In depth | Evangelicals Now

Church leaders, have you accidentally stopped leading?

Phil Moon

When church leaders get busy, or just simply older, it’s very easy for some leadership qualities - and the things leaders are supposed to actually do - to fall by the wayside.

That doesn’t help our leadership, nor does it help those we lead. Here are seven leadership qualities that can so easily drop off the radar:

Donald Trump: lessons in leadership?

John Brand

Over the years, I have become more and more convinced that, from a human perspective at least, the most important factor in determining the growth and fruitfulness of the local church is leadership.

I have studied and analysed a large number of churches that have split, closed or gone into maintenance mode, and almost without exception the problem can be traced back to a leadership issue – either a lack of leadership, the wrong people in leadership, the wrong exercising of leadership or the wrong attitude towards leaders on the part of the congregation as a whole.

lessons from Jude

When a leader falls, is their past teaching still valid?

Tom Forryan

The letter of Jude is consistent with the rest of Scripture in highlighting the importance of a Christian leader’s good character.

No Christian would be wise to accept as "shepherds" (v.12) of their soul anyone who is anything like the people Jude describes. But how does that work when our favourite preacher ministers online and belongs to a local church half-way round the world?

Developing life-giving authority

Will Cockram

Book Review AUTHORITY: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing.

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Help with how to lead well

Jane Patterson

Book Review THE ART OF GOOD GOVERNANCE:

Read review

pastoral care

How should leaders lead?

Steve Midgley

Leadership is having a hard time.

Appalling abuses of power in Christian circles sit within a broader suspicion of power and authority. Some speak of a crisis in recruitment to pastoral ministry. Seeing the demands of leadership, and those who fail, perhaps it is no surprise that people aren’t clamouring to join up.

the pastor's toolkit

But who’s reviewing you?

Phil Moon

We live in a world of reviews, don’t we? Hardly a day goes by without several emails turning up, wanting me to review something.

I imagine that’s presumably because they want to do better - and so, I hope, do we. All the time. I hope and pray that my next sermon will be my best yet, the next meeting I chair the most effective so far, the next mentoring meeting to start to be useful, and the next bit of training I deliver, simply out of this world. Or better than last time anyway…

How to run the worst possible Bible study

Robin Barfield

What is your ideal Bible study? It may be one where your young people give you all the correct answers, quietly nodding as you dispense wisdom, and you get through all the questions you had prepared. I want to suggest that this may be the worst possible study!

Over the last few months, we have been considering the dynamic that the Bible gives us of God encountering our young people. When we open Scripture with them, it is worship! It is not a textual exercise like a high school study of Shakespeare. But that is what we so often make them.

lessons from Jude

When their teaching is healthy, but their behaviour isn't

Tom Forryan

What does it mean to 'contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints' (Jude 3)?

Here is a clear call to disagree, to argue, to oppose, to speak against, to condemn – but is this only a matter of doctrine?

the pastor's toolkit

Sermon introductions – so what and who cares?

Martin Salter

'Good morning everybody. Please keep your Bibles open at the passage we’ve just read. John chapter 14 contains glorious truths about the gospel. Our first point is...'

Many sermons begin like this. It’s not wrong, but do you notice the assumption here? In opening the sermon this way, the preacher has assumed that everyone in the room is fully engaged, interested, and ready to listen. Yet the reality is many are not.

The myth of the swiss-army-knife pastor

Dan Steel

Have you ever been in one of those meetings where a church is looking to recruit a new pastor, and the leadership opens it up to the whole church family to share their priorities for what they think should be sought in a candidate?

It would be an understatement to say the list can get quite long, quite quickly! For some, it’s preaching; for others, a love of evangelism; for some, administrative strength; and for yet others, pastoral warmth and the ability to handle complex, nuanced situations. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!

the pastor's toolkit

Church leaders: should you be more open to change?

Phil Moon

I admit it. I love change. I recognise that most people find it far more of a struggle than I do - strange I know - so I’ll try and go gently.

A part of who we are

You’re a Christian? That does mean that you have experienced the greatest, most significant change that anyone could ever experience. You’ve started a new life. You really have. So, change is not altogether alien to us, is it? And as the Holy Spirit works in us, He is changing us, often very slowly, to become more and more like Jesus. Real change. It’s just part of who we are.

Getting the large stones in the jar first: Ministry priorities

David S Randall Jnr

A lecturer was discussing time management with his students. He brought out a large glass jar and placed it on the table, before filling it with large stones. He then asked his students if they thought the jar was full.

One replied: ‘Yes.’ He then added a number of small stones to the jar, which slipped between the gaps of the larger stones, and then repeated the question.

lessons from Jude

3 ways to respond when your leader falls

Tom Forryan

A new church starts in your city. It seems to be everything a church should be. The lead pastor is full of 'can do'. He has an uncanny ability to relate to young people, with humour, energy and a feel for contemporary trends.

Soon, his alternative-style services are drawing young people from a wide radius. He launches one innovative initiative after another, each one more audacious than the last and each one more spectacularly successful. The feel is that his church is really the only one to be at; and he is the only one who can run it. 'This is where God is at work', people say.

youth ministry

Walking side by side: the adult's role in youth ministry

Robin Barfield

In my previous articles, I suggested that the dynamic of youth ministry revolves around the encounter between God and your young people in Scripture. I have suggested that young people need a voice in youth ministry to enable them to be able to work through questions, struggles and doubts. But what of you, the adult? What is your role in youth ministry?

Some models of youth ministry elevate the young people so much that the adult must be verbally absent. I am not saying that, although I have suggested it may be that we need to stop and listen more. Other models put the adult in the place of God as His mouthpiece - there is an element of that in preaching as there is external revelation to be communicated. But I would suggest that is not the key dynamic. This can often lead to the adult being the all-knowing guru, the sage on the stage, which can bring dangers of spiritual abuse and hero worship.

What makes a leader? Reflections from the Conservative Party Conference

David Burrowes

I am writing this article on the way back from the Conservative Party Conference, where most of my time was spent with the Conservative Christian Fellowship, who had an exhibition stand at the entrance to the conference hall. The talk of the conference was about leadership.

This has made me reflect not so much upon the qualities of the leadership candidates but upon the distinctive Christian characteristics of leadership, which are needed not just in the Conservative Party but across public life.

the pastor's toolkit

Pastors: one year in and struggling?

Phil Moon

Am I the only one to notice that there seems to be such a thing as a 'first year dive’? It may be my imagination, but I think there's something to it.

I have a number of friends and know of several others who've got about one year in to a first position of responsibility – where you’re the senior pastor or vicar – and suddenly it hits them.

Wise church planting: is the problem you?

Dan Steel

In this series of articles on church planting, the plan is to learn the lessons from church planters who have struggled. Not the usual suspects. Not the successful all-singing all-dancing ‘super-heroes’ with book deals and big budgets but the (often) unknown heroes who have planted around the world and it didn’t go as planned.

How quick will we be to listen to them? In each article we’ll consider one strand of why they struggled, and - what we’ll find, is it’s not really so much about church planting, more just the complexity of living ‘under the sun’.

AMiE leaders consider how to be ‘rich’ in ministry

Tom Hutton

Leaders of the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) considered the theme ‘Rich’ at this year’s conference in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Leeds.

This was drawn from 2 Corinthians 10:6, where Paul writes: ‘Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, poor, yet making many rich, having nothing, and yet possessing everything.’

Here’s the truth: our prayers are being answered!

Adrian Reynolds

There are more people training for ministry in the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) than at any time in the last 30 years. Surprised? So were we, when we did the maths.

And the numbers we crunched need a few caveats: We don’t have absolutely concrete data going back 30 years, so we had to do some asking around. And because we’re independent churches we don’t keep tabs on everyone training for Christian work, so we had to do a little estimation.

Where is the next generation of leaders?

Karen Soole

Numbers are down. This is a nationwide observation about people applying for ministry apprenticeships, training courses, and responses to church job adverts. The question is frequently asked: ‘Where are the next generation of leaders for the church in the UK?’

We have never had more access to gospel resources: courses, online teaching, excellent conferences, and sermons downloadable at the touch of a button, so why are we not producing disciples who are ready to take on more responsibility, try new ministries, or move to other parts of the country to spread the gospel? Why do so many want to stay in the safety of their known church family and not have the confidence to consider more radical alternatives?

When heroes fall: Lessons from Samson

Jeremy Brooks

We all have our heroes. The Hero of heroes is, of course, our Lord Jesus Christ.

His is the Name above all names, and it is He more than any other that we should love, trust and emulate. Yet Paul exhorted the Christians in Corinth, ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ’ (1 Cor. 11:1), and we are right to be thankful for godly examples. But sometimes they disappoint.

EN's top 5 books for leaders 2023

John Woods

Review

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Investing in future leaders of the Welsh church

Luke Randall

The Universities and Colleges Christian Unions (UCCF) held their second Peitho Forum in Wales, a year on from the first of its kind in 2022.

Ted Turnau, who is a Christian author and lecturer of Cultural Studies and Religion in Prague, Czech Republic was the main speaker at the event, which followed the theme of ‘the imagination.’ Students who attended the event also enjoyed poetry from Leeza Awojobi, who writes performance poetry about what it means to be human.

letter from America

First and last principles of leadership

Josh Moody

In any year in America, you will find various Christian conferences and events aiming to teach us how to do better at ‘leadership’.

Interestingly enough, the venerable management consulting firm McKinsey is now itself emphasising leadership (indeed ‘servant leadership’) as opposed to, or in replacement of, ‘management’. It is hard to think poorly of a tendency that encourages people to lead in a servant way.

1,000 church leaders consider: ‘What is justice?’

Joel Murray

Nearly 1,000 church leaders from more than 500 churches across Britain have met at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool for FIEC’s annual Leaders’ Conference.

The theme for the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches’ 2023 conference was the justice of God: what it means to follow and love the God of justice as He ultimately brings all things under Christ, the just and righteous ruler.

The Malta plan: training 50,000 leaders in three years

Christians in Sport

This November in Malta, after four years of planning, UK Christians in Sport staff will join over 100 leaders in sports ministry, from more than 30 countries involved in competitive and elite sport, for a four-day conference.

The conference includes the release of over 150 brand-new resources in four languages, and an internationally accessible leadership development programme.

Risk assessments, sin and the trap of Pharisaism

Karen Soole

I recently completed an admin task that I had never done before.

It was perhaps something that I should have done before, but no one had asked, and I hadn’t considered it necessary. I had managed to avoid it for 30 years. That is approximately the number of years my husband and I have led one Bible study group or another in our home. What was the task? A risk assessment for leading a church group in our home. Why, after all these years, are we now doing one? Because it was recommended as good practice at recent safeguarding training. Some of you reading this may be horrified by our previous lack of diligence, especially as we had four children at home during much of that time. Others of you may now be thinking that perhaps this is something you need to add to your to-do list.

How can pastors go the distance?

Jeremy Brooks

It was my tenth anniversary in my current pastorate, and I was given a three-month sabbatical.

When contemplating potential sabbatical projects my thoughts went to surviving and thriving in pastoral ministry over the long haul, and then I hatched a plan.

Equipping pastors

Jordan Brown

Web Review EQUIPPING PASTORS WORLDWIDE:

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editorial

Better listening

In articles elsewhere in this edition of en we hear two important observations about the virtues of listening.

Dan Strange says: ‘It is an important Christian virtue to listen like this in a polarised age, where people are talking past each other.’ And Steve Midgley states: ‘We need both the courage to speak and the humility to listen.’

How do you spot a fake in leadership?

Ian Coffey

The question came to me as I woke this morning and pulled back the curtains in my hotel.

I was looking across the sea to a monument on a small island which is said to be the location where the apostle Paul was swept ashore, together with his two travelling companions, Dr Luke and Aristarchus. In all 276 people were miraculously saved. The graphic account of the perilous sea journey is detailed in Acts 27, where Luke gives a first-person account of the voyage.

Leadership is not control, but love – John Benton

Male church leadership is under attack from several directions, particularly because of glaring examples of men whose leadership has been abusive. In churches that take a complementarian view of church leadership, how do we prevent these abuses? We need to think of male leadership in church as father-like, writes Jim Sayers.

John Benton from Aylesbury explored this theme in one of the key sessions at an overnight event for Grace Baptist pastors at High Leigh in March. Leadership should not be about control, he said, but about stimulating, loving, and extending the family. In a generation where young men are regularly failed by the education system, where automation is taking many of their jobs, do pastors understand them? Issues of race, misogyny and gang culture exacerbate the challenge. At the same time, churches need to be places where strong, gifted, and intelligent women are encouraged to flourish. Male leadership that ignores women is both harming them and stunting the growth of the entire church.

Whatever our leaders’ faith, this also is true

Matthew Roberts

One of the most memorable moments of our late Queen’s funeral was when the orb and sceptre which had been given to her at her Coronation were removed from her coffin and placed on the table in St George’s Chapel.

While evangelicals would rightly quibble at some of the ceremonial, the basic theological point is true: ‘There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God’ (Rom.13:2). Queen Elizabeth’s authority to reign was granted to her (symbolised by the sceptre) by Christ, who has been given all authority in heaven and earth (symbolised by the orb topped with a cross). God the Father has placed all things under his feet (Eph.1:20-22). All earthly rulers derive their authority solely from Him; they hold it for a time, and in time it is removed from them by Him again.

Leadership scandals addressed afresh

Affinity

The continuing ramifications of recent leadership scandals in evangelical churches and the wider Christian world are being freshly addressed by one of the UK’s leading evangelical networks.

Affinity – which links around 1,200 churches and Christian organisations – says it wants to aim towards healthy Christian communities ‘where concerns about pastoral malpractice can be raised and dealt with fairly, and in ways which are honouring to Christ, theologically faithful and legally compliant’.

Learning to lead in music

Ben Slee

Music Review .

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Leadership questions

Date posted: 1 Jun 2022

Dear Editor,

We are hearing more about failures of Christian leadership than we have been accustomed to hear in the past. It is certainly not because such failures are a new feature of evangelical church life, though to make them the subject for a book seems a rather depressing task for an author to set himself (ref. en April review of Powerful Leaders). It is not, however, a new problem and the New Testament acknowledges this; indeed it provides us with a clear understanding of the roots of the problem and how it should be dealt with. The reviewer does not tell us whether or how Marcus Honeysett expounds the Biblical material.

Why has evangelical culture been so bad at detecting unhealthy leadership patterns?

The following extracts give a flavour of Marcus Honeysett’s new book Powerful Leaders which Glen Scrivener reviews here.

The author has chosen not to name the many high-profile leaders accused in the past year of damaging leadership styles. This is not motivated by a desire to deflect from the severity of these actions, nor is it intended to minimise the suffering of the victims. It is rather an attempt at exploring why our evangelical culture has been ill-prepared to detect unhealthy leadership patterns and has not done enough to promote healthy ones. The first two extracts show how the author engages with this theme.

Is there an undiscovered Dragon in your church?

Karen Todd

Church is not a business, right?

In recent months many of us have come to question the businesslike approaches of many megachurches and church plants, particularly as scandals have revealed the thin ice on which some have been built. But, before we overreact and discredit this businesslike approach, we should not lose the valuable insights that those with a good business head have brought to our churches.

Reflections on a year of scandals

John Samuel

With disappointing regularity Christian leaders from the conservative evangelical world fall from grace. True, the great majority of such leaders do not fall. It is those who fall who hit the headlines.

I have been the son of a pastor from the day I was born and a pastor myself for the last 30 years and more. The conservative evangelical world is my world and I feel these things deeply from the inside.

Joy as leadership group marks new milestone

Jess Coles

Living Leadership, a charity that supports Christian leaders and their spouses to live joyfully in Christ and serve faithfully, recently celebrated a new milestone in its ministry as it hosted its inaugural Team Gathering.

The Team Gathering saw 28 of their staff, associates, volunteers, trustees and guests assemble at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hertfordshire for two days of fellowship, encouragement, and dreaming about future opportunities.

Senior leadership or servant leadership?

Paul Kingman

Book Review GIVE UP THE PURPLE: A Call for Servant Leadership in Hierarchical Cultures

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‘Nettle’ of abusive leadership grasped

Jess Coles

The abuse of power and position by some in Christian leadership was the subject of Living Leadership’s most recent Ministry Masterclass.

Entitled ‘Powerful Leaders?’, Marcus Honeysett, Executive Director of the charity, tackled this challenging topic and outlined the warning signs leaders can be aware of in their own lives and ministries.

Is your pastor secretly needing your help?

Mark Murthen

A couple of Sundays ago, I had a tickle in my throat whilst preaching. Actually, it was more like a coughing fit that threatened to derail my sermon.

Most preachers have experienced something similar but, nowadays, when you cough in public you are far more aware of it. I could see that the congregation were sympathetic rather than threatened by my predicament, but my biggest concern was that they were distracted. I was afraid that my cough was drawing attention to myself and away from the text I was preaching. I wanted the congregation to listen to my words and not to me.

defending our faith

Should we get rid of books by disgraced authors?

Chris Sinkinson

Christians have always loved books. When Paul was in prison facing the cold winter he asked Timothy to bring him a coat and ‘my scrolls, especially the parchments’ (2 Tim. 4:13).

Despite the prevalence of e-readers, many Christians have bookcases groaning under the weight of their collection. At Moorlands College we have a three-storey library with over 40,000 physical books along with a vast range of e-books and journals.

Dragons in the congregation

John Benton

Dragons are mythical creatures that breathe fire and smoke, are covered with impenetrable scales, can do serious damage, and often guard great treasure.

I am using these fantastic beasts as a metaphor for difficult people in a church who can mount personal attacks on the leadership or on the church generally, seem often to be impervious to counsel, and may well obstruct the church moving forward in its vision.

Lively book on leadership

Dave Burke

Book Review TRAINING LEADERS

Read review

Christian leadership failures: what’s the cause?

Guest Columnist

Ed Shaw

What are some of the root causes of the failure of Christian leadership?

Pastors and depression

John Benton

Pastors are ordinary people. They are not superhuman.

In a quick, recent, online survey of 22 pastors run from Pastors’ Academy, only four said they had never suffered from any kind of depression. Seventeen said they had felt depressed in the last year – I’m sure lockdown had a part to play in that. Six said that they were seeing a doctor and taking medication.

editorial

Leadership past and present

The coming month marks the centenary of the birth of that notable Anglican evangelical leader, John Stott. We carry some reflections on his legacy here.

Stott’s influence was and is immense, of course – just as that of some of his contemporaries, such as J. I. Packer and Martyn Lloyd-Jones, continues to be. Today there are fewer who exercise this sort of overarching leadership, though Tim Keller is perhaps one notable figure who does.

the ENd word

An antidote to evangelical leadership cults

Jeremy McQuoid

Philippians 2 may not strike you as a ‘go to’ passage as we approach Advent and Christmas, but its picture of the incarnation is beautiful.

The one who was ‘in the form of God’ (2:6), enjoying the freedom of eternity at the Father’s side, did not feel it necessary to hang onto that elevated status. So He ‘emptied himself’ (2:7), a phrase that has led to PhD dissertations and strong scholarly disagreements.

Why you must speak up

John Benton

Abuse of power is a hot topic these days. And church leaders are able to misuse their authority just as much as anyone else. We believe ‘all have sinned and fall short…’.

In the congregational form of church government (see Matthew 18.15-20), the church meeting acts as the final court of appeal. The elders, or leaders, have a certain authority in the church (Heb. 13.17), but it is an authority subject to the word of God and to the church. Hence it is the gathered church which appoints elders and to whom they must answer if they go astray (1 Tim. 5.19, 20). So the church meeting provides a mechanism for checking and balancing the leadership’s power. It is, I suppose, similar to the House of Lords, which can return Parliamentary Bills to the Commons with the message to ‘think again’.

The first rule of leadership: stay spiritually alive

Marcus Honeysett

It almost feels like an indulgence writing about rest and joy for Christian leaders at a time of global crisis. Surely if ever there was a time to swap sabbath replenishment for strenuous labour it is now?

Of course, the problem arises when we see these things as opposed to each other: that we can work hard for the Lord and others or be spiritually invigorated, but not both. When we embrace this false dichotomy, we doom ourselves to serving out of a place of spiritual unfreshness sooner or later.

Church life

Church leadership: top down or bottom up?

Joanthan Leeman

When people think about leadership, ‘up’ is good and ‘down’ is bad. People want to be ‘over’ others, the ‘top dog’, the ‘pinnacle’ of power. They want to move ‘up’ the ladder, not be ‘under’ others, the ‘low’ man on the totem pole, at the ‘bottom’ rung.

Scripture uses spatial metaphors this way too. ‘God reigns over the nations’ (Ps. 47:8). His throne is ‘high and lifted up’ (Isa.6:1). Elders have ‘oversight’ (1 Peter 5:2). The up/ down language makes sense. To lead, you need a view of the landscape.

In Depth: leadership

Church leaders, have you accidentally stopped leading?

Donald Trump: lessons in leadership?

When a leader falls, is their past teaching still valid?

Developing life-giving authority

Book Review AUTHORITY: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing.

Help with how to lead well

Book Review THE ART OF GOOD GOVERNANCE:

How should leaders lead?

But who’s reviewing you?

How to run the worst possible Bible study

When their teaching is healthy, but their behaviour isn't

Sermon introductions – so what and who cares?

The myth of the swiss-army-knife pastor

Church leaders: should you be more open to change?

A part of who we are

Getting the large stones in the jar first: Ministry priorities

3 ways to respond when your leader falls

Walking side by side: the adult's role in youth ministry

What makes a leader? Reflections from the Conservative Party Conference

Pastors: one year in and struggling?

Wise church planting: is the problem you?

AMiE leaders consider how to be ‘rich’ in ministry

Here’s the truth: our prayers are being answered!

Where is the next generation of leaders?

When heroes fall: Lessons from Samson

EN's top 5 books for leaders 2023

Review

Investing in future leaders of the Welsh church

First and last principles of leadership

1,000 church leaders consider: ‘What is justice?’

The Malta plan: training 50,000 leaders in three years

Risk assessments, sin and the trap of Pharisaism

How can pastors go the distance?

Equipping pastors

Web Review EQUIPPING PASTORS WORLDWIDE:

Better listening

How do you spot a fake in leadership?

Leadership is not control, but love – John Benton

Whatever our leaders’ faith, this also is true

Leadership scandals addressed afresh

Learning to lead in music

Music Review .

Leadership questions

Why has evangelical culture been so bad at detecting unhealthy leadership patterns?

Is there an undiscovered Dragon in your church?

Reflections on a year of scandals

Joy as leadership group marks new milestone

Senior leadership or servant leadership?

Book Review GIVE UP THE PURPLE: A Call for Servant Leadership in Hierarchical Cultures

‘Nettle’ of abusive leadership grasped

Is your pastor secretly needing your help?

Should we get rid of books by disgraced authors?

Dragons in the congregation

Lively book on leadership

Book Review TRAINING LEADERS

Christian leadership failures: what’s the cause?

Pastors and depression

Leadership past and present

An antidote to evangelical leadership cults

Why you must speak up

The first rule of leadership: stay spiritually alive

Church leadership: top down or bottom up?

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