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They use their influence “to influence people in a particular context to pursue heir God-given In other words, it is the church leadership’s job to help the people they lead to see God and His work in their lives, to understand their purpose, actively pursue God’s plan for their life, and carry that plan out effectively. Because of the heavy mandate that all church leadership carries, it is imperative for anyone who is in a leadership position to know their leadership style and his or her strengths and weaknesses as it pertains to leadership.
The best way to do this is to do a self-elevation or use resources that will help you survey the effectiveness of your leadership. During the first half of this course, have been given the opportunity to read about qualities that a leader should possess. Along with the reading, the author has provided audits that when taken would help me to survey my leadership style and determine to what degree I possess these qualities. This leadership audit is a combination and analysis of the individual audits contained within the reading and will serve as a tool to boost my leadership skills to better serve those that I lead more effectively.
Christian Leader Audit In chapter one, Mullah’s discussed “eight distinctive of Christian leadership” ND provides example of first-century church leaders. [2] The Christian Leader Audit helps to determine the overall strength that a person has as a Christian, not just a leader. It audits a person’s commitment to Christ and His teachings and their willingness to follow His example in their everyday life. I scored an eight on this audit and, according to my score; I am a strong Christian leader. In my Christian walk, I have had some ups and downs and highs and lows.
I have experienced death of friends and family, rape, divorce, and a multitude of other things. It has been a process getting to the place that I am now. My life experiences have help to develop my trust in God and strengthened my commitment to Him. Being a Christian, I have also learned that a lot of people look at me regarding how I handle the trials and tribulations that occur in my life. As a teacher, have been divinely and strategically place in an atmosphere where have a lot of young girls that look up to me and watch what I do and say at all times.
That is why I strive every day to live my life as an example for those that are around me. Now admittedly, I have struggled in the area of being completely dead by the Holy Spirit when it comes to making decisions for my life. I am generally an impatient person and I want things right now. Being impatient has landed me in some tight spots and very awkward situations. But as grow and mature in Christ, I am learning the importance of following the leading in the Holy Spirit in all areas of my life. Moving in my times causes more problems than can handle.
But moving in God’s time takes away the stress and allows me to be stay in peace and really focus on my Kingdom assignment. Servant Leader Audit Chapter two discusses the elements of servant leadership and the qualities that cake a servant leader. The Servant Leader Audit helps to determine whether a person is a servant. It assesses how a person will serve people within their ministry. This audits a person’s ability to be a servant leader. I scored a thirty- one on the audit. According to my score, I am a strong servant. For me, being a servant has never been a problem. I find it easy to give of myself to those that are in need.
I am genuinely interested in helping others before my own desires. Oftentimes, I will put what I want to do on the back burner when I know that someone else is in need resources that possess. It is easy for me to do because have the best interest of others at heart and I only want to see them successful. Realize that being a servant or a servant leader has nothing to do with the title that is attached to the front of my name. At church, I am a minister and the people in the congregation refer to me as Pastor Nelson. I tell them all the time that it is not necessary to call me by the title.
In actually, I would rather them not to call me that at all. The title is the position that I hold: it does not define who I am and that is a servant. As I further consider the results of this audit, I o realize that in my life I am a servant from my heart. Sometimes that means that I serve and I give until it hurts, literally. In the last two weeks, I have spent a majority of the time helping members of the congregation that do not have cars by running errands for them and picking them up from work. Have also worked organizing the church food pantry by going to pick up food donations.
The amount of running and traveling that I have done has taken a toll on my body. A lot of people that are close to me think that people take advantage of me and my heart to serve. They may be right. But that is when I have to pray and ask God for guidance and direction on whom and how to help. Credibility Audit Chapter three of the Mullah’s text deals with a leader’s credibility and trustworthiness. Trust when it comes to leadership is very important. It is an essential element that a leader needs in order to make sure that they are effective in their leadership.
The Credibility Audit determines the credibility of a person who is in leadership and determines the level of creditability they have with the people that they lead. Scored a seventeen on this audit, which means hat I have high leadership credibility. Currently, I have not been in my present ministry long enough for the people that I lead to fully trust me. According to the Mullah’s text, it takes five years for a leader to gain any type of credibility. [3] At previous ministries, I have spent that much time there in a leadership position. I am known for my strong convictions and sticking to them no matter what others think.
At the same time, I am known as person that cares very deeply for those that I lead. The one downfall that I have when it comes to my credibility is my emotions. In the past, I have let what was going through personally affect my leadership. I let my emotions get the best of me and my focus was shaken. Because was unable to separate the two, my credibility was hurt because people did not see that I could keep my word or follow through with assignments that I was given. Now through much prayer and time with the Lord, I have learned how to better manage my emotions. I cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of my past at this point in my life.
The damage to the congregants would be too great because most of them have come from ministries where the dervish has mishandled them and the trust severed. As a leader, I have to make sure that stay balanced in order to continue to build their trust in church leadership. Spiritual Gifts Audit The Spiritual Gifts Audit is meant to help a person determine what spiritual gifts God has given you. By working through one hundred and ten statements, a person can determine what areas of ministry will best fit their areas of skills. With this Spiritual Gifts audit, scored a forty-five in areas of Apostleship, Faith, and Giving.
I scored a forty-four in Administration and a forty-three in Mercy. The fact that I scored really high in Administration is not a surprise to me. In every ministry that I have served, I have been the church administrator or the pastor’s secretary. It may should weird, but, I love making appointments and keeping calendars. Make sure that everything is organized and in its rightful place. I also delight in planning events and making sure that all facets of an event that I plan for church runs smoothly. The other non-surprise is the fact that I scored really high in Giving. I have been known to give my last to someone that I know is in need.
I always find opportunities to use my time and talents to help others. It makes me feel good to help others move forward with life. I also don’t expect anything in return when do give. I don’t need recognition or a pat on the back. Know that what I do pleases God and that is enough for me. The one surprise that I did get from this audit is the fact that I scored really low when it came to teaching or being a teacher. Being a teacher by trade, I would have thought that I would score higher in that area. When it comes to teaching in the church context, know that I am not as skilled as most. I become very nervous.
That is something that I have got to get past. Second Timothy 1 states that God hasn’t given his people a spirit of fear. Fear is from the devil. It is a tool that he uses to try to hush my mouth and try to stop me from declaring the Word of the Lord. Natural Gifts and Abilities Audit The Natural Gifts and Abilities Audit determine a person’s level of passion for various vocation and occupations. By taking this audit, a person can begin to discover their unique gift from God. Maulers points out that every believer and thus every leader will have one or more of the spiritual gifts, but all leaders will to necessarily have the same gifts. 4] We know that God gives natural gifts to unbelievers as well as believers based on His common grace. Just like everyone, I have been given natural gifts; gifts that I believe I have been born with, a gift from God. Naturally God has gifted me with the unique gift of wisdom and judgment. While I must admit, I have recognized the talents until the past two years within my Christian walk. I do believe that God has a reason for having me go through many years of learning before I could recognize that I have the gift of wisdom and judgment.