Part of mission leadership is gathering all the right resources to get the job done. That’s true for most of life’s endeavors, not just missions and ministry. It’s true if one is:
- A parent
- A spouse
- An employee
- An employer
- A disciple
- A disciple maker
- A mission volunteer
But what if one is gathering thoughts and researching the subject of leadership?
Leadership Arenas
It seems there are two broad areas of leadership. Let’s call one the secular area. That will distinguish it from leadership in the church. So the first question to wrestle with is:
Is leadership in the Church different than leadership outside the Church?
Why ask the question? There are various reasons. First, the history of the Church is filled with examples of embracing worldly methods for Kingdom work. I am not talking about simple resistance to change. Sadly, there 
are many otherwise humorous accounts of church leaders refusing to use the latest technology in connection with the Gospel. But there is also the principle of doing God’s work God’s way. Does this apply to the ways we lead?
In one of my education seminars I was required to research and present a biography on D. L. Moody. He embraced that ‘new thing’ called radio to spread the Gospel. Others were reluctant but he was not. His example and spirit of innovation is still evident today in the Moody Radio Network. So my question isn’t really about innovation. It’s something more basic.
Earlier this year I said we had some ongoing writing projects. This post uncovers the subject of one project. It’s correct to view this and a future post or two as research. That is why your thoughts are important and very much desired.
So I’d like to ask you to answer the question above. It would be very interesting to do it in the ‘comments’ section below. For whatever reason, many people don’t want to engage in a public forum. If that’s you, then feel free to send an email. But if you would, let’s try to build a discussion so we can have some ‘back and forth’ with our comments.
So for this round, let’s wrestle with the nature of leadership in and out of the Church. Is there a difference? If you think there is, what is the difference? How is it accounted for? How does your answer determine the qualities you want to see in a potential leader (pastor, elder, committee chair, teacher, etc.).
Please help us out by sharing your thoughts!
Soli Deo Gloria!