Skip to main content

The Mad Hatters Tea Party.







Pastoral Leadership verses Relational leadership.

A few weeks ago I was having a good hearted, heated discussion with a friend of mine. Me in the UK he in New Zealand. He accused me of putting too much focus on Leadership, he accused me of having an obsessive fixation with leadership. (ouch) Like the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland I was obsessed with the minor details of the tea party I call leadership (double ouch)
 He said "We have been emphasising leadership in our churches for years and we haven't got anywhere. Those churches that were small then are still small now. What we need is good pastoral leadership to build the flock not just the congregation size"
He then talked about how good pastoral leadership was good relational leadership. This got me thinking because to me these are two separate things, or leadership models. An over emphasis of pastoral leadership could lead to fat overweight Christians rather than fit healthy Christians ready for the battlefield.

The Pastoral leadership model.

The traditional view is defined as the process by which the needs of those under the care of the pastor are met. Here are five primary components that make up pastoral leadership.
Protection; Pastors need to protect their flocks. They have a rod and a staff
Nurturing; Pastors feed their flocks. They shall not want for anything
Guidance; Pastors preach and teach to lead their flocks to greener pastures and still waters.
Practical; Pastors look after the needs of the community they ensure that the table is set and enemies are kept at bay.
Sacrificial; Pastors give up their own comforts to lead their flock during tough times.

The Relational leadership model.

This is defined as the process by which a person lets people attempt to accomplish change and make a difference for the benefit of the entire congregation. Here are five primary components that make up relational leadership.
Inclusiveness; Everyone is needed to make the church grow.
Empowering; Every skill and talent can be used and recognised and needed.
Purposeful. The vision of the leader for more souls for the kingdom becomes the vision and desire of all.
Ethical. The standards and values of the leader are embraced by everyone and developed through participation and observation.
Process and Outcome orientated;  All things are learnt by going through a process together and outcomes are celebrated by all.

The responsibility of growth in the Kingdom of God is the goal of every Christian. By moving from a fellowship/ insular pastoral driven church, we need instead to be led by strong fit healthy (spiritually) relational leaders who are ensuring that everyone no matter of age, creed or gender or mad hatter persuasion are involved in its increase.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Part One of The myths of following a Christian Leader.

Christian Leadership disconnects. When I look to a Christian Leader to be my covering, I look for four things; are they biblical and scripturally sound? Do they have a vision? Are they good motivators? And lastly, can I trust them? On the face of it you may see, these things are obvious and self evident. I am not so sure though, sometimes I find a disconnect that is not always so obvious. Don't get me wrong, I want to sit under a great leader no matter what size their church. I want to know I am being taught sound doctrine and biblical and scriptural principles. I want to follow a great vision that is full of direction, purpose and passion. I want to be motivated not just by words but action and deeds. I also want to be able to say that the person I serve, I trust. As Christian leaders we have to accept that the world we live in is becoming more and more complex. We deal with issues that our New Testament counterparts say little, if anything about.   It is no longer g...
Post a Comment
Read more

Manifesto of Intentional Christian Leadership.

Manifesto: We Promise to do the following- with intent, when in Christian leadership: 1) People Matter. People are our purpose. People are not a means by which we can create our own ends. When we reach out to people they are our objective. 2) We will help people think. If people are our objective we will not get bogged down in the process. We will help people to think through our process in order to recognise our objective rather than just getting them to do and blindly follow. 3) Create great environments. We need to help people become great, not just fix their problems. We do this by creating great environments by which they can grow and build their relationship with God. 4) Create opportunities for initiative. People need to see and experience a spirit of excellence. They need to see opportunities where they can succeed rather than just avoid errors. 5) Be curious. As a leader you don't need to know everything even though a little knowled...
Post a Comment
Read more

Playing well with others.

Today's rambling. Looking over some of my old school reports the other day and was amused at how some of the comments, that teachers made about me have shaped my life and in many respects made me who I am today. One teacher wrote that I didn’t play well with others, I was 5 at the time maybe I had an excuse. Another teacher in my high school years, the wood working teacher or wood shop teacher for my American friends wrote; “If you value your life you will keep him away from power tools and other dangerous equipment. I can’t remember why he wrote this, obviously I did something that made him fear for his life. Today as an adult I have to say that I don’t do well in committees, for most of my life I have been self- employed. I have steadfastly stayed away from power tools and other wood working equipment, basically anything that can cut something off and is a danger to life and limb. Over the last 10 years I have been looking at and teaching about Emotional Intelligence ...
Post a Comment
Read more