The Good News
The Church has taken the Empowering Role of Ministers and Pastors seriously!

There is a great interest in coaching, mentoring, and discovering skills for ministry teams. The literature and DVDs are prolific: with authors like Hybels, Maxwell, and Cordeiro - the list goes on. Open the web for Empowering Ministry teams and you will find over 890,000 results to explore.

The Bad News

More Ministers and Pastors leave Ministry because of conflict in Ministry staff teams and Church Boards or Councils. Names and faces leap into your thinking as you read these words bringing sadness and disappointment that must be felt in the heart of God.

How can we encourage Empowering skills?

Empowerment is the key to improved effectiveness and performance. We empower others when we give power, authority or permission to them in a way that makes them stronger and helps them to fulfil their potential in Christ.

Remember the Foundations

1. Empowering leadership begins with an understanding that making disciples is the centre of all church activities

Jesus said, "Go and make disciples . . . teaching them to do everything that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). Paul wrote, “The gifts he gave were . . . to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-16).

2. Leaders must reflect and model the nature of their relationship with Jesus

The Church world doesn’t need more programs; it needs leaders who use their profound spiritual gifting reflecting a long-pursued intimacy with Jesus

Leaders of growing churches concentrate on empowering others for ministry. They assist others to attain the spiritual potential God has for them. These pastors equip, support, coach, motivate and mentor individuals, enabling them to become all that God wants them to be.

Read the literature; develop some steps to an effective team, plan reflection and fun times with your staff. Create a culture of empowering those who serve with you, that they in turn will empower their teams and the model will become a foundation for leadership attitudes for your Church.

Jesus defined empowering leadership. He empowered his followers. Tax collectors and fishermen became people filled with his power.

When all of the great literature on leadership is put back on the shelf, when all of the videos are back in the cupboard it comes down to this....

God in Christ empowers his people with the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit. As leaders in his Church committed to winning the world for Christ, we are called in leadership to empower others.

Ken Anderson

Ministry Advantage