Leaders as Role Model in the 21st Century Church
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
At the end of this research work, church leaders should be able to integrate and apply the 11 principle of leadership characteristics for proper functioning of the 21st century church or the local church.
The 21st century church will realize the central and critical role of effective Christian leadership and assign a proper place and function to the same in the church.
The church (the Body of Christ) will experience growth, strength and development in the area of leadership.
The study will therefore check-meet various issues involved in the study how christen leadership has effected administrative structure of church growth and development.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Concept of Christian leader
Not just men and women serving in “Christian” roles, such as pastors of churches, missionaries, worship leaders, youth or children’s leaders, or denominational structures (all are important), but wherever Christians are located in society, whether education, business, politics, government, science, media, the arts, community groups or the home.
Christian leaders (ie leaders who are Christians) can strongly influence our world for good, as followers of Jesus Christ. It all gets back to their personal commitment to Christ and their willingness to be “salt” and “light” in their circles of influence, to engage proactively, positively and purposefully, springing from a Christian world view geared to hearing and obeying God’s will.
Our ideals of leaders are often defined by our culturally constructed values and expectations:
strong, determined, driven, wilful, ambitious, dominant, knowledgeable, charismatic, successful, usually men.
Few aspirational churches would invite to their leadership team someone who publicly states “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28). Or who has spent time offending other leaders, languishing in jail, appears to have disabilities and may not be a gifted preacher (Paul). However, Christian leadership is above culture. It is all about Jesus Christ. Our dominant narrative as leaders must be Him. When it comes to leading as a Christian, Jesus bluntly tells that we can nothing apart from Him (John 15:1-8).
As I have explored this topic, and been privileged to serve in secular and Christian leadership roles, in a variety of cultures, over the years, I have discovered that much of what is written about Christian leadership is very generic; it can be applied to different settings; in order to broaden its appeal; it is often stripped of Christian content altogether. We are assured that the principles work, even if applied by non-Christians, because they are eternal truths, however all too often that involves taking the message out of its context and enabling.
CHAPTER THREE
Jesus as a role model
Looking at Jesus’ model in the context of Church leadership implies the attributes and virtues in the personality of Jesus, which reflects in His leadership and which portrays unbendable integrity in Him. It also implies that leaders in the Church in Nigeria are to be the picture, figure and exact image of Jesus’ integrity in the Church. This means as well that Church leaders in Nigeria are to be an exact representation of Jesus when they are compared with Jesus in the school of moral integrity even in the face of pressure. According to Robert Sloan, it is not difficult to see that Jesus clearly understood Himself to have an assigned mission from His father. We can, therefore, look at the behaviour (or integrity) of Jesus as indicating the various models and strategies He employed for accomplishing the will of His father.It is the models Jesus utilized in accomplishing the will of His Father that leaders of the Church in Nigeria must step into in accomplishing the will of Jesus who sent them as the Father sent Jesus, (John 20: 21). In effect, looking at the leadership models of Jesus is the same thing as looking into the leadership styles and principles of Jesus all of which invariably are distinct from everyday business or organizational styles, principles or model. His models are different and compliant with His mission on Earth. In the words of Katola and Nyabwari, reading through the New Testament and especially the Gospels, one is impressed by the leadership styles of Jesus Christ. This is why they went further to argue that Jesus was the greatest leader who ever walked on the Earth.30 The point should be stressed that leadership in the kingdom of God is different from leadership in the world. Those who lead in the kingdom of God look very different from those who lead by the world’s standards. Kingdom leaders are people who lead like Jesus. They act differently from leaders trained by the world.
CHAPTER FOUR
The leader’s lifestyle
Lead by integrity
It’s easy to dismiss conversations about integrity without a second thought. When it comes to not cheating, lying, or stealing, most of us are on the right track.
When you make the conscious decision to be a leader, you must hold yourself to a higher standard. What about having integrity for your work? Holding yourself unwaveringly to your commitments? Having difficult conversations? Acknowledging your faults and weaknesses?
People respect a leader who is transparent and whose actions speak louder than words. It often takes months or even years to gain respect, but it only takes one white lie or broken promise to lose it. Remember as you approach leadership that those who have the biggest impact are humble and transparent about their shortcomings, not those who claim perfection.
Lead by encouragement
Just as there are many coaching styles in sports, different leadership styles are prevalent in the workplace. Despite these differences, one theme is essential to any leadership style: encouragement. Think about a time when you received kudos for your hard work. Whether it was from a peer or a supervisor, encouraging words are a treasure that we remember for years.
A leader who takes time to give genuine encouragement makes the people around them feel valued. Instead of bragging about their own accomplishments, an effective leader builds others up. The best part of this leadership strategy is that it’s easy. A simple conversation or thank you note can go a long way when it comes to encouraging others, and it contributes to your own sense of satisfaction as you see the effect of your positive words.
CHAPTER FIVE
Summary
The study was designed to investigate the leaders as role model in the 21st century church. To achieve this, the purpose of the study: The 21st century church will realize the central and critical role of effective Christian leadership and assign a proper place and function to the same in the church, the church (the Body of Christ) will experience growth, strength and development in the area of leadership. In order to achieve the research purpose, explanatory research method was employed. Explanatory research is a research method that explores why something occurs when limited information is available. It can help you increase your understanding of a given topic, ascertain how or why a particular phenomenon is occurring, and predict future occurrences.
Conclusion
The following conclusion were made:
It is proper and appropriate for church leaders to checkmate their leadership styles in other to attain it‘s leadership set goals. One particular leadership style in the church could affect the church members emotionally and spiritually. The study concludes that the leadership styles in the Pentecostal churches have more impact on the growth of the gospel than the leader himself.
Recommendation
In order to encourage probity, transparency, and accountability, the study recommends that, the general overseers, church treasurer and the financial secretary should continue to work as a team for an efficient finical management. Quarterly, external auditors should be invited to help audit the church accounts in order to discourage misappropriation of church funds.
References
- Abioje, P.O. (2005). “A Critical View of the Influence of Christian Leadership in Nigeria Today” Retrieved 20/1/2012 from 0. Unilorin.edu.ng/publication/abioje/critical view of influence leadership.
- Agu, E. (2008). ―The Role of Church Leaders on the Nation‖ Dissertation Submitted to Postgraduate School; UNI Jos
- Akpami, J.E. (2002). Vision, Equipping Church Workers for Effective Leadership. Kaduna: Tw Press & Publishers.
- Akpami, J.E. (2006). Leadership with Results. Kaduna: Tw Press & Publishers.
- Ashley, H. (1993). The Lost Art of Church Fund Raising. Getting the Details Rights. Retrieved 8/6/2012 from http://www.ministry magazine. Org/the lost –art of church-fund-raising.
- Atado, J.C. (1991). The Leader We Want. Kano: Modern Printers Ltd.
- Avolio, B. J., & Bass, B. M. (2005). Multiple leadership questionnaire for research web data collection. Menlo Park, CA: Mind Garden.
- Azika, N. (2002). Research Methodology in the Behavioural Sciences. Kaduna: Longman Publishers. Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.).
