What are some of the things that we need to consider when it comes to developing our strategy and action steps for success? One of the things you will need to consider is the vision of the church that you are a part of. If your church does not have a mission statement or a vision statement to review, you will need to consult with your pastor or his/her designee to ascertain what the vision of your local assembly is

Upon the approval of your plans by your pastor or designee, you should proceed with a spirit of excellence. You should not allow a spirit of good enough to prevail. Whenever we are putting forth a product in the name of the Lord, it should be done with a spirit of excellence. What you produce is not only a reflection of you, but also a reflection of your definition of what is deemed acceptable by the God you serve. While most small churches lack the necessary resources to operate at certain desired levels, you should be guilty of doing the best you can with the resources made available to you

When it comes to effective leadership, you cant be of the sort that runs from challenges. Within every endeavor there will always be obstacles that will serve as bridges of doubt on your path to success. A careful search of the scriptures will reveal that prior to any great break through, victory or success, there was always some form of challenge that had to be conquered