Introduction
Leadership development needs to be a priority in the church. Without leadership, the church cannot help Christians grow in their faith and the church will not be successful in its mission to save lost souls. Through the Great Commission, Jesus told his disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” (Matt. 28:19-20 ESV).[1] In order to successfully follow Jesus’ command to spread the gospel message, the church needs to be able to attract new people and lead them into growing relationships with Jesus Christ. The process of growing people in their faith is known as discipleship. In the book Innovate Church, author Rod Dempsey likens discipleship to a process of spiritual development. Dempsey says, “Discipleship is the process of guiding individual disciples to grow in spiritual maturity and to discover and use their gifts, talents and abilities in fulfillment of Christ’s mission.”[2] Strong Christian leadership will help guide the disciple-making process within the church. In the book Disciple Making Is…, authors Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey offer a definition of a Christian leader. Earley and Dempsey say, “A Christian leader influences individuals to follow God’s plan for their lives.”[3] Developing a leadership plan will help church leaders direct their efforts towards making disciples who adhere to the Great Commission by discipling others and spreading the gospel message. This paper will focus on the development of a leadership development plan that can be used to make reproducing disciples within a ministry context who are Biblically grounded, healthy, and growing. The leadership development plan will be broken down into five individual components. First, the theology of leadership will be discussed which will include the foundational passages of scripture that form the basis for Christian leadership. Next, the leadership plan will address the Biblical principles related to leaders and leadership. Further, the plan will examine different methods and models of leadership. The next section will address how to create a healthy ministry environment that equips people and leaders to explore and accomplish the mission of making reproducing disciples. Finally, the leadership development plan will outline this student-authors strategy for developing people and leaders who serve the organizational mission within my ministry context.
Theology of Leadership
In order to establish an effective leadership development plan, a Christian leader needs to first understand the biblical theology of leadership. The Bible was not written to be a manual on leadership; however, there are several leadership applications that can be found by study scripture. In the book, Biblical Theology for the Church: Biblical Leadership, authors Benjamin Forest and Chet Roden argue that “While the Bible is not a leadership textbook, it certainly does speak to leadership. Specifically it speaks to the origin of leadership, the benefits of godly leadership, and issues that stem from poor leadership.”[4] Study scripture allows a Christian leader to dissect Biblical models of leadership and apply the lessons learned to the development of their own theology of leadership. The following is an example of this student-authors theology of leadership that is supported by scripture.
Any discussion on Christian leadership should begin with what the leader is trying to accomplish. The Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) provides the objective of the church. All Christian leaders should be focused on leading others to accomplish the mission that Christ gave the Church. In the book Spiritual Formation Is…, authors Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey claim that “It is foolish for people to call themselves followers of Jesus and refuse to fulfill his final wishes and obey his supreme orders. Since this order to evangelize the world by making disciples was clearly and repeatedly given, it must be obeyed. Since we see both the apostles and other believers obeying it (e.g., Acts 8:1, 4), we know it was given to all of us.”[5]
Christian leaders should be motivated to help others grow in their faith. In the book Spiritual Formation is…, authors Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey argue that “Effective, biblical, spiritual formation stretches us in three directions: upward, as we love God; outward, as love our neighbors; and inwards, as we love one another.”[6] Love is an essential characteristic of Christian leadership. Jesus told his disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another,” (John 13:34-35). Additionally, Jesus says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you,” (John 15:12). In the John MacArthur Study Bible, John MacArthur says, “Jesus’ command regarding love presented a distinctly new standard for two reasons: 1) it was sacrificial love modeled after his love and 2) it is produced through the New Covenant by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.”[7] Adhering to the New Commandment requires that Christians make love the basis for all human activity. Christian leaders that love others will be motivated to sacrifice the desires of their heart in order to see others succeed.
Jesus modeled servant leadership for his followers. An example of Jesus’ teaching on adopting the role of a servant is found in the Gospel According to Matthew. The apostle Matthew records the actions of James, John, and their mother inquiring of Jesus if James and John could sit to his left and to his right in heaven. Essentially, the thought was that James and John would be seated in a place of honor and exercise power over others as they sat beside Jesus in his glory. Jesus responds to the request by outlining that glory will be given to those that take on the role of a servant. Jesus says, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,” (Matt. 20:25-28). In the book Lead Like Jesus Revisited, authors Phyllis Hendry, Ken Blanchard, and Phil Hodges suggest that “For followers of Jesus, servant leadership is not an option; servant leadership is a mandate. Our servant leadership is to be a living statement of who we are in Jesus, an identity evident in how we treat one another and how we demonstrate the love of Jesus to the whole world.”[8]
The apostle Paul preached humility as a core component of leadership. Paul says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men,” (Phil. 2:3-7).
The apostle Peter says, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock,” (1 Pet. 5:2-3). Christian leaders need to lead by example. Living godly lives will make Christian leaders more influential. Christian leaders should be focused on leading by example where they live, work, and play. In the book Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership, author Aubrey Malphurs suggests that “A Christian leader leads in any context whether or not it’s a professed Christian organization. Christian leaders are Christian leaders outside of as well as inside the Christian community. Our mandate is to lead Christianly regardless of the context.”[9] One of the best evangelistic tools is living lives that demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel.
Christian leaders need to be able to equip others by helping them identify their spiritual gifts and guide them toward using their gifts in service to the church. Christians are all united in the body of Christ and every Christian is blessed with at least one spiritual gift. The apostle Paul says, “For as in one body we have many members,and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness,” (Rom. 12:4-8). Paul taught the church at Ephesus saying that “He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherdsand teachersto equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” (Eph. 4:11-13). Further, Paul says, “From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love,” (Eph. 4:16). In the book Disciple Making Is…, authors Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey say, “Every Christian has a gift, and that person is to use their gift to bring God glory. We lovingly use our gifts in the body to serve one another and to build up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:16). Greg Ogden observes, “It is through our ministry or spiritual gifts that we make our contribution to the health of the whole.”[10]
These scriptures are essential to understanding the biblical theology of leadership. Christian leaders must start with studying scripture as the foundation on which their leadership philosophy is built.
Philosophy of Leadership
By further analyzing the core scripture passages in the theology of leadership several leadership characteristics can be extrapolated that will form the philosophy of leadership for a leadership development plan. Establishing a philosophy of leadership will ensure that a Christian leader is Biblically grounded, healthy, and growing. The following leadership traits form this student-authors philosophy of leadership.
Character
Leaders within the church need to be godly men who live godly lives. In other words, Christian leaders need to have outstanding character. Aubrey Malphurs says, “What is character? Character is the sum total of a person’s distinct qualities, both good and bad, that reflects who he or she is. Godly character encompasses those qualities that Scripture identifies with the Godhead or that God prescribes (see Gal. 5:19with vv. 22–23 and 1 Peter 1:13–16). Godly character is the essential ingredient that qualifies Christians to lead others.”[11] The apostle Paul argues that “For an overseer,as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it,” (Titus 1:6-9). Christian leaders need to continually be conscious that other people are watching how they act. As examples for others, Christian leaders need to ensure that they are living godly lives that are rooted in their love for Jesus and above reproach.
Discipleship/Evangelism
Christian leaders need to adhere to the Great Commission. One facet of being a Great Commission leader is learning to be an evangelist. Will McRaney says in The Art of Personal Evangelism “Personal evangelism involves the effective communication of the essential gospel message with the view toward seeing people supernaturally become followers and imitators of Christ.”[12] Evangelism is the role of each and every Christian. As leaders within the church, Christian leaders should focus on becoming evangelist and leading others to do the same. Great Commission leadership also requires the leader to become disciples who are dedicated to the goal of making other disciples. In the book DiscipleShift the authors argue that;
“A disciple is a person who
1. is following Christ (head);
2. is being changed by Christ (heart);
3. is committed to the mission of Christ (hands).”[13]
A disciple is first and foremost a follower of Christ. Disciples draw their inspiration and model their behavior after Jesus. Next, Disciples are focused on growing their relationship with Christ by practicing spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciples such as prayer, Bible study, and solitude allow Christians to get to know God and draw closer to him. Phyllis Hendry, Ken Blanchard, and Phil Hodges suggest that “Your time with God will help you get to know Him better and to understand more fully His love for you. Your choice to be in close relationship with God is the one choice that both transforms you and consequently affects everyone around you.”[14] Finally, Disciples share the gospel with others and they help others to mature spiritually. Disciples follow the teaching of the apostle Paul (Rom. 12:4-8, Eph. 4:11-13, Eph. 4:16), and focus their efforts on equipping others for ministry by helping them learn to use their spiritual gifts in service of the church. Christian leaders who learn to become reproducing disciples will honor God and ensure that the church continues to thrive.
Servant
Christian leaders need to adopt the heart of a servant. Jesus modeled servant leadership for his disciples. Jesus replaces the top-down leadership model with a bottom-up philosophy. Jesus illustrates this concept in his response to the request of James and John to sit at his left and his right in heaven (Matt. 20:20-28). Author Paul Petit describes what it means to be a servant leader in his book Foundations of Spiritual Formation. According to Petit, “A servant leader is primarily motivated by two things: (1) the fulfillment of God’s mission for his or her ministry or organization and (2) the fulfillment of God’s purpose in the lives of the people who are part of the ministry or organization. This means that the passion of this leader is not focused on his or her power, benefits, reputation, perks, or privileges; it is on the fulfillment of a godly purpose and on the good of the people being led.”[15] Servant leaders place the needs of others ahead of their own. One of the best ways that Christian leaders can serve others by becoming spiritual mentors. In his book, Leading Cross-Culturally: Covenant Relationships for Effective Christian Leadership, author Sherwood Lingenfelter suggests that “Mentoring engages the mentor and the disciples in an ongoing personal relationship that helps each of them to grow deeper in his or her walk with Christ. The mentor must see his or her role as servant of Christ, participating in the life of the new leader in a way that strengthens and builds that person up as a follower of Christ.”[16]
Humility
Christian leaders must be humble. Perhaps the best example of humility in leadership is examining the incarnation of Jesus. The apostle Paul argues that Jesus humbled himself by taking on the form of a human (Phil. 2:3-7). Further, the character of Jesus also demonstrates his humility. The incarnate Jesus was both fully God and fully man. The divine attributes of Jesus would have allowed him to conquer and rule and that is exactly what the Jewish culture expected that the Messiah would do. Jesus reverses the whole understanding of the Messiah by taking on the role of a servant who was humble to the point of sacrificing his life for all who put their faith and trust in Him. Benjamin Forest and Chet Roden say, “Jesus is revealed to be God incarnate, but as God incarnate he leads not from a position of supreme authority and power, but from a voluntarily assumed position of weakness, humility, and vulnerability. This is just the opposite of what the reader might expect. It sets a high standard indeed for those who would be leaders in the church today, since they are expected to follow Jesus’ example and lead his church the way he did while he was on earth.”[17] Christian leaders need to follow the example of Jesus. Leaders in the church need to surrender their pride, conceit, and lust for power and cloth themselves in humility just as Jesus did.
Developing a philosophy of leadership will help Christian leaders as they attempt to overcome the multitude of challenges that they will face in their leadership roles. Working toward adopting the characteristics of leadership that are drawn from the study of scripture will ensure that Christian leaders are basing their leadership on a sound foundation.
Methods of Leadership
In order to determine which method of leadership to adopt it is helpful for Christian leaders to analyze the various church models that exist and what the expectation of the leader is in each of the models. In their book Disciple Making Is . . ., authors Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey use the analogy of a human body to describe the church. Earley and Dempsey say, “In a local church, we need to understand that in order for it to be healthy, all the parts need to be working “according to the proper working of each individual part.” The most important “vital sign” for the church is the degree to which all the parts of the body of Christ work together.”[18] There are four distinct individual church models that are employed within the modern church, traditional, attractional, organic, and hybrid. Each leader must choose which church model is the best fit for them. The traditional church model is a hierarchical leadership model where the senior pastor holds the majority of the power within the church. Earley and Dempsey describe the tradition church stating that “This model normally has a senior pastor who oversees the programs and ministries of the church. Most of the activities of the church occur in and around the physical building. The organizational structure is not complex. The senior pastor assumes most of the leadership of the church, yet sometimes the deacons or several influential families retain this role on some level. Evangelism is not as central, but members are concerned with “soul winning.”[19] The attractional church model is more complex leadership model. Attractional churches generally have a lead pastor who operates as the figurehead; however, a team of leaders oversees the operation of the church. According to Earley and Dempsey, “The pastor’s role resembles a corporate executive, and there may even be an executive pastor overseeing the details of the ministry to free the senior pastor to focus on the weekend services. He is usually extremely polished and charismatic. People want to listen to him. People want to be around him. He has an attractive and winsome personality. The staff runs the church, and the main focus is the weekend services.”[20] Organic churches differ from traditional and attractional churches in that they focus on small groups that foster strong Christian relationships. Organic churches often meet on Sunday mornings but small groups are the focus of organic churches. Early and Dempsey relate that “The organic church is a term used to describe a simpler, more relational way of doing church. The organic church is usually led by a team of elders. It has a much flatter leadership structure. There are teaching elders and small-group or house-church leaders. That is pretty much it. The church is not organized around age-group ministries or even purpose-driven ministries. It is organized around incarnational relational groups living on mission in the community.”[21] Finally, there is the hybrid church model. Leadership within a hybrid church model is the most complex. Hybrid churches borrow elements from the tradition, attractional, and organic models. Sunday morning services are evangelistic in nature and resemble the worship services of attractional churches. Small groups are also the focus of hybrid churches. Earley and Dempsey suggest that “The hybrid church is usually led by a senior pastor and a professional staff. It is primarily Sunday morning and building focused. It is also extremely complex. The hybrid church believes in making disciples, but it goes about this task in a variety of ways. In short, the hybrid model has taken a small-group system and laid that system on top of an existing traditional/attractional model.”[22] Understanding the characteristics of each of the church models will help Christian leaders identify which church environment is most appropriate for their leader style.
Leadership Culture
Christian leaders need to establish a culture that makes it possible to lead others into growing relationships with Jesus Christ. Churches need to focus on instituting a culture where they are growing the saints and equipping them for ministry. The best way to influence the culture within the church is by establishing a mission, vision, and values. While each individual church may word their mission statement differently the mission of every church should be in line with The Great Commission. In his book, Advanced Strategic Planning author Aubrey Malphurs says, “Obviously the church’s mission is vital to its ministry. The mission answers the first fundamental question of the ministry: What are we supposed to be doing? or, Where are we going?”[23] Once the mission is established the church can develop the vision for the ministry. According to Malphurs, “Over time the vision must be renewed, adapted, and adjusted to the cultural context in which the congregation lives. Although the vision changes, the changes take place only at the margins of the vision, not at its core. The core—the Great Commission—does not change, but the details of the vision and the words used to convey them will change.”[24] One of the best ways to ensure that the ideology of the culture is aligned with the Great Commission is by establishing core values that align with the Great Commission. Malphurs states that “Core values explain who you are—your identity. They are the very building blocks (DNA) of your ministry and explain why you do what you do or don’t do what you should do. They form the foundation on which the mission and vision are built, and along with them form the church’s core ideology”[25] The mission, vision, and values will determine the direction that the church is heading and they will help establish a culture within the church that is aligned with The Great Commission.
Leadership Development Plan
Now that the foundations of the leadership development plan have been established let’s look at the practices that will be used to implement the plan within my personal ministry. The church model that will be used in my leadership plan is the hybrid model. The hybrid model is what my current church uses as or method of ministry. The hybrid model is a blend of attractional churches and organic churches. My church is overseen by an elder board that supervises the leadership team and the stewardship team. I am currently a member of the elder board. Sunday morning is where the church focuses its efforts; however, we strongly encourage small group involvement. We believe that small groups are the best way to grow in your walk with Jesus. The focus of my leadership development plan will be to lead people into growing relationships with Jesus Christ by adhering to the call of The Great Commission. In order to form a church that is made up of strong Christian leaders that are dedicated to making reproducing disciples, I will work with the other elders to establish a mission, vision, and values for our church that aligns our ministry with the Great Commission. The elders will further implement a training strategy for developing leaders in our church that teaches them how to make reproducing disciples. One of the primary focuses of the training program will be to help each individual member grow in their relationships with the Lord. As the body of Christ, it is important that we focus on strengthening each member of the body. Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey say, “God’s design for the family is all about developing our children to mature and become highly functioning members of society. The same is true of God’s design for the church. His children should be encouraged, equipped, and empowered to mature and become highly functioning members of His kingdom. Christian leaders are passionate about developing a healthy body. The way to develop a healthy body is to develop healthy members.”[26] Leaders that are enrolled in the training program will be introduced to the mission, vision, and values of the church so that they can align their ministry to the goals of the church. Additionally, leaders will be educated on the theology of leadership identified above and they will be taught how to develop their own philosophy of leadership based on the biblical principles of leadership. A second focus of the training program will be to appoint each of the leaders to a leadership role within a small group. In the small group setting the leaders can practice leading others in a relational environment and the skills that they were taught in the leadership training can be honed. Small group leaders will be assigned two primary tasks. The first primary task of a small group leader is to help the members of the small group identify and use their spiritual gifts in the service of the church. Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey argue that “God expects every one of His children to know and use the gift He has given to them. When this occurs, God is the one who gets the credit because it is not based upon a person’s natural ability or talents. A Christian leader understands that it is his or her responsibility to prepare God’s people to stand before Christ and not be ashamed.”[27] The second primary task of the small group leaders will be to mentor their followers and help them grow in their faith to the point where they become Christian leaders and reproducing disciples as well. The reciprocal process of developing Christian leaders who are focused on making other leaders will ensure that the church is healthy and on mission with Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Christian leadership should be rooted in the foundations of The Great Commission. Christian leaders should be dedicated to the disciple-making process. Each leader should strive to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and help others do the same. Ultimately, Christian leaders should mentor others with the goal of teaching them to become disciples who adhere to the Great Commission by discipling others and spreading the gospel message. Christian leaders who follow a leadership development plan will ensure that their ministry is focused on developing leaders who are Biblically grounded, healthy, and growing. A leadership development plan will help leaders to establish a theology of leadership which is based on the foundational passages of scripture that form the basis for Christian leadership. The plan will use the theology of leadership to identify the Biblical principles related to leaders and leadership. Different methods and models of leadership should be explored within the plan to determine which model is the most appropriate for the leader and their ministry context. Next, the plan should look at how to create a healthy ministry environment that equips people and leaders to explore and accomplish the mission of making reproducing disciples. Finally, the leadership development plan needs to outline the strategy for developing people and leaders who serve the organizational mission. Christian leaders who adopt a leadership development plan will ensure that they are being faithful to the Great Commission by developing leaders who are aligned with the objective of spreading the gospel message and making reproducing disciples.
Bibliography
Blanchard, Ken, Phil Hodges, and Phyllis Hendry. Lead Like Jesus. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016. Accessed August 07, 2019, WordSearch Bible.
Earley, Dave, and Rod Dempsey. Disciple Making Is… How to Live the Great Commission with Passion and Confidence. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2013. Accessed August 06, 2019. WordSearch Bible.
Earley, Dave and Rod Dempsey. Spiritual Formation is… Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2018. Accessed August 06, 2019.Wordsearch Bible.
Forest, Benjamin, and Chet Roden. Biblical Theology for the Church: Biblical Leadership. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publishing Group, 2018. Accessed August 06, 2019. WordSearch Bible.
Falwell, Jonathan et al., Innovate Church. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2008. Accessed August 06, 2019, ProQuest Ebook Central.
Lingenfelter, Sherwood G. Leading Cross-Culturally Covenant Relationship for Effective Christian Leadership. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Accessed August 08, 2019. Wordsearch Bible.
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010.
McRaney, Will. The Art of Personal Evangelism. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013. Accessed August 08, 2019, Word Search Bible.
Malphurs, Aubrey. Advanced Strategic Planning. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2013. Accessed August 08, 2019. WordSearch Bible.
Malphurs, Aubrey. Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003. Accessed August 07, 2019. WordSearch Bible.
Pettit, Paul ed.. Foundations of Spiritual Formation A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ. Kregel Publications, 2016. Accessed August 08, 2019. Wordsearch Bible.
[1] Unless otherwise noted, all quotations from the Bible are from the English Standard Version Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001).
[2] Jonathan Falwell et al., Innovate Church (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2008), accessed August 06, 2019, ProQuest Ebook Central, 82-83.
[3] Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is… (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), accessed August 06, 2019, Word Search Bible, 199.
[4] Benjamin Forest and Chet Roden, Biblical Theology for the Church: Biblical Leadership (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publishing Group, 2018), accessed August 06, 2019, Word Search Bible, 289.
[5] Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Spiritual Formation is… (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2018), accessed August 06, 2019, Wordsearch Bible, 218.
[6] Ibid., 174.
[7] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 1570.
[8] Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodges, and Phyllis Hendry, Lead Like Jesus Revisited (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2016. Accessed August 07, 2019, WordSearch Bible, 14.
[9] Aubrey Malphurs, Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003), accessed August 07, 2019, WordSearch Bible, 13.
[10] Dave Earley and Rod Dempsey, Disciple Making Is… (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), accessed August 07, 2019, Word Search Bible, 18.
[11] Malphurs, Being Leaders, 19.
[12] Will McRaney, The Art of Personal Evangelism (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), accessed August 08, 2019, Word Search Bible,44.
[13] Jim Putnam et al, Discipleshift Five Steps That Help Your Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), accessed August 08, 2019, Wordsearch Bible, 40.
[14] Blanchard, Lead Like Jesus, 87.
[15] Paul Petit, Foundations of Spiritual Formation (Kregel Publications, 2016), accessed August 08, 2019, Word Search Bible, 180.
[16] Sherwood G. Lingenfelter, Leading Cross-Culturally Covenant Relationship for Effective Christian Leadership (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), accessed August 08, 2019, Wordsearch Bible, 124.
[17] Forest, Biblical Leadership, 361.
[18] Early, Disciple Making Is…, 190.
[19] Early, Disciple Making Is…, 231.
[20] Ibid.,232.
[21] Ibid., 233.
[22] Early, Disciple Making Is…, 234.
[23] Aubrey Malphurs, Advanced Strategic Planning (Grand Rapid, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2013), accessed August 08, 2019, WordSearch Bible, Chapter 4.
[24] Ibid., Chapter 5.
[25] Malphurs, Advanced Strategic Planning., Chapter 6.
[26] Earley, Disciple Making Is…, 199.
[27] Ibid., 198.
