Help for the struggling church leader
We’ve been talking about discipleship all week here on the Gospel.com blog. Discipleship encompasses a lot of different things, and is something that all Christians should be practicing in their lives. But what about those for whom discipleship is not just a good spiritual idea, but part of their actual job description?
I’m referring to church leaders—pastors, small group leaders, youth ministers, worship directors, volunteer coordinators, and everybody else who has a leadership role in their church or community. How does one be an effective leader of others? Here’s a sampling of articles that address different aspects of leadership in the church today.
- Do you lead with a limp? If that sounds like a bad thing, think again—in an article at Legacy Youth Ministry Resources, Craig Case makes the case that brokenness is a critical quality in any church leader. He lists four spiritual practices to follow to make sure you don’t start thinking of yourself as too perfect a leader.
- Good old-fashioned burnout has to be the #1 danger for anyone involved in a church leadership position. How to steer clear of burnout, or recover from if it it’s already started to drag down your ministry?
Danny Jones cuts right to the heart of it with an essay about ministering for the long haul—going about your ministry work in such a way to minimize the danger of an eventual burnout. Over at Youth Specialties, Steve Gerali discusses how to recognize and break out of burnout when you notice exhaustion and weariness creeping into your life (or into a coworker’s).
Lastly, Elizabeth Skoglund has an excellent essay called Say No To Burnout, in which she dispells common myths about burnout and makes the case for a balanced Christian life—so if you’re pushing yourself to the brink of a breakdown because you think God would disapprove of you easing up, Skoglund essay has some challenging and encouraging thoughts for you.
- Are you a small group or Bible study leader? Every day, InterVarsity Press offers a fresh (and free) small group idea at their appropriately-named Small Group Idea Center. It’s a good resource to turn to if you’re struggling to keep small group meetings focused and interesting. And for pastors, there’s the Online Pulpit column, which features essays by actual pastors about the everyday challenges of leading a congregation in worship.
- Is there a “right way” to preach? Maybe there are fewer “sacred cows” when it comes to preaching than you think—Tony Myles encourages preachers to step outside the box a bit when it comes to connecting to their congregations through sermons.
- Are you a leader in your church… but don’t have an official title? Having the job description of “Senior Pastor” is not the only way you can take on a leadership role in your community. Some of the most important leaders in any church are the “unofficial” volunteers and church members who step forward to lend guidance and support where needed!
These are just some of the leadership resources to be found in the Gospel.com community. Whatever your leadership role—official or otherwise—read through these articles and get an idea of what it takes to be an effective leader for Christ.
See you next week, when we celebrate the beginning of the Advent season!
