High Expectations – Part 1
By John Kimball, CCCC Director of Church Development
One of the things I have learned after many years in the ministry is that the things you measure become the operational priorities in the church. Over the next two articles, I want to take some time to unpack some things every church should be measuring — but most do not. By placing these things out front and measuring them publicly, incredible kingdom changes can come to almost any congregation.
High Expectations of Leaders
The first place to focus in any church is on the expectations of leaders. Let me be clear: a church will never rise above its leadership in any area of fruit and ministry. Leaders must lead by example; therefore, the Scripture says they are to be held to a higher standard (e.g., see James 3:1). My “lens” here is focused on the pastor(s) and those who are the equivalent of Elders in your congregation — whatever your particular leadership structure may call them.
In most American congregations today, the role of leadership has degraded to more of a “director” on a board than that of a spiritual leader who guides the congregation in ministry by exemplifying Jesus Christ. This is a primary reason for most of the dysfunction in local churches across the country. Even a quick perusal of biblical chapters like 1Timothy 3 and Titus 1 clearly demonstrates that all church leaders should primarily be prayerfully selected based upon proven spiritual maturity and Christ-like character. Not one of us is perfect in any of these areas, but there must be an obvious track record and noticeable growth. If not, then it doesn’t matter how “connected” the leadership candidate may be or how “important” their family is to the church, they are not qualified to lead God’s precious people.
If you were to ask me for some criteria for considering church leaders (and few churches have ever actually asked me for these), I would begin with the following:
| _ | 1. | _ | How many people has this potential leader led to Christ? |
| 2. | How many people is this person currently mentoring/discipling one-on-one toward Christian maturity? How many of those disciples are now actively discipling others by the same pattern? | ||
| 3. | How does this person measure up against the criteria listed in 1 Timothy 3:1–7? | ||
| 4. | Is this person party to any ongoing conflict within the church? Outside of the church? Within his or her own family? If so, the conflict must be resolved before they can ever be considered for their leadership gifts (see Matthew 5:23–24). | ||
| 5. | If the person is married, how healthy is their relationship with their spouse? Does their spouse support their candidacy for church leadership? | ||
| 6. | If the person is a parent, how well have they discipled their own children? Ask them how they are discipling within the family environment. | ||
| 7. | Does this leader tithe? If not, why not? (Yes, ask the question — there are few other questions that can so clearly show how much a person trusts God and tests their level of commitment to the Immanuel Agenda). If they cannot because they are struggling with debt, then suggest they take care of that first and then come back to serve the church. | ||
| 8. | Determine this person’s command of the Scriptures. Does their personal theology match that of the church and pastor? Is it Biblical? Have they memorized Scripture? | ||
| 9. | Have this potential leader take the time to describe their calling to church leadership in detail. Do they desire to lead God’s people? If not, they are not a candidate. If yes, ask them why. Church leaders must serve based upon a sense of calling. | ||
| 10. | Is this person willing to completely rearrange their life’s priorities and schedule to make leading the Immanuel Agenda among God’s precious people a high priority? Will they sacrifice hobbies, weekends away (e.g., at the cabin), and an appropriate number of evenings to be an active and consistent example for the congregation during their season of leadership? To refuse is to communicate to the congregation that other things are of higher importance. |
There are certainly other considerations, but these are a good start. It is critical that we raise the bar for church leadership because we believe that this particular work is of utmost importance.
It occurs to me that some churches may look at the above list and say, “Kimball, you have just eliminated all our candidates!” I understand. But then I would ask the church family about the way they are intentionally preparing people for leadership. Perhaps your leadership development is emphasizing the wrong priorities? Or maybe leadership development is missing altogether? Then this is where the first changes must take place.
What priorities does your church communicate when considering leaders for your ministry? Do you need help in this area? The CCCC’s LifeFlow Church Development process makes such leadership development a huge priority. For more information on how we can help you, call our office at (651) 739-1474.
