Throughout
Christian history, there have been leaders who have exercised pastoral
leadership outside of the congregation.
We could point to those who founded and led monastic orders, mission
societies, Bible leagues, and various para-church organizations. Founders of movements and church planters are
often in this category.
There
is a new impetus for this type of leadership.
Such leaders are ministry entrepreneurs.
Many of them are young adults who have found a cause and are too eager
or impatient to wait for the church to address it.
Leaders
in these organizations engage in theological reflection, leader development,
team building, effective communication, and administrative skills just as the
pastor of a larger congregation does, but there certain other skills are
necessary if they are to be effective.
First,
they must practice cultural awareness and sensitivity. Entrepreneurial leaders
deal with culture both internally and externally. They learn to read the culture in which they
minister, understanding its norms, values, and beliefs in order to function
more effectively. At the same time, they are creating an internal culture in
the organization that both guides and empowers its mission.
Second,
these leaders learn and practice creative problem solving skills in order to
develop the strategies, tactics and practices needed to pursue their vision,
accomplish their mission, and fulfill the need they have identified. They often find new ways to address old
problems and this requires the ability to have a unique perspective on a
situation.
Third,
they must have excellent planning skills.
This means that they can clearly articulate their mission, develop a workable
“business plan,” identify and state their objectives, and design effective action
steps, and then identify and obtain the resources they need.
Fourth,
they will be students as well as practitioners of leadership. They must have the ability to learn from
other leaders—through networking, participating in a peer cohort, reading, or being
a protégé—and be able to mentor, supervise and coach those who join them in their
cause.
The
challenge for those who form ministry leaders—a theological school, for
example-- is to provide the framework in which such skills can be developed. This is not a task for the faint of heart!
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