Tim King Leadership

God wants the next generation. I had coffee this week with a senior church leader and in the course of our   amicable conversation he accused me of not understanding the dynamics of church congregations. He also said that most contemporary churches do not cater in their programmes for the 40+ age group, and that they are too focused on the youth agenda. Please forgive me if I have used this illustration before but I think it is directly linked to what I have to say below: When you have a goldfish in a goldfish bowl it needs to be fed by you on a daily basis otherwise it will die. When you have goldfish in a pond in the garden or a public park you don't have to feed them because for the most part they will find food for themselves, little insect larva or algae and maybe the occasional bread crust thrown in by a child. When it comes to Christians those that constantly need feeding never seem to grow in their faith but those that learn to feed themselves grow and ...

I am still relevant, BUT GOD...... It has been 15 years since I left my homeland behind because of the fiddling and ranting and raving of a despot and dictator. I became part of a Diaspora who's heart and blood still longs for the sights and sounds and smells of Africa. BUT GOD, has had other plans and on my sojourn- first in New Zealand and now in the United Kingdom I have learnt many new things. It has been 15 years of teaching, lecturing and preaching about leadership and   Christian leadership development, values and principles. In that time I have had the great privilege to meet many great men and women of God, people who have spoken into my life and given me great insights. It has also been a time where I have seen brilliant church leadership and very poor church leadership. It has been a time where I have seen human failings and weaknesses in all manner of church leaders both successful and those who are not so successful. At times during the last 15 years ...

Christmas time and highly effective leaders. For me New Year is a time to look forward, to plan and strategise a time to set goals but Christmas time   is the time of year I look back and remember that Jesus   was born in a humble stable on a bed of straw. It is the time of year that I evaluate my habits and see how effective I have been. The birth of Jesus was the beginning of the most successful ministry ever seen both before and since. So as I look back and reflect not only on Christ's ministry I look and reflect on my habits and ministry and how effective I have been. My take then on the habits of highly effective church leadership goes something like this: 1) Highly effective church leaders like to take risks. They are willing to push beyond their own comfort zone. They see things in people that other more cautious church leaders do not and they take a chance on them by giving opportunities. Jesus was a risk taker in a time of Roman occupation and an entr...

If I were the devil I would convince the church in the West of the following:   I would tell them that the church is dying.   The media say the church in the west is in decline. I would show them all the large stone churches that are empty or have been sold to become Muslim mosques or Hindu temples. Those old Methodist churches that are now antique auction houses. I would show the church the old tin sheds that many traditional Pentecostal groups still meet in and I would show them the small and dying congregations that have no relevance to anything. I would tell them that the church is no longer relevant. The church is an institution that has outlived its usefulness. Society is now mature enough to see to its own needs. Governments will look after the poor see to the sick and look after the widows and elderly in our communities. Society has become more complex and the church has remained staid in its thinking. Gay love is here to stay. The world is changing...

Step Two: Consider Why You Went into Ministry From time to time, I have encountered people who believe me to be against all church leadership. Their perception is that I frequently cast it in a bad light. Ironically, there is nothing further from the truth; I am extremely in favor of good church leadership. That being said, I have come across some very poor church leadership on my travels. If some of these leaders had instead been managing directors of secular companies, they would have either gone into liquidation or been fired by the board! On British television, there is a genealogy program called “Who Do You Think You Are?” The format has also been copied for television in the United States. On the show, celebrities research their family trees and find all the skeletons in the closets. I like the title because it is a question I ask of church leaders. I ask, “Who do you think you are? What makes you think you can do a better job than those who have gone before you?” I of...