Training and Supporting Missional Leaders

So here we are again at the start of a new month and another new topic: Training and Supporting Missional Leaders. Once you've got a missional culture established and released some leaders into going for their missional vision you'll need to think about how to offer ongoing appropriate support and development for your leaders. It is crucial that leaders, who will effectively be leading small churches in their spare time, have enough support, training and encouragement to continue on with their vision and to see it bear much fruit. Without enough support there is a chance that they may find themselves over-burdened and under-equipped which could lead to burnout and failure of that community.

So what might be the key things to bear in mind as you think about supporting and developing your missional leaders?

1. Do it!

People will see what you value most by where you spend the majority of your time. If you really value growing a missional movement and supporting your leaders then I would suggest that they (and the rest of the church) need to see that worked out practically, as well as in just what you say. Look at your diary. Are MC leaders prioritised? If not, why not? Do they feel valued by how much of your time is spent on them and in visiting their communities, or do they see you focusing most of your time on central resources/events etc? Change your diary if necessary and put other people in place to do things you've been doing, or find someone whose job it is to take responsibility for coaching and supporting your MC Leaders. I know this is not always an easy one to change but I think it's vital for the growth and success of MCs in a church!

2. Apprenticeship

As much as possible take time to apprentice or coach your leaders in missional leadership. There are many ways to do this, not all of them requiring lots of time from you or them.

One of the best ways for a leader to be apprenticed is by them being raised up through a community by another leader using the Lifeshapes Leadership Square (going through a process of I do - you watch, I do - you help, You do - I help, You do - I watch.) Obviously when you are just starting MCs in your church this isn't possible, so then make sure that you spend time sharing stories of success and failure, your wisdom and your experiences of how you've led people before. Always give them the challenge to try and work things out for themselves with their team and the Holy Spirit - don't be tempted to 'rescue' them every time they have a problem or to tell them what to do. Keep them accountable for their decisions and actions (remember low-control, high accountability).

3. Training

Operate under the principle of 'just enough information, just in time.' In other words, don't 'front-load' your leaders with lots of information or training in areas they haven't yet experienced. The likelihood is they won't remember much of it. Give them the specific training they need as and when their experience demands it. Do balance this however with regular general leadership training/development input so that your leaders feel they are being invested into as they lead.

4. Value a range of leadership types

Don't assume that everyone ought to lead like you! Remember each leader is different, has different skills, gifts and passions and should be released to lead in their own identity rather than feeling they need to be like someone they're not. This might mean you need to help them discover some of what this is.

5. The most important thing is not the community they lead

Don't let your desire to grow healthy and fruitful communities within your church get in the way of growing healthy and fruitful disciples in your church. The most important things your leaders should invest in is their relationships with the Lord and with their family. Make sure they are putting regular time in their diary to spend in rest and re-creation. This might mean they can't get to everything you ask them to come to.....this is ok!!! You're much more likely to get healthy communities and people willing to step up to leadership if they see leaders who have healthy relationships and a healthy rhythm to their life.

6. Encouragement is vital

Nobody can get too much encouragement in their leadership. It usually comes rarely from the people we lead so make sure you give them as much as you can! Without it it's easy for a leader to become discouraged and disillusioned, especially when times are hard, so make sure you give them praise for specific things you've seen in them, and cheer them on when things get tricky.

I hope these few thoughts help you Church Leaders as you work out how best to train and support your Missional Leaders!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Discovering and Developing Missional Vision: Leadership Part 1

I hope you've been enjoying the blog posts over the last month. I've really enjoyed reading the contributions based on the theme of Establishing a Missional Culture.

Today marks the start of a new theme: Discovering and Developing Missional Vision. One of the things that gets me most excited is being able to release and support people into putting into action the vision God has given them. Seeing people live out their calling, especially those who aren't your typical pioneer or confident leader, is something I find really fulfilling.

I expect most of you who have been on a journey with Missional Communities with us for a little while will have been thinking about and concentrating on releasing your pioneer leaders, the ones who are 'early adopters' - those who are usually bursting with vision and raring to be released. Great! That's definitely the place to start.

This week however I'd like to use this blog post to explore a little how to help those for whom vision comes a bit less easily, who are less 'self-promoting', more introverted or simply lack confidence or experience. For Missional Communities to become fully established within a church it is important to be raising up leaders of all shapes and sizes - MC leadership is not just for the raving extroverts or the 'obvious' leaders you have in your church!

I'll post in 2 parts; today I'll ask a few questions of you to ponder on, thinking about some of the underlying foundations and leadership culture in your church. Tomorrow I'll give a few tips of how to help encourage more people into leading with a missional vision.

So, some questions for you to consider:

• Do you have a vision for raising up leaders?
• What is the culture of leadership in your church? Do people know that leadership isn't restricted to one 'type' of person? Do they have a biblical understanding of leadership?
• Do you have a process by which vision is taught, released and nurtured across the whole body? Are you making it simple or expecting too much?
• What examples of leadership are you holding up to the church?
• Are the testimonies you profile of God at work in every day life as well as the more 'spectacular'?
• Are your MC leaders able and equipped to encourage and release others in their MC into their own vision and calling?

Setting good foundations and a biblical view of leadership in your church is vital in enabling people to discover the vision and call God has given them.

Tomorrow I'll share my top 10 tips on releasing vision in the non-pioneers, the under-encouraged or those lacking in confidence!

Establishing a missional culture: welcome and hospitality

About a year ago a friend was talking about a verse from the Psalms that God had been speaking to them about.  The "God speaking" was a contagious condition.  I'd never noticed them before, but but now can't seem to shake these words:


"God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."  Psalm 68:6.


It's that first phrase that keeps chasing me: God sets the lonely in families.  For me, that gets close to what establishing a missional culture is all about out.  We are working on our lives, communities and churches so that they become a place where the lonely find a place to belong in His family.


Over the summer I've been reading Ian Adams' excellent book; Cave, Refectory, Road. Adams explores the ancient rhythms and practices of Christian monastics and makes some great suggestions about how those principles might help communities and individuals today.  One of those practices, is hospitality.  From their foundations in the ancient world up until the present day,  Monasteries have always been supposed to be place where the stranger, the poor and the lonely are welcomed.

In our own way, my family and I are experiencing a little of the loneliness of the road right now, and also the beauty of welcome and hospitality.  We've recently left Sheffield to live and work in Deal, Kent.  Before I go on, please don't feel too sorry for us, the area is lovely and we're very happy here.  Even so, our lives were recently full of old friends and familiarity and suddenly feel a lot emptier as we start to build relationships all over again.  What has really helped us is the welcome we've received.  Strangers have come round to help us unpack, boxes of food and goodies waited for us when we arrived, friendly smiles and words have been given the end of church.  We are being pulled into a new family.

All of these different things are pushing me towards one realisation: hospitality and welcome are fundamental to a missional culture.  God sets the lonely in families and he wants to do it in our communities.

But good hospitality takes sacrifice.  Lonely people, new people, are often difficult and require effort.  They don't know how the community works, they may not be on board with the vision, they don't get the in jokes.  They may be lonely because they're weird or awkward.  They may be awkward because they're lonely.  They will at times be hard work.

The effort is worth it.  If you can establish a culture of welcome and of hospitality then you're already a long way to getting a missional culture.  The difficult, but new, awkward people are essential to your life and your group; find them and welcome them.