Welcome back to Healthy Leaders! In this issue, we open up the hood to see what makes a healthy Christian organization tick.
Hello friends,
In our last post, we talked about the one characteristic of a healthy leader, that they rely fully and totally on Christ as both Center and Source.
It’s a humbling and convicting truth that as the leaders go, so goes the organization. If we really want our ministries and churches to be the light of Christ to the world, it requires that we get on our knees before God, in dependence on Christ.
From that foundation, then, we can begin to build a culture in our Christian organizations that mirrors the unity, love and power of the Godhead.
Remember the Ephesians 3 passage from last week? Here it is in context:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14-21)
Paul is praying for this healthy culture in the Ephesian church. Note the firm foundation of love, the power to know the love of Christ in a way that passes beyond knowledge itself, and the utter experience of God available to us. This is quite the vision for a healthy organization! And it all starts with union with Christ.
Here’s Malcolm, expanding out from that union into the practical outworking of it.
“If you lead a Christian ministry organization, Christ must be at the center. Not just in name or in theory, but as a daily practical reality in the lives and the work of all your people.”
To recap, flowing out from union with Christ and every member functioning, we have four facets of a healthy organization:
Growing in God
Serving Each Other
Building Others
Working with Purpose
As you nurture these facets — exemplifying them in yourselves to start — your organizations will grow healthier and become more effective in the work that God has called them to do.
A friend of ours, an East Asian sister who coaches sports as a way to mentor emerging Christian leaders, has been nurturing leaders this way for the past six years. And still, to her, every sports camp she runs feels like a fresh encounter with God.
“Every time I prepare for training — during the design phase and while praying — the Holy Spirit always strongly reminds me: This is God’s vision. It’s His work. And every time, it’s something new! He will reign and lead; we are simply hidden in Him, co-working with God. As we think proactively, offer ourselves, and stay sensitive to His guidance throughout the process, beautiful things are bound to happen — and indeed, they always do!
Time and again, things have happened that far exceed what we asked or imagined. This has especially built up my heart in knowing God, relying on Him and fearing Him. God is truly among us. It has greatly strengthened my courage and confidence in Christ. I don’t need to fear, because this is God’s work!
Every time I witness God’s wonders firsthand — the gains people experience, the transformations in their lives — it leaves me in awe. I’m also so thankful that during each training session, I feel all my cells are alive, I’m full of energy, and my thinking becomes especially sharp. I often get ideas or revelations that surprise even myself. I know this isn’t from me — it’s God’s care for the entire group, and a personal strengthening for me.
… I’ve gone from believing sports ministry had nothing to do with me to knowing that this is God’s calling for me. I want to fully devote myself to it and continue to discover and witness God’s power.
In every preparation phase, our co-workers are always filled with eager anticipation – excited and energized. The overall culture of service is uplifting and positive. Never once have I felt they were just fulfilling a duty out of obligation. Instead, they step in with a deep desire to journey with God and with their spiritual family. Because everyone embraces the vision so wholeheartedly and truly experiences God’s power, we walk together in a healthy serving culture. The relationships among co-workers are beautiful, sincere, loving, and full of mutual encouragement and appreciation. We speak the truth in love. This community is a great encouragement to me.
During each training, the participants, through those few days of intense training, shared life, and listening to each other’s stories, became wonderful companions on the journey.
Notice how this is not something she musters up within herself, but a connection to God which overflows into the culture of her team. We see all Four Facets in action here: growth in every person, a desire to serve one another, building new team members and participants, and a deeper sense of calling and purpose available to everyone.
This is what our organizations, ministries and churches can look like if we turn away from our own plans and depend on God.
What About You?
So we know what a healthy Christian organization should look like. Now what?
Your church or ministry will undoubtedly be healthy in some areas and not so healthy in others. Even if every leader were to take the challenge we’re offering here and refocus their hearts and minds on Christ and the life He brings, there would still be work to do to align the people to that life — to convince them that being a healthy organization, centered on Christ and with everyone functioning in all four facets, is actually possible.
That alignment requires some serious evaluation of where you are now. We’ve created a free tool, specifically for churches but usable by organizations too, to help you in this evaluative process. Check it out, and let us know what you discover in the comments.
Recommended Resources
Video Course: Building Healthy Churches
Model Brief: Summary of the ConneXions Model of Leader Development
For more resources, visit our website.
As always, we’re so grateful to our friends at Fifty-Four Collective for helping us create these videos and for providing top-notch leader development online training. Check out what they’re doing!
Wow this is so clear and so good and helpful for leaders to apply
I really am blessed reading the Four Facets of a healthy Christian..... This is a good reminder and we need to maintain this in our ministry and organizations and churches. I would like to take classes on this topic in the ministry where i work. I will study this lesson in such a way that i can teach it to others.