Papers from the author's class on church leadership

Do groups really need human leaders? A philosophy of Christian leadership begins with the biblical data on how God views human leaders.

God's part in ministry. We all know God has to empower all ministry or it is doomed from the start. But what other implications can we draw from a strong view of God's part?

What makes someone a Christian leader? Who says this person should lead instead of that person? This paper gathers data from New and Old Testaments.

12 Ways to conceive of Chritian leaders. Powerful leaders use multiple modalities when leading. All are biblical. Even less gifted leaders can maximize their ability to influence others for God by focusing on those areas where they are more gifted.

Developing a Theology of Failure. God doesn't always call us to succeed. Faithful followers will sooner or later taste deeply of the well of failure. It's a crucial and necessary part of God's training and character development--not a sign that something has gone terribly wrong!

Leadership and Authority in the Church: What it is and what it isn't. Authoritarian models of leadership spell death for organic approaches to ministry. But anarchical models equally undermine the church. This synthesis was developed during discussions at the Xenos College Ministry on the proper limits to human authority in the church.

'Vision' and Christian Leadership. Leadership books all seem to agree that leaders should be visionaries in some sense. But how much of this thinking comes from the Bible, and how much is New Age mind power or merely secular charimatic leadership studies? When and how should Christian leaders cast vision for their people?

How to Motivate People. Could it be that most churches and ministries have a shallow view of human motivation under the biblical model? Are most Christian efforts to motivate simply "monkey see, monkey do" or fear-threat approaches that fall far short of biblical teaching?

Factors in leading change in the church. Nothing is harder than moving a Christian church to change in substantive ways. Planning is crucial.

Leadership Team Building. Since Xenos groups are usually led by teams, leaders have to work at avoiding dysfunctionality in their teams.

Leading Evangelism. This paper has several pages of ideas for stimulating quality outreach in home groups.

Leading home church follow up. Once non-Christians come out to hear the word of God taught and see body life in action, the task of follow up begins.

Follow up Workshop. This more specific paper is the basis for a workshop on the best approaches to the work of following up with newer guests.

Leading Stewardship. This short paper gives leaders ideas for how to promote giving to their groups.

Studies in underground and home-based Christian movements:

Watchman Nee and the House Church Movement in China This movement suffered bitter persecution at the hands of the established church mainly for the "sin" of translating the Bible into the vernacular and presuming to use their gifts and ministries.

Philip Jacob Spener's Contribution to Protestant Ecclesiology

Spener was an ordained minister and professor in the Lutheran church when he founded the movement that came to be called Pietism. Spener encouraged the formation of house groups (called collegia pietatis) where serious Christians could pursue fellowship and in-depth discipleship. His followers not only included the movement based at Halle University (which began the first organized Protestant missions outreach) but the so-called "radical pietists" who, along with Anabaptists, took the teachings of Spener to their logical extreme. Today, historians are aware of a direct line from the pietist movement to the Wesleyan movement.

The Waldensian Movement from Waldo to the Reformation This movement suffered bitter persecution at the hands of the established church mainly for the "sin" of translating the Bible into the vernacular and presuming to use their gifts and ministries.

Other studies related to ecclesiology:

Cultivating a Tender Heart
When working with people in the church, leaders regularly experience disappointment, betrayal, and failure. Many find it difficult to avoid toughening their hearts in a way that protects them from hurt. The result is inability to deeply care about people and to love them deeply. This paper discusses how to keep a tender heart toward God and others.

The Objectification of Religion: Universal Themes
This paper covers current theories about why people nearly always "objectify" religion. Objectification refers to the practice of reducing abstract principles and ethics to rituals, trinkets, buildings, and festivals. Formalism is a synonym for objectification--a fixation of the outward forms of religion, rather than on inward spiritual reality.

Strange Details in Stephen's Defense
Have you ever wondered why Stephen seems to have problems staying on the subject during his defense to the Sanhedrin in Acts 7? This paper answers the questions raised by one of the more puzzling but vital passages in the book of Acts. The solution relates to the issue of formalism and the true nature of the church.

How to View Change in the Church
When the church loses its ability to change, it loses its ability to follow God. Lead pastor, Dennis McCallum answers objections to change in the church with this essay.

Melchizedek and the Priesthood of Christ
Why must the church decisively reject both legalism and Old Testament-style ritualism? One of the clearest passages explaining why is Hebrews 5 and 7.