Tim King Leadership

Earlier this month I had coffee and a catch up with a friend, who just happens to be a very successful business leader. As we only get together once or twice a year, due to his busy schedule, I asked him what was new. He told me that he had become the chairman of his board and that he had handed over the day to day running of his company to someone else. This surprised me because he has just turned 50. He said to me it was all to do with succession and ensuring that the company continues to move forward. A church movement, that I am associated with in New Zealand has over 275 churches, in the next 5 years 35% of their pastors will reach, or have already reached, retirement age, and there is no clear plan to move the denomination forward. There has been no thought put into succession planning. This got me thinking about the future of many churches and their congregations. Can we apply the same principles of succession management to our churches. Can we confidently hand over t...

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What I saw in Africa a personal reflection I have just returned from a brief trip to Africa, since my return I have been asked if I enjoyed my trip and what did I see in Africa?Having been brought up in Africa, I consider myself to be more African than British or Kiwi. I found this question a little ponderous to answer, because once you have been brought up in Africa it's in the blood, it's like going home for the very first time after leaving. Therefore no amount of words can ever express the joy one feels as you are once again wrapped and enveloped by the sights sounds and smells of Africa. The answers to the questions are; yes I did enjoy myself, I saw many things, I was pleasantly surprised in fact. I expected to see countries, once prosperous and well run, bent and on their knees, in rack and ruin.  This due to the rule of dictators and despots, who have ruled for too long and have treated their nations as their own personal piggy banks, to rob and plunder at wi...

Leadership principles in a cross cultural situation. Just got back from a very pleasant trip to Africa, I met with some great people and was encouraged by their commitment to Christ and their desire to see that everybody hears the word of God and the good news He brings. I was asked one vital question, which I found both profound and perplexing. Much of what I teach on leadership and church growth is western or European centric. How can this apply to a poor African pastor and their congregation who sit in the shade of a tree every Sunday morning as they have no building? How are my leadership principles, that I teach, relevant to a Pastor who has no regular salary, and lives by faith in a very literal sense? Are the things that I teach able to cross the cultural divide in today's very modern and versatile society? Let me start by saying that Africa is a place of very large contrasts. I don't think that pastors who live in the large cities have necessar...

Christian Consumerism. The other day I listened to a podcast by the Christian author and thinker Tim Keller. In it he identified major areas of concern within the western church. I was most interested, by one of the areas he pointed out, that of consumerism.   This got me thinking about why this generation of Christians is so absorbed it its desire for product, rather than for substance. I believe that Christian consumerism is wrapped in an attitude of entitlement, which demands an end product, rather than a process for Christian life, culture and community. Today we are defined by what we buy or from which supermarket we buy our goods from. The clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the iPod or phone we use, are all driven by the dictates of social media, we are more concerned about what people think about us, than whether we can financially sustain our appetites. We enter church with the same supermarket mind-set, "What can I get out of it. "There is a picking a...

The vast majority of Church Leaders and pastors that I speak to want church growth. There are only a few, those chosen frozen, that spout the old adage, that they want quality not quantity, -to be very honest, I tend to ignore these people and work with those who recognise that it is the mission of the church to grow. Let me state clearly here, that I believe, that it is God who makes the church grow and it is the church leaders that help create the atmosphere in churches to facilitate that growth.   Do you want your church to grow? If the answer is yes, then read on. There are four areas that need to be explored and clarified in your mind before any church growth can occur. 1) Are you a Church leader who wants growth and is prepared to work hard to see that growth? Do you have a strong vision for growth and believe that you are the leader, of a church far larger than what you lead at present? You may find this strange but unless you are clear on what you believe ab...

Characteristics of Highly successful church leaders. Listed below are those characteristics that I have observed, over the years that are found in successful church leaders. 1) They are hard workers. Those church leaders who have started, or taken over churches, often work long hours to bring about change and instil vision and culture. It is not a 40 hour week profession. 2) They are sure of their call. There is no doubt in their minds, that God has called them to do great things for him. 3) They are well liked and easy to talk to. They try to be accessible and in general have good social skills. 4) They have set up organisational structures which are dynamic, flexible and empowering. They want their churches and their people to grow. 5) It is a team effort, both husband and wife see church growth as their ministry. They are both equally committed to the church. They have a strong marriage. 6) As leaders, they are personally growing in their capacity to lea...

Message and Method vital tools for a Christian Leader. I have heard a lot over the last two weeks, about the downside of mega churches and the failings of seeker sensitive churches. Over coffee, one such pastor told me recently that he didn't like the satanic way that the lights are lowered at the beginning of a service and the smoke machine and stage lighting that surround the platform. Then there is the music, it's too loud, too worldly in its delivery and the words can't be heard properly, just like in a nightclub. The pastor opposite me stopped, to drink his coffee, after his tirade and then nearly choked on his cinnamon bun when I told him I attended a church where they lowered the lights and had a smoke machine. He spluttered, some more before growing silent, when I told him that I too would have the same problems he had if it wasn't for the following: The church I attend is by-in- large youth orientated. The music is loud and contemporary. But the...

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 Mission impossible-Leaders on Assignment. I Had coffee this week with  a young pastor who was full of enthusiasm, frustration and determination. Enthusiastic because he believed in a big God who could and will do great things. Frustrated, that very little of what he was doing was bearing fruit, but determined to stay close to God and to get on with his mission. Three things struck me about this young man, that gave me hope for the future of the church here in the UK; He understood his Assignment. God had given him a calling and a job to do and he was determined to get on with it. He knew that it was his job to build, create and implement, a vision and mission for his church, in order for God to move. He knew that he had Arrangements to make . This young man looked around at his community and asked God what he could use that would help him reach out to that community. He made arrangements, he created plans, he thought strategically and he took action. Lastly he...

Paul's leadership Characteristics.  Courage, Conviction and Commitment are the three words that encompass the life and times of the Apostle Paul. These three little words are what make Paul a phenomenal leader in the early church. When we read the book of Acts and when we read what Paul wrote in 2Corinthians 11: 22-28 we see what he was prepared to go through for the cause of Christ. ·          Courage; He met every challenge head on he never shrank back from what the consequences may have been. ·          Conviction; When standing before authorities whether he was in chains or in prison he was convinced that his message was right and just and eternal. ·          Commitment; He was committed from the day he fell in the dust when he heard God's call to the day he bowed his head for the executioner. Today I would ask this question of a...

I am pleased to announce that my new book "In Search of Ophir-The History of the Assemblies of God in Zimbabwe 1952-1985" Has now gone live on Amazon.com and Amazon.UK in kindle and e-book version only at the moment. Print version will follow shortly. Support the ministry and buy a copy for yourself or a friend. If you love Church History, African History or Pentecostal History then this is a great addition to your bookshelf.

I like to look at the Christian job websites and love reading the job descriptions posted, when churches are looking for pastors or senior leaders. It makes me wonder if they are looking for someone who will fit their understanding, their vision and their dreams or aspirations, or whether they are looking for what God wants. Below is a letter received by a church for such a position. Names and places have been changed to protect the innocent: To the Leadership Fickle Fellowship. Fickle-under-Lyme. Re: Senior leadership Pastor To whom it may concern, I would like to apply for the above mentioned position advertised on the Christian Jobs website. I have many qualifications that I think will impress you. I have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach with power and have had some small success as a writer. Some say I have a gifting as an organiser, I have planted a number of churches but have not stayed very long in any of them. The longest I ever stayed in on...

All great church leaders, rely on their teams of fantastic volunteers, to help build amazing churches. Those leadership teams need to be hardworking, fully committed, influential and responsible leadership teams. If Jesus was a church leader and was around today, and his twelve disciples were his leadership team, then there is no way that his church would ever reach that often sought after, mega church status. Just take a look at the type of people on his team. Simon Peter was emotionally unstable and prone to temper tantrums. Andrew, Peter's brother had absolutely no leadership qualities at all. James and John placed personal interests above, church loyalty. Thomas always questioned everything and was not good for team moral. Matthew had business habits that many people outside of the church community questioned. James and Thaddeus had radical cultural leanings and their doctrine was a little off, to put it mildly. As for the rest, they lacked initiative, enthusiasm a...

7 Principles for every Christian Business Leader. Not a fan of things like 10 things you need to know or 21 Laws of you can't do without, but when someone I was talking to the other day asked me to list those things that I had learnt in business. I ended with seven. Here are seven principles I tried to live by when I ran my own business: 1.  Christianity is your Culture;       Culture defines you, it is who and what you are in all issues of ethics and morality. You are Christian before you are British or American or Australian or even French. The world has a different culture to yours, but in all your dealings the Christian culture should be dominant. 2. People do Matter;      Always treat your staff with consistency and respect, reward loyalty and always take their side when dealing with a difficult client until proved otherwise, then be fair and consistent in your response. 3.Be Generous;     R...

Over the last few months my mind has not been on leadership it has been on writing a History of a small Pentecostal movement in Africa. I was thinking about the different leaders in this church their styles and personalities and how these men grew churches. So this got me thinking about the different types of leaders you get today in our churches. Here is a short biblical homily on my thoughts on the subject: 1 Corinthians 3: 5-7 What after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you came to believe- as the Lord as assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters it is anything but only God who makes it grow. For many years I ran a construction projects management business, I dealt with architects who envisioned and designed the buildings I built. I dealt with engineers who saw that the structure was sound and the foundations and fr...

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...

The opening lines of me new book: Pastoral Intentionality. A Manifesto for Christian Leadership. Study is rarely a substitute for life experience. I don't know about you but my Bible College never prepared me for pastoral ministry. They instilled in me doctrine and theology gave me a summary of church history. Taught me how to read and interpret the Bible and communicate it better, they gave me a run down on governance and practice, but they never once said to me this is what you are going to experience in your church. Nor did they say these are the types of problems and people you will come across and this is how you can handle the problems. Nor did they tell me how I could grow a successful church and develop great leadership teams. If you want to read more over the next few months watch out for my blog posts.

Parasites verses Symbiosis. For those of us brought up in Africa we know what tick bite fever is, I think they call it Lime's disease in the USA. It is a nasty little parasite that sucks the blood and leaves behind a nasty bite and a little later a fever and sickness that will leave you feeling really unwell. Whenever I think about the word parasite I always see it in a negative sense and think about that little tick that inhabits the African bush. "So why the sudden interest in ticks you may ask?" As Church leaders there is a great need for us to choose our words and the way we phrase what we say very carefully. This is one such occasion when a church leader used, I believe, the wrong words to put across a good idea.  The other day I was having lunch with a young leader who in all sincerity said to me that in church he felt there were two types of people, those who were parasitic in their relationship or those who had a symbiotic relationship with...

Been thinking about what Intentional Christian Leaders do, how they act and what they say. If anything I have learned that leadership is a cultural thing that differs from place to place and church to church. I think there are some things that are common to all cultures. Below are just two of the things that I have noticed about Intentional Christian Leaders.  Intentional Christian Leaders step forward and challenge the status quo they question things both inside and outside the church. Inside the church because they are always looking for a way to do things better. They question both other leaders and themselves. If they question others but not themselves they could lose- in the fog of information- that vital piece of information that could usher in that next great move of God for their churches. If they question just themselves they gain nothing, but doubts. Outside the church, they look to question those in authority in their communities and hold them to the standards ...