Let me make sure everyone understands me:
God Wants Elders in Local Congregations.
I hope that’s clear enough.
The reason I start with that statement is because of what follows. It may be easy to take what I’m going to say and twist it around to teach something I had not intended.
Here’s what follows:
Many elders don’t know how to lead.
I say this with firm assurance and confidence. I have spent over thirty years in the Lord’s church, almost all of this time in congregations with elders. I have spoken, at length, with brethren from other congregations on the subject of elders and leadership. I served as a deacon for over ten years and currently serve as an elder in my congregation.
In addition, I have led teams in my secular work for over 25 years. I hold two Master’s degrees, four undergraduate certificates, one graduate certificate, a professional certification, and have been brought in as a subject matter expert on management and leadership by a college, two universities, and the Project Management Institute, Central Indiana Chapter.
I believe I’m qualified to speak on this topic.
Now that we have this out of the way, let’s get back to the topic at hand:
Many elders don’t know how to lead.
This does not mean they don’t want to lead. This does not mean they don’t try to lead. This does not mean they are bad men. This does not mean they are stupid men.
This means they have never been taught how to lead. You cannot know what you don’t know. You cannot know what you were never taught to know.
Would you perform open heart surgery if you never went to medical school? Then why do we think we can lead without being trained how to do it?
Leadership is a skill and must be learned like any other skill. Elders must be willing to learn how to lead if they are to lead well. The responsibility given to elders is too serious to not seek help. So why don’t elders seek help?
There can be a number of reasons why elders don’t seek leadership training. I believe the primary reason is they don’t think they need training. After all, they meet the qualifications listed in scripture or they wouldn’t be serving as elders. Perhaps they don’t understand what it is to lead.
In the next few posts, I’m going to discuss leadership and what it is to be a leader. By no means will an elder read just these posts and be fully equipped to lead. My goal is to open the door to ideas and encourage elders (and those who desire to serve as elders) to consider how a congregation should be led.
I hope you will join me.
© 2016 George V. Stewart
God Wants Elders in Local Congregations.
I hope that’s clear enough.
The reason I start with that statement is because of what follows. It may be easy to take what I’m going to say and twist it around to teach something I had not intended.
Here’s what follows:
Many elders don’t know how to lead.
I say this with firm assurance and confidence. I have spent over thirty years in the Lord’s church, almost all of this time in congregations with elders. I have spoken, at length, with brethren from other congregations on the subject of elders and leadership. I served as a deacon for over ten years and currently serve as an elder in my congregation.
In addition, I have led teams in my secular work for over 25 years. I hold two Master’s degrees, four undergraduate certificates, one graduate certificate, a professional certification, and have been brought in as a subject matter expert on management and leadership by a college, two universities, and the Project Management Institute, Central Indiana Chapter.
I believe I’m qualified to speak on this topic.
Now that we have this out of the way, let’s get back to the topic at hand:
Many elders don’t know how to lead.
This does not mean they don’t want to lead. This does not mean they don’t try to lead. This does not mean they are bad men. This does not mean they are stupid men.
This means they have never been taught how to lead. You cannot know what you don’t know. You cannot know what you were never taught to know.
Would you perform open heart surgery if you never went to medical school? Then why do we think we can lead without being trained how to do it?
Leadership is a skill and must be learned like any other skill. Elders must be willing to learn how to lead if they are to lead well. The responsibility given to elders is too serious to not seek help. So why don’t elders seek help?
There can be a number of reasons why elders don’t seek leadership training. I believe the primary reason is they don’t think they need training. After all, they meet the qualifications listed in scripture or they wouldn’t be serving as elders. Perhaps they don’t understand what it is to lead.
In the next few posts, I’m going to discuss leadership and what it is to be a leader. By no means will an elder read just these posts and be fully equipped to lead. My goal is to open the door to ideas and encourage elders (and those who desire to serve as elders) to consider how a congregation should be led.
I hope you will join me.
© 2016 George V. Stewart