Mobilizing Leaders

Mobilizing Leaders Process – A Paradigm Shift

The Mobilizing Leaders process provides a true shift of paradigm for leadership development—a new pattern for cultivating leadership that brings challenge and change to current and traditional thinking and practices. Preparing 21st century leaders for ministry occurs more in process rather than a one-time event. It is ongoing development that values learning and growth as an ever-progressing and lifelong task.

Mobilizing Leaders is based on four foundational values that reflect a redirection and change in how leaders are developed for ministry in a local church:

In—Ministry Formation Hands-on ministry within the context of the local church is the principle location for leadership development. Opportunities to grow and develop in real life ministry situations can give help and direction in forming and informing new and emerging leaders.

The knowledge and skills needed to minister in the post-modern landscape are forged in real world experience. Ministry on the frontlines provides the necessary arena to answer the hard questions of spiritual seekers, deal with the reality of conflict in one’s ministry, oversee and be responsible for individuals and tasks in developing fruitfulness, reproduce new disciples of Jesus Christ, and live out both a personal and corporate mission and vision.

The classroom for Mobilizing Leaders is really a laboratory from which one can eagerly experience the challenge of ministry in the contemporary environment.

Competency—Based Equipping While the value of education is maintained, it is also expanded to include and appreciate the need for leaders who are equipped with ministry skills that will provide greater effectiveness for local church ministry. The test of a leader is not performed in the classroom, but in a conference room, a small group, in discipleship, and in moving a group of gifted ministry workers forward in living out their vísion for ministry in community.

The value of knowledge is retained, but grows to include applied knowledge—the ability to use scriptural principles in ministry situations, to líve out one’s values as they are learned through biblical and theological discovery and then practiced.

A leader must have the tools and skills for ministry, not only knowing what they are and which situations require a specific skill, but where, how, and why to apply it. Fruitfulness in ministry is the result of the convergence of education and equipping processes. It is not for the goal of information transference, but life transformation—both in the life of the leader and the ones with whom he or she has been entrusted.

The importance of equipping is increased when built on the foundational value of competence. Capable leaders have the ability and skill to serve and lead effectively. It is both the exercising of proficiency in demonstrated skills (competencies), and the aptitude to perform the overall process to achieve the desired purpose (competence).

The Mobilizing Leaders process is developed with a commitment and understanding that leaders in the church today need to be equipped with the skills and competencies required to help congregations experience vitality and health while reaching the harvest.

Missional Context The vision of the church as a maintained organization or as a covenant community in mission will determine our motivation for sending workers into the harvest. If we see the need as Jesus did in Luke 10, if we see the incredible potential for ministry that requires many, many more laborers, if we see the fields white for the harvest, how can we help but respond with a vision and willingness for raising up, equipping, and sending out as many workers for the harvest as possible?

The maintaining of plateaued and declining churches and of a mission-challenged organizational structure is not the vision to be advocated for the future. Churches engaged in mission and evangelism, with missionary pastors is the preferred future that is being pursued.

The context and contextualization of ministry in the 21st century reveals the coming of a post-Christendom era, with a new generation emerging that has had little contact, and less impact from the Church—whether collectively, or the one down the street. The current missional environment provides similar challenges to the ones faced by the 1st century church: pluralism, secularism, lack of status in society, syncretism. To these we can also add rationalism, modernism, post-modernism, and humanism.

America also has moved from being a melting pot to becoming a mosaic of ethnicities with their own cultures and norms, but all in need of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Societal changes reveal tremendous challenges that will keep the doors of the church closed to new people, unless a church is willing to throw wide open those doors to invite and include the many who have yet to give their lives to Christ. The missional context provides a missional mandate to mobilize leaders who will engage and work in the harvest.

Lifelong Learning Mobilizing Leaders is a process that values the fact that leaders are learners. Cultivating and growing one’s leadership takes a commitment that lasts a lifetime. Regular training, equipping, and assessment provide insight and information to challenge and develop leaders who expand their ministry influence.

A willingness to open one’s self up to evaluation on a regular basis in order to improve and grow is required of leaders in giving value to accountability and community. The Mobilizing Leaders process is not a summit to be reached or a diploma to be obtained, but a journey to be traveled and enjoyed as God leads, directs, challenges, sustains, and

High-Level Process

Core Competencies

Three levels of Ministry Call

Leaders are developed daily, but not in a day. The importance of process is revealed in the identification of different levels of ministry equipping and experience that allows emerging leaders to grow to the new challenges that face them as they move forward in ministry in responding to the call of God upon their lives.

An emerging leader should not be expected to immediately oversee a youth ministry of 100 students or a Sunday School

program with 500 participants. Not only is it difficult to provide supervision to that many people, the challenge is greater when a person also has organizational responsibilities and the need to oversee sponsors, teachers, or other leaders.

Mobilizing Leaders has recognized the progressive nature of leadership, and the understanding that when new leaders are capable of being faithful with little, they can then be entrusted with much.

Three levels of leadership have been identified to help leaders discover their call and level of effectiveness in ministry. It is not expected or assumed that every future leader will aspire and grow to the third level. For the majority, they will move into the first level of Mobilizing Leaders and discover this is exactly where they desire to be and where God called them to be. Each level brings greater responsibilities, greater challenges, and a greater sense of call to ministry.

COMMISSIONED LEADER Commissioned Leaders minister under the authority and within the context of the local church. They are usually elders who have sensed a deeper call and are willing to step forward to make a deeper commitment to serving the church in ministry. Commissioned Leaders may have a specific responsibility over an entire ministry area within a church: youth ministry, small groups, Christian education, worship design and team, pastoral care, or any others that would coordinate the needs of the church with the passion of a potential leader.

The Commissioned Leader would serve at a staff level within the local church. It may be as a part-time or full-time staff

person, and it may or may not be as a volunteer or include compensation. These issues would be up to the needs of the

church and the desires of the Consistory, Pastor, and Commissioned Leader candidate.

Commissioned Leaders are set apart and confirmed for ministry by a local congregation and have begun the process by

applying to the Classis as an initial step into Mobilizing Leaders. They are given tools to help them move forward with in-

ministry formation and ministry competency development.

They are coached and mentored by a pastor in a discipleship relationship and are evaluated annually. Upon demonstrating competency in designated areas, they would take the Commissioned Leader Assessment. With valid completion of the assessment, they would then be confirmed by their congregation as a Commissioned Leader. A re-affirmation of their call would be celebrated and confirmed every five years to discern an on-going call to ministry, continuing learning and growth, and increasing ministry influence and impact.

COMMISSIONED PASTOR Commissioned Pastors have effectively demonstrated competency as a Commissioned Leader, have completed the assessment, and sense a call of God to move into an increasing ministry role. The internal call is confirmed by church leadership and the evidence of growing ministry influence and effectiveness. They are beginning to move from leading a group of followers to reproducing and directing new and emerging leaders.

The ministry of a Commissioned Pastor candidate may have grown to becoming the overseer of the entire small group

ministry with 10 to 15 small group leaders being trained and reporting to this person. They may have spiritual responsibility over 100 people within the congregation—teaching, discipling, and caring for Sunday School class or entire ministry area. They may be the children’s minister with over 30 volunteers, or a youth director who provides spiritual oversight and development for both the middle and high school students and a youth staff of 15 to 20.

A Commissioned Pastor is a recognized ministry designation within the Reformed Church in America. They serve under the authority and supervision of a Classis, consistent with the guidelines and standards provided by the RCA. The Classis takes responsibility for training, equipping, and confirming their call to become a Commissioned Pastor. Mentoring by an assigned coach is a critical component of this process, as is involvement in a network with other candidates within the Classis who can provide encouragement, accountability, and experiences that will expand and enhance a growing leader’s ministry knowledge and skills.

The Classis may authorize a Commissioned Pastor to:

Preach the Word
Administer the Sacraments
Serve as a presiding officer of the consistory
Preside at the ordination and installation of elders and deacons
Have a voice and vote at Classis meetings
Perform a service of Christian marriage when approved by Consistory and allowed by state law

The Commissioned Pastor will be subject to the disciplinary procedures of the Classis to which they belong. Annual

evaluation by the Classis should reflect a commitment to the Mobilizing Leaders paradigm inclusive of lifelong learning, in-ministry formation, competency-based equipping, within the missional context. Re-affirmation of a Commissioned Pastor’s call will be evaluated by the Classis every five years to discern a continued commitment to the ministry of Commissioned Pastor.

MISSIONARY PASTOR Mission stations require Missionary Pastors. The call to serve in this capacity requires significant effort and affirmation of call in the life of a leader. A Missionary Pastor would have the opportunity to serve as a solo or senior pastor, or a church planter. They are entrusted with leading a local congregation or starting a new church.

Missionary Pastors have been confirmed—developing as a Commissioned Leader and a Commissioned Pastor. Having

participated in the Mobilizing Leaders process, they have grown in their competence as pastors, proving themselves spiritual leaders within a congregation, influencing the lives of many in seeing both spiritual and leadership reproduction and ministry multiplication as the fruit of their labors.

A Classis accepts the responsibility of training and equipping Missionary Pastors to develop additional competencies that will be faced in a senior leadership role increasing one’s level of biblical knowledge, ministry skills, and character development. Coaching is provided and involvement in a leadership network is an integral part of growing and learning at this level.

Evaluation on an annual basis is required from the Classis and the church where the Missionary Pastor is serving, and re

affirmation of a Missionary Pastor’s call occurs every five years to confirm the call of God upon their life and ministry, gifting consistent with their ministry service, and a commitment for ongoing growth and development in fulfilling their call. Missionary Pastors may serve churches within the entire Far West Region and may receive a call from churches of other Classes within the Region based upon similar by-laws and/or policies of each of the five Classis and the acceptance of the Missionary Pastor to the new Classis.

Progressive leadership with developing gifts and opportunities under the guidance and encouragement of other leaders will allow for a process that will affirm a leader’s unique and specific role and calling. Mobilizing Leaders allows emerging leaders to grow to their maximum potential responding to greater responsibilities, greater challenges, and a greater sense of call to ministry—while impacting the harvest for Jesus Christ.