Crucial Areas Where Church Leaders Must Provide Guidance

Lesson 10: Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 1. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Evangelism! a. The work of the church is not expressed in evangelism, edification and benevolence. b. Actually, the Lord s church has one mission winning the lost for Christ. c. Leaders must equip members with the confidence, the skills and the tools to teach others. d. The members of the local congregation must see their leaders actively engaged in seeking and teaching the lost!

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 2. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Conservation! a. It is vital to not only convert the lost but to conserve the converted. b. New converts need to continue to be taught and grounded in the faith (Matt. 28:20; Col. 1:23). c. New converts need to be assimilated into the work of the church (1 Cor. 15:58; 12:12- 25). d. All fellow Christians, especially new converts, need to be taught and encouraged to faithfully obey Christ.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 3. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Financial Stewardship! a. There are four inherent ideas in stewardship: i. Divine Ownership God owns everything. ii. Human Endowment God entrusted things into our care. iii. Faithful Administration God has entrusted us. iv. Inevitable Accounting God will call for an answer of how we have used and managed that which is entrusted to us. v. That s stewardship any way you look at it: stewardship of our children, time, talent or money.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 4. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Discipline! a. Church discipline is NOT an eldership action; it is a congregational action (1 Cor. 5; 2 Thess. 3). b. But, leaders lead in the implementation of church discipline. i. They lead by instruction. ii. They lead by example.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 5. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Indoctrination ! a. Simply stated: Put the doctrine in! b. Every member and every child needs the doctrine of Christ taught, preached, studied and practiced in their church. c. We cannot become so focused on programs, activities and making things appealing, that we lose sight of fortifying faith with the foundational truths of Christianity.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 6. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Preacher Training! a. If it is the mission of the church to take the whole gospel to the whole world, then it is the mission of the church to do that which is necessary to meet that mission, which includes recruiting, training and motivating men to do it. b. What are we to do? i. We must arrange for some workable methods and plans by which to get this done! ii. We must restore the glory and the importance of preaching. iii. We must remove the negative perception from preaching.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 7. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Personal Development! a. Leaders should lead in faith development! i. Faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17). ii. We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18). iii. Leaders should be known for their diligent study of God s Word, and the faith and knowledge that follows there from. b. Leaders should lead in relationship development! i. Leaders should work on being a good husband. ii. Leaders should work on being a good father. iii. Leaders should work on being a good Christian brother. iv. Leaders should work on being a good Christian citizen.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 8. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Self-Control! a. One of the qualifications of an elder is not soon angry (KJV) or not quick- tempered (NKJV) (Titus 1:7). i. Leaders must control their tongues (Jas. 3:1-11). ii. Leaders must control their passions/desires (Jas. 1:12-15). iii. Leaders must control their attitudes (1 Thess. 5:16-18). iv. Leaders must control their behaviors (Titus 2:11-14). b. If a leader cannot remain calm and cool, how can he expect those who follow him to do the same?

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 9. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Morality! a. God s children have been called to be holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16). i. The bar has been set very high. ii. We are to aim to emulate our Father in heaven. b. Holiness means that we have been and are set apart from the world and set apart to the service of God (Rom. 12:1-2).

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 10. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Church Attendance ! a. If Bible study and worship are not of concern to church leaders, why should they be important to those who follow them? b. How can leaders who skip worship and Bible study actually expect church members to be faithful in attendance?

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 11. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Involvement! a. Every member of the human body has something to contribute to the good of the body. b. The body of Christ is the same way: Every member needs to be involved somehow, somewhere in church work. c. Leaders need to, first, be actively involved and participating in the works and activities of the church themselves. Then, leaders need to devise ways to help members to be involved.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 12. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Fellowship! a. Leaders should visit the members in their homes. b. Leaders should visit the sick, the hospitals, the widows, etc. c. Leaders should be openly and impartially hospitable. d. Leaders should arrive at services early to visit with folks. e. Leaders should stay at services late to visit with folks. f. Leaders should spend time in fellowship with other leaders in the church also, to build rapport, love and a team unity.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 13. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Intercessory Prayer! a. God s Word states it plainly: Pray for one another The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (Jas. 5:16). b. If we believe in the power of prayer, we will pray for one another. c. A leader can take the lead in intercessory prayer by: i. Telling members individually that he is praying for them. ii. Asking members individually what he can be praying that would help them. iii. Asking members to keep him and his family in their personal, daily prayers. d. A church that prays for one another has the power of God holding it together and blessing it daily.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 14. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Devotion to Biblical Truth! a. In our postmodern culture, all truth is relative. i. There is no absolute right or absolute wrong. ii. Tolerance and acceptance of all, regardless of faith or practice, is the standard operating procedure. b. Strong leaders will emphasize an uncompromising loyalty to: i. The truth (John 8:32; 17:17). ii. The doctrine of Christ (2 John 9-11). iii. The faith (Jude 3). iv. The unadulterated gospel (2 Cor. 2:17; 4:2). v. The way of righteousness (2 Pet. 2:21).

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 15. Leaders Must Lead in the Area of Promoting Unity! a. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psa. 133:1). i. If that is God s evaluation of brethren dwelling in unity, what would be His evaluation of brethren in disunity? b. True leaders will endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). i. United in doctrine (1 Cor. 1:10) ii. United in heart (Acts 4:32) iii. United in purpose (Phil. 3:20-21; 1 John 3:1-2) c. Unity is critical, especially among church leaders themselves (Matt. 12:25)

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 16. Jesus is our perfect example a Leader who took the lead. a. Luke ordered his account of the gospel of all that Jesus began both to do and teach (Acts 1:1). i. The indication is that first Jesus did, then He taught others to do. ii. Jesus taught and led by example. iii. He became like us so that we could become like Him. b. We have an example of Jesus doing, then teaching, in John 13.

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 17. The apostle Paul understood that leaders lead by example! a. Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). b. Brethren, join in following my example (Phil. 3:17). c. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you (Phil. 4:9).

Areas in Which Leaders of the Church Must Lead 18. Leading by example is a vital part of the leader s role! a. He should set a high standard for those who will follow him. i. If he does, many will rise to meet the standard. b. If a church leader fails to lead by example, he is actually still leading by example, just not a desirable example. i. As a result, the credibility of the leader will be less than desirable among the members. ii. The leader will find that he is not respected and that no one is willing to truly follow him. c. Leaders show by their example that they are people of integrity.

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