Part 8: Leadership by example and inspiration

Leadership in the church is not a dictatorship. The church is a family. Leadership in the church is also not a democracy. It requires someone to take the initiative. Leadership in the church is a special type of leadership. These leaders are examples and inspire instead of manipulate, they set free instead of control, they seek relationships and build teams. This is the kind of leadership we find in the New Testament. The questions is: How can you make a structure like this a reality?

Bible verses: Hebrews 13:17; Matthew 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2-3

Part 9: How are decisions made?

Who has authority to make which decisions is an important question for every growing church. The leadership team will change their approach depending on the decision that needs to be made. Sometimes the team will take the lead and other times they will work hard to get everyone on board. With every decision, you need to remember the question: What inspires the most trust?

Bible verse: Philippians 1:1

Part 10: Trust is your best friend

Trust shapes many relationships in life. The more trust we have, the more we express that we are convinced of the character and reliability of the person we are trusting. When others put their trust in us, we have the best opportunity to lead, inspire and influence.

Bible verses: Exodus 14:31; Joshua 4:14

Part 11: What does it mean to trust?

How do you trust? What process leads to a decision to trust? You have to make a decision to trust someone. If you fully trust somebody, you don’t have a plan B, you decide to go all or nothing. This trust is expressed, for example, at a wedding ceremony. However, being expressed once doesn’t mean that this trust can’t vary. An increase or a decrease depends on the behavior of the trusted person.

Part 12: The authority of a leader

A leader can gain authority in three ways. He appoints himself, others appoint him, or God appoints him. The leader only has the certainty and assurance that God will help him and give him fruitfulness when God has appointed him.

Bible verses: Joshua 4:13; Matthew 7:28; Acts 20:28

Part 13: Who releases life?

If you want to find out who God appoints to a leadership role and to whom He gives authority, you must first identify who releases life in their ministry. A leader releases life when his ministry area grows, he constantly has fresh ideas, sees solutions for himself, and has God-given perseverance.

Bible verse: Numbers 17:16-23

Part 14: Who has the revelation?

God defends the authority of Moses by describing the level of revelation he has. When we understand this we will be better able to select leaders that God is raising up as well as have the confidence that he will give us all the revelation we need when we are doing his will.

Bible verses: Numbers 12:1-8, Exodus 34,10-11

Part 15: When authority is questioned?

Who is secure when their authority is questioned? Moses fell on his face when his authority was questioned. Jesus Christ was silent in the face of the false accusations against him. How do you react when you are accused of something? If your authority is from God you will not be unduly concerned.

Bible verses: Numbers 16:1-5, Psalm 37:5-8

Part 16: Who uses authority for edification?

How you understand and exercise authority as a leader is crucial for your team and for your church. The exercising of authority in the church should always lead to the church being encouraged and built up and should not be aimed at promoting self and meeting the selfish needs of the leader. This short input will help you to develop the right attitude to the authority you carry as a leader.

Part 17: Good character promotes trust

Trust cannot be demanded or legislated. It is given on the basis of integrity and honesty. Character is the deciding factor. How can you help others to trust you?

Part 18: Learn to trust

Your ability to build a team depends on your preparedness to trust. What if you decided first to trust and only to be mistrusting if you were given grounds for this?

Part 19: Excercise authority & honor each other

Every team needs a leader or captain. At the same time, it is healthy for the team leader to be embedded in his team. How can both of these two dynamics be present at the same time? We look at the answers.