To lead a church to blessedness a leader must become grounded spiritually in God's purpose, presence, and power by forming deep dispositions of faith, hope, love, discernment, prayerfulness, humility, and servanthood. Spiritually shallow leaders cannot lead others to spiritual depth, though many try. Still, while it is essential that spiritual leaders form deep dispositions, that is not enough. Many deeply spiritual people, people of prayer and faith, are not very good leaders. They genuinely want to serve God, but they have weak leadership qualities.
Being adept at the deepest forms of prayer and reflection does not necessarily qualify a person to lead others onto God's agenda. Even the most deeply spiritual people can be overcontrolling or too permissive. Becoming a blessed leader requires developing key leadership qualities.
Leadership dispositions root us in God's purpose, presence, and power -- in a deeply loving relationship with God. Leadership qualities enable us to motivate and move others. Most good leaders have a variety of qualities that make them effective, but the best -- especially the best spiritual leaders -- appear to have seven specific qualities. Such a leader has become trusting, encouraging, compassionate, visionary, able to articulate that vision, sacrificially selfless, and committed to outreach.
Leaders who nurture and develop these qualities usually accomplish a great deal. They enable people to feel safe amid turmoil, crisis, transformation, and change. They give people the confidence to believe they can have an impact. They let people know that they are valued and supported, despite mistakes and failure. They help people to glimpse possibilities beyond what they had been able to grasp on their own. They give people a sense of purpose and meaning. They lead people to become selfless and sacrificing. Finally, they lead people to make reaching out to others the main goal of their lives.
-- N. Graham Standish in Becoming a Blessed Church: Forming a Church of Spiritual Purpose, Presence, and Power, published by the Alban Institute
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