The next two weeks will be devoted to Latin American Leadership Training. One can hardly overstate the case. A church that appointed elders within the last year has been instrumental in three new church plants since that time. Churches that are self-governing more easily become self-sustaining and self-supporting, both financially and with regard to the involvement of the local membership in the work of the church. The wisdom of a leadership team is demonstrated again and again. God intended a plurality of leaders. Members have more confidence in a group of leaders to oversee the resources and the work than in a single pastor leader.
Churches that are self-governing and self-supporting become self-duplicating. A church that can barely “keep house” does not have the energy and the resources to reach out and establish new churches, despite the fact that new churches generally grow more rapidly than older churches. Often unintentionally, older churches become self-centered and the majority of the work done is done for the benefit of those already “inside”, despite what may be said.
The Latin American church must be taught and leaders trained so that the biblical model is used and the church grows. The church must escape false concepts regarding leadership in the U.S. The problem is clear in the following which I recently compiled:
The importance of this matter is accentuated because (1) often the church today does not understand spiritual, Christian leadership. (2) Churches have too often chosen leaders based on secular abilities and leaders with secular worldviews. (3) Many churches and current leaders do not operate on the basis of a biblical definition of leadership. (4) When members of the church describe leaders, they do not use biblical concepts and words. (5) When churches choose leaders, they do not choose spiritual leaders based on spiritual qualities, but rather choose leaders based on their level of involvement in church activities.(6) The church has adopted leadership concepts from the secular realm and as a result has a distorted view of Christian leadership. (7) We have sacrificed spiritual leadership for leadership that we think will move the church forward more quickly. (8) This has resulted in a tendency of elders to become managers rather than spiritual leaders. (9) We have developed unbiblical concepts of leadership tenure and have thus retained leaders who do not do or cannot do what biblical leaders do.
Pray for the work of Latin American leadership training. I would be happy to answer questions or explain this work more fully. Contact me for details.