How to Manage Christian Leadership

A wise leader sets a clear vision without forcing people to do everything his way.

The goal of Christian leadership is to serve Christ and the church by being wise stewards of the people, resources and opportunities over which you have authority. In managing leaders, establish a clear focus on Jesus Christ and his values, then let each leader engage his full vision, passion and competence within the scope of his responsibilities. A combination of encouragement, evaluation, correction and generous service will help you to fulfill your duties responsibly while helping those under your care at the same time.

Instructions

1. Set an example of intimacy with Jesus by initiating times of group prayer and worship, striving to base your decisions on wise and biblically sound principles. Model Christian traits like humility, diligence, trustworthiness and joy.

2. Define a clear vision and purpose for the organization. Refine the vision until you can state it clearly and memorably in a short sentence, then communicate it repeatedly. Choose no more than three values to reinforce, then help the leaders understand and champion those values with every decision and communication.

3. Recognize and reward the leaders who make good decisions, model servanthood, take initiative to resolve sticky situations within the organization. Take time to privately correct and coach those who are not leading well, as well as confronting leaders who are consciously disobeying God's commands in their own lives.

4. Define clear measures of success for specific projects and processes that are important to the mission of the organization. For example, you may decide that every donation should get a thank you note within one business day, then count the number of un-thanked donations remaining at the end of each day. In many cases, simply providing consistent evaluation in a given area will lead to steady improvement. However, if this fails, you may have to implement a system of positive and negative reinforcement based on performance.

References

• Christian Leadership Alliance; If You Want to Manage It, Measure It; Larry F. Johnston, PhD
• CatalystSpace; Managing Your Divine Purpose; Lavaille Lavett