Introduction

It is often said that the world is really changing fast, and in many ways that is true. Population growth, changing family structures, urbanization and newly emerging economies all have their role in accelerating change. Technological changes and repositioning of super powers change the global landscape.

These mega-forces also affect the world’s societies, culture and religions. As urbanization intensifies, there is no space for a typical Western church building on the corner of every fourth block. The physical forces of population growth and the sheer numbers of people change many things.

Many of us grew up in rural communities with small community schools, 4-H clubs and church programs affecting our upbringing. We were made into leaders as a matter of the course of life. Today’s society demands different methods and measuring devices. Previously, with fewer people, many leaders emerged to fill the needs in the local society. Then the mega-everything began to take place. The mega-school, mega-industry and mega-church all were based on bigger is better.

However, in the bigness of it all much of the personal interaction and relationships of former periods were lost. Weakened families began to produce dysfunctional children and eventually blighted communities. The Church did not help much to stop the economic, social, cultural and spiritual decline. Eventually a leadership shortfall developed in the Church and a moral crisis arose in the society as the church in general became fully occupied inside her walls.

The development of leaders is done only through intentional, deliberate effort. It takes desire, a model to adopt and a mentor to follow. It is still true that like begets like. Today’s emphasis on the role of mentorship is causing a new group of leaders to emerge in our communities. This is good. Current methods can birth new leaders using old principles to demonstrate improved results.

Yes, even in the Church we have a leadership crisis of too many followers and not enough leaders. This paper suggests some ways that our cooperative efforts can launch new models for raising up home grown leaders that will help change our world.

Discussion

Strategies for using Foundations for Emerging Leaders

  1. Integration and mutual support The Foundations for Emerging Leaders (FEL) system founded by Leadership Training International (LTI) can be a help in integrating other training segments to round out the Calvary International or any other organization’s equipping track. It has a very practical application, a non-seminary type informal training approach.
  2. Holism The FEL integrates the total training program into a holistic Kingdom economy It goes beyond biblical chapter and verse for the practical application to disciple the participants and to equip them as leaders.
  3. Beyond the walls The FEL is a beyond-the-walls of the institutional church approach for equipping the Body of Christ to take command of its assignment to be World Changers through becoming effective Christian leaders of commerce, education, finance and the courts. The goal is to bring the Kingdom of God into the lives of the people and all of the domains under Christ’s rule.
  4. Beyond conversion The FEL system is evangelistic, but much more. It takes a person from conversion to discipleship and further equipping as a leader. This practical process is often weak and fragmented in Bible schools and seminaries, even though they exhibit excellence in many areas of education.
  5. Equipping for service Most Bible schools are formed by those with pastoral gifting. This results in excellent preparation for the 5% of Christendom that are in pastoral, clergy-type roles. However, we need to be able to more effectively impact the remaining 95% of believers that make up the rest of the service force in the Kingdom, beyond the walls of the worshiping assembly. Only a portion of the Old Covenant law dealt with the tabernacle, temple, sacrifice, worship, teaching and priests. The multitude of statutes and laws guided the masses through the affairs of life.

Transformation of Methodology

  1. We recognize and are pleased with the results and traditions of the Reformation. The rebirth of the reformers in today’s marketplace affords great opportunities. During the Reformation, the communi-cation method was the printed page, which was a new phase since the printing press was new on the scene. Communication traveled on Roman roads and initiated the colonial expansion that made the whole world known to man. Now Reformation II is digitalized, assisted by satellites in the heavens and can penetrate even the most challenging frontier borders and cultures.
  2. FEL is foundational as a means to truly develop leaders in various cultural and infrastructural settings. Other supporting interfaces can be employed to round out the learning package. For example: Internet and media-based evangelism, Internet-driven discipleship and global listing of locations of house churches where that type of worshiping congregations can be wisely used. Groups such as Bible Gateways make the Bible available to all people everywhere that the Internet can be accessed.
  3. Church leaders are trained through FEL to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. The ministry of the 95% is granted greater emphasis, as the saints become leaders and are capable of changing their communities, a task the clergy has never been able to do very effectively. When this leadership training is done well, it is of great assistance to pastors of local congregations that understand their role as it relates to the 95 percent who are not meant to be pastors or salaried church staff.
  4. Trainers of Kingdom dynamics We should understand that the message of Jesus was the message of the Kingdom. This is clearly shown in His teaching of the parables. The message of pastors inherently will continue to drift toward the message of salvation, stopping short of fully explaining the dynamics of Kingdom economics. This message must be taken forward by others, not pastors only. Herein lies a dynamic tension. The pastor will focus on building his congregation, collecting believers and holding them close, as part of the pastoral gifting. Kingdom dynamics and a Great Commission focus requires a greater release of discipled leaders outside-the-walls effort. Most pastors are totally consumed by their work inside the walls, so there must be others trained to focus outside the walls in the Kingdom economy community.
  5. This aspect is also essential where the House Church movements show themselves strong and effective. In these cases, there are leaders with pastoral gifting of small groups of disciples contrasted to an institutional pastor who builds, guards and maintains a large congregation, and preaches a message of salvation regularly. This institutionally-oriented entity is engulfed in requirements of motivation, leading, planning and funding its ongoing success. Pastors in this model have a daunting task and we are thankful for them. The house church model is quite non-institutional in practice and not so all-consuming of its leadership. Nearly all of the members usually remain employed in the marketplace, thus engaged fully in the life of the community, thereby reducing the clergy-laity divide. The more effective the leaders, the greater the success of the house church movement. As it multiplies, the full array of ministry gifts are essential and in action. Leadership development and apostolic connectivity is crucial in this model.
  6. Our role is to understand the various models, distinctives , strengths and weaknesses of each type of congregational style and to collaborate with them where possible.
  7. In developing communities both large and small, Community Health Evangelism (CHE) is a method to bring about improvement. This program is used in over 50 countries as a basis for community transformation. This is another example of partnership in the gospel. Through developing local voluntary leaders good news is proclaimed to the poor, hungry, lost and sick. Physical problems are addressed through self-help, holistic initiatives in concert with spiritual training. The result is a rebirth of the human spirit, hope for the future and individuals born again of the Spirit of Christ who collaborate to empower individuals who transform communities.

Implementation

  1. Modeling The easiest way to initiate something is to observe and follow a model. We know how to do this in Community Transformation methodology, for example CHE (Community Health Evangelism).
  2. Holism and integration As we implement Foundations for Emerging Leaders, immediately we can take the participants beyond evangelism. Inherent in being a being a disciple is being a discipler and a Christian leader is effective in his own life and in influencing good conduct in others as well.
  3. Christ in Community and Community in Christ Bible school or seminary teachers often are best at producing other Bible school teachers. When a pastor observes a faithful, highly capable young person, his first thoughts are often to influence him to become a pastor and to attend his alma mater. Pastors have a very crucial role of pastoring the people of God. They are best at developing pastors . The FEL model is not based on only pastors being the trainers of trainers. Leaders may be the best at developing leaders! In developing functional communities beyond the church walls, pastors preach and teach biblical principles as well as guiding their worshiping assemblies. Bankers develop bankers. Businessmen and women develop (disciple) business leaders on the job while learning and participating in community development , transformation and capacity building.
  4. Transformation Leaders help transform communities through leaders they have trained (discipled) to be community transformation developers. They are not conformed to the status quo but reach beyond to new and improved ways. When the Kingdom of God is the focus, the enablement of every believer is essential to its success. Essentially, no inactive members needed. No one left behind.

Transferability and Multiplication

  1. Our aim can be no limits to growth as we reinforce our understanding of how to multiply the growth of the Kingdom through the multiplication of leaders.
  2. Inherent within this multiplication is the replication of churches. It is family planning at its finest the family of God agrees together to expand their influence from their home church outward. It is possible for a new congregation to plant another congregation within three years and every three years thereafter. This is the upward spiral of the effect of the discipleship model of church planting.
  3. Worship Centers or Church Buildings – The Church did not build buildings for the first 300 years. It was The Way. It spread rapidly and even touched the top leaders and rulers in Rome. Once the Church (body of believers) was cathedralized, the work of the ministry was turned over to specialists specially anointed ones. This continues to this very day, except our houses of worship today often lack the design and art quality so prevalent with the Romans and later among the Christian monarchies of Europe. Later, Luther’s Reformation brought refreshing as the winds of change brought renewed vitality, hope and release of faith. The early church met in houses and enjoyed learning the ways of God, fellowship in one another’s homes in an expression of caring brotherly love, as well as worship of the Lord. Today’s giant buildings for mega-churches are to some degree a renewed version of the Christian monarchies of 600 years ago. Who can build the biggest and most magnificent building? Remember however, that in the program- based church model, large buildings are very necessary for large assemblies of believers.
  4. Transferability The megachurches of today get more recognition than their contribution actually deserves. Those giant congregations are a rather small percentage of the total membership of Christendom. Cultural influence, geography, population density, transportation options, land availability and economics all influence the nature of worship centers. It is easier to multiply a host of small churches than to successfully birth and grow a congregation of 20,000 or more. Whereas there are no limits to the growth of Christians and Christian movements, there are definitely limits in the development of mega-churches. That does not make them wrong, nor house churches and worshiping assemblies with small buildings right. They are simply different. Equipping leaders that can start and multiply small, intimate worshiping bodies can be successfully enhanced through Foundations for Emerging Leaders. Companion discipleship materials reinforce the process even online implementation guides.
  5. Partnership in the Gospel  It is through partnership that Calvary International and other groups most effectively advance the work of the Great Commission. Bringing the Great Commission to closure in the reasonably near future is a possibility and progress continues toward that goal. Partnership in gospel ministry begins with the local congregation. The local pastor is the gatekeeper. Calvary International is partnering with the local congregation to reap a global harvest. The sharing of materials and people helps to advance the Gospel. Calvary modeled this in Russia and experienced effective church planting and the emergence of national and regional Christian movements. The same thing is occurring in Nigeria, India and other places. The joint collaboration with Christ for the Nations in missionary internship training is yet another partnership example. Global Pathway has emerged as an example of sharing training materials with others. This excellent program written by Calvary’s president, Jerry Williamson, is a tool to equip the church at home and abroad to experience full participation in Great Commission ministry. Calvary’s ministry cooperation with Christian Adventures International and the T.L. Osborn Ministry is another example. Some mission ministries do everything through partnerships.
  6. Calvary’s doors are open for other agencies to visit our organization and learn from our staff. This helps to strengthen their organizations and reduces costs for research and development. Calvary International staff also visits other agencies and Christian movements in various parts of the world in a collaborative process. This is a distinctive of generosity that is growing in our organization. Our goal is to take advantage of all opportunities to promote the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Partnership yields so much more than competition in gospel ministry. There is room for many more churches to be planted, Christian movements to be established and mission societies or agencies to be formed.
  7. It will be the decentralization of the work of the gospel that will provide the most effective international infrastructures. This framework has loci or nodes of growth. Denominations usually form closed systems; however the leaders of Calvary International are growing in our capacity to mentor others including entire organizations. The collaborative efforts yield great long-term results. In this method, there really are no limits to growth.
  8. As younger leaders form new organizations, they will undoubtedly make mistakes. They have the right to start new things and even the responsibility to do so. Our task is to encourage them along the way and promote their risk-taking and zeal. If they get into serious trouble, they will sometimes come to the more mature ministries for guidance. This is the proper way and we must always be available to encourage and guide.
  9. As our focus continues on initiating, encouraging and mentoring ministries that multiply, our contribution to the task of the Great Commission will continue to grow. In this way there are no limits to growth, nor limits to grace. Let us all be good partners, respect the opinions of others and take the risk to try new ways.

Summary

This paper is about leadership development, the role of holism and models for training that permit transformation of individual leaders and their organizations. It is about Christ in Community and Community in Christ; leadership and its foundational role in advancing Great Commission ministry to the ends of the earth. It is about establishing the Kingdom of God in us and around us and bringing new ways for the purposes of God to be understood in our generation.

Models that others can follow are an investment of our experiences, experimentation, successes and failures. The 95% of leaders that are not church or agency staff must be effectively equipped also and mobilized by successful Christian business owners, bankers and governmental leaders to become full participants in global gospel ministry. I like to think of it as mobilizing people from the end of my street to the ends of the earth. Failure to mobilize these leaders is the greatest weakness of the institutional church of our day.

It has been reported that by 2012, half of the world’s population will live in mega-cities. This trend and reality challenges our missionary and church planting methodologies greatly but we are ready for new challenges!

Our programs and methods of transforming individuals, communities and societies must be formed into potentially multiplying models. We need to be more strategic and simply use a good models , that can multiply on their own merit. Jesus began with 12 disciples and changed the world!

Finally, partnership in the gospel has been discussed strongly in this paper. We need to take inventory from time to time on how well we are actually doing in our goal of partnering with others. These notes help to confirm what we already do well and to promote allowing others to show us how to do better. We need to be more effective in equipping the saints (training the trainers) and modeling our success as vanguard leaders and full partners with others in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. May God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven!

Whereas this paper was written with staff and leaders of Calvary International in mind, its principles apply to other organizations, movements and churches as well.