Welcome to Issue 57 of Healthy Leaders. In this issue, design is for everyone.
Hello friends,
Welcome back to our ongoing conversation on healthy Christian leadership and leader development.1
Last time, we spent some time discussing how you might come alongside your leaders as you are designing ways for them to grow. This same foundation of relationship is essential for your own growth as well. God designed it to be this way!
As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the Body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:20-27)
In other words, we need each other. And this goes for people who are proficient with more complex designs to implement across multiple church networks, as well as those who only design simple plans to help their family grow.
In order for all of us to be built up together as the Body of Christ, everyone can and must do design!
Here’s Malcolm with more:
When Malcolm says that everyone can and must do design, he means everyone — including those who have a long legacy of ministry in their families and their lives.
Pastor G is a fourth-generation preacher and has been serving the Lord for over 36 years. During that time he attended many trainings and seminars. When he first heard about Building Healthy Leaders, he was not interested in it. He thought it was just another program.
Even so, he decided to read Building Leaders, and after reading became so interested that he joined the short-term program for almost two years. He and his church have received so much benefit from the program, but it was during the design section that he was most inspired.
Suddenly he realized that all of the past courses on leader development that he had taken were only materials, and nobody had taught him how to put those materials together to make something new. The ConneXions Model, with its 5C goal and 4D process, showed him how to use these materials to build his personal life and the life of the church. He immediately started a one-year program in his own church with his co-workers, teaching what he’d learned once a month for five days.
Before, Pastor George cared most about doing good works instead of building people. He felt very frustrated and misunderstood, which created tension with his team. However, he was inspired by the idea that making disciples requires that the leader spend a majority of time accompanying them in their growth. When he started spending more time with his co-workers and getting to know them on a personal level, he was able to unite his team and help them grow in a holistic way. This has led to great transformation.
He reported to us that he has been empowered to trust his followers and give power and responsibility to them freely. Because of this he has been freed to accept more preaching invitations and to build the health of the whole church using the Healthy Church models. His focus on building leaders has expanded evangelism and discipleship in his context!
This is the power of learning how to design.
What about you?
Have you identified a growth area in yourself that you can start working on yet? What about for someone you are discipling, or emerging leaders in your church?
We’d love to hear who you’re building, and how it’s going, and if you have any questions about the process. Let us know in the comments!
Until next time, we’re with you!
— Chris
Recommended Resources
Core Model Brief: Summary of the Principles of Healthy Leader Development
Book: Building Leaders
For more resources, visit our website.
Thanks to our friends at Fifty-Four Collective for putting together a comprehensive set of video courses for growing healthy organizations, starting with this series of courses on leadership by Malcolm. We’ll be using some of their videos and some of our own. Be sure to check out what they’re doing!