Transforming Followers into Leaders

When we talk about transformation, we normally describe it as a transformation of systems and organizations without the awareness of transformation within. The former reflects from a rational and linear approach to achieving organizational success. The latter reflects from a fundamental approach to personal transformation. This form of transformation is a sign of personal and organizational behavior. Therefore, the goal of transformation is related to being transformed as appose to doing transformation. When the Bible talks about transformational leadership, it discusses the “being” transformed as a model to be reproduced within an organism, as is the church. As a basic premise for transformation, the Bible encourages transformed leaders to experience the invitation to transform the world around them. With this end in mind, there are three basic assumptions about transformation:

1. The Lord Jesus Christ’s main purpose of presence is to transform the world through transformed people. Jesus said to His followers, “Follow Me, and I will make you Fishers of Men”, Matthew 4:19. Not, followers, but leaders.
2. God’s only means for Global transformation was and is through transformed individuals. In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, He said to His followers “You are the Salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world.... Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven, Matthew 5:13-14”.
3. Transformed followers of Jesus Christ passionately engage in displaying the transforming power of the gospel locally and globally.

Biblical Model for Transformational Leadership
As we review the gospel writings, Jesus was committed to leading a group of transformed followers who followed Him to learn the art of transforming communities of people. As such, the goal of transformational leaders is the same, to lead a group of transformed individuals who in turn will learn the art of transforming their communities and the world. The mission of transformed leaders is to follow the transformational model of Jesus Christ. This purpose reflects the success of the leader based on his or hers actions and behaviors as exhibited by Jesus Christ. The leaders’ actions are similar to Jesus Christ in practice. They immolated Jesus in five core practices:

1. His practice of spiritual and relational vitality.
His practice of spiritual and relational vitality postured Him to experience and expresses the presence and power of God in His life. Jim Herrington in his book, “Leading Congregational Change”, describe the elements of spiritual and relational vitality in a fourfold process (p18): Encountering God’s holiness (Isaiah 6:1-4), Experiencing God’s grace (Isaiah 6:5-8), Embracing unity in authentic Christian community (Ephesians 4:1-3), and Engaging community through transformed Christ-like followers.


2. His ability to establish a core of followers.
His practice of establishing a core of followers by using His influence and character enabled Him to create an environment for reproduction. Jesus’ character harmonized with who He was. This enabled Him to build a following based on His capacity to demonstrate personal transformation. Transformational leaders that model character create momentum for transformed leaders


3. His ability to engage and influence the core in reproducing His purpose.
Jesus demonstrated his ability to influence His followers to participate in His mission. John Maxwell in his book, “Developing the Leader Within You”, describes leadership as influence, that is, the ability to influence others to follow. He developed a working model that illustrates how transformational leaders lead by influence. There are five levels of influence:


• Level One: Position – (Rights) People follow because they have to
• Level Two: Permission or Personal Relationships – (Relationships) People follow because they want to
• Level Three: Production – (Results) People follow because of what you are able to achieve for the organization
• Level Four: People Development – (Reproduction) People follow because of what you have done for them
• Level Five: Personhood – (Respect) People follow you because of who you are and what you represent

Jesus demonstrated all five of these levels of leadership as a means of engaging followers in establishing a vision community of leaders. They follow Jesus with knowledge of His position as the Lamb of God (John 1:35-37). To establish relational vitality among His followers, Jesus invited them to His home (John 1:38-39). Throughout His ministry Jesus developed relational capital with His followers. As a leader, He demonstrated the ability to produce results. This caused His followers to express the desire to embrace His vision (Luke 5:1-11).

Growth occurred when he spent personal time and effort to develop them (Matthew 4:18-19). When there was creative tension among His followers towards the vision, they continued to embrace the vision based upon His personhood (John 6:59-69). As we study the life of Jesus in the gospels, we discover the art of turning followers into leaders. This is at the heart of transformational leadership.


4. His ability to achieving and maintaining widespread impact by cultivating and empowering followers into leaders.
To achieve and maintain impact and empowerment of followers into leaders, it requires 3 important elements:


• Establishment of a new model for leadership within the core. A new definition for leadership will help the process of turning followers into leaders. A definition can be as the following: A leader is a Person who influences People to Participate in a God given Purpose.
• Empower leaders by creating a sense of urgency. Creating urgency is very necessary for achieving and maintaining widespread impact. It creates energy and motivation for change that is generated by the contrast between an accurate perception of reality and God’s ideal. Jesus’ message created a profound sense of urgency by giving God’s ideals in contrast with the religious perception of reality of the religious leaders in His sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7).
• Removing obstacles that prohibit transformational values is needed to enable leaders to sustain impact and to achieve transformational goals. Putting the right people on the right bus, in the right seat and going in the right direction, helps to sustain the right vision. Jesus chose His followers and He helped them to identify their strengths and growth areas. He also provided the right vehicle for them to achieve their goals. He provided practical, refreshing, and highly effective tools and process for generating deep transformation


5. His ability to encourage the core to create an eye on their community to expand the vision community of reproducible followers.
As a transformational leader, Jesus had the profound awareness that for a people movement to be achieved, a vision community of leaders must capture an eye for their own communities. Transformational leaders must develop the skills of discovering their mission field based upon who and what they are. This is quite different from the western model for church growth. In this model believers are extracted from the world from which they live and connect, to participate in the institution’s ministry objectives. The existents of the believer’s ministry evolve within the context of the local church geographically and as well as institutionally. Jesus’ model was to encourage believers to create an eye for their “oikos”. In the story of Jesus and His disciples traveling to a region called the Gerasenes, Jesus delivered a man with an evil spirit. Upon His departure after healing the man from his demonic past, the man desired to go with Jesus. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell what good things God has done for you (Mark 5:1-21)”. Jesus encouraged the man to create an eye for his community to expand the vision community of reproducible followers. In a rapid period of time, the man became a part of the vision for rapid reproduction.

Rickie L. Bradshaw

Is Your Church Reaching 'The Least of These'?

This season of giving is a good time to reflect on the impact your church is having on its local community during these difficult times. As believers, we are “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), the One who “loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25).

And, if “God is love” (1 John 4:8), we should show non-partial love to everyone within our sphere of influence. “For there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:11).

In August, the Heritage Foundation released an article by Ryan Messmore titled, The Difference One Church Can Make. It focuses on First Baptist Church of Leesburg, Florida, where “many live in poverty, drug and alcohol addiction are rampant, and a quarter of the population lacks health insurance.”

The article tells how the church helped an alcoholic named Bob, an abandoned 11-year-old girl, and an elderly man with health issues.

All of these services are part of the outreach of this one church, which operates a “ministry village” consisting of seven facilities on four acres. It is staffed by 500-plus volunteers from the congregation who operate more than 70 ministries.

The article quotes Pastor Emeritus Charles Roesel as saying, “Because God loves persons and cares for their needs, we are to love them, minister to them, and witness to them of His love.”

Christ told us that when faithful believers stand before him, He will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:34-36 NIV).

Matthew goes on to tell us that these believers will wonder when they did such things for Christ. He will respond, “I tell you the truth, whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40 NIV).

Who are the least in your community? Is your church making a difference in their lives?

At First Redeemer Church in Cumming, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, you’ll see three large trucks in the parking lot with the words “There’s Hope for the Hungry” painted on the side.

This ministry delivers food to the poor in more than 20 locations in north Georgia, southern Tennessee, and North Carolina.

As of November 28, “There’s Hope for the Hungry” had fed more than 29,000 families (more than 76,000 people) and distributed more than 655,000 pounds of food.

As people come in to receive a food box, they hear the Gospel, and many have received Christ as their Savior.

In Nashville, Tennessee, Belmont Church has a ministry to the poor and disenfranchised called “Isaiah 58.” It extends a lifeline to people with short-term needs and builds long-term relationships with individuals and families trapped in the cycle of poverty.

Included in this outreach is the Isaiah 58 bus, a mobile outreach that provides food and refreshment to economically depressed areas in Nashville.

The church also has an outreach called Room-in-the-Inn that provides overnight shelter and hot meals to homeless people during the winter.

Isaiah 58 has 12 different types of outreaches, including a prison ministry that goes into local jails.

Finally, I’d like to share the story of a church that stepped up to the plate when an organization that helps people with AIDS lost the corporate sponsor for its Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter food outreaches.

The church, Calvary of Albuquerque, wanted to “reach out and bless a community of individuals usually not associated with the evangelical church,” said one of its pastors, Dave Row. “Our heart was to show God’s love and demonstrate His love in a very concrete fashion.”

Church members packed 167 bags of groceries for the Thanksgiving meals and took them to New Mexico AIDS Services (NMAS), which provides medical help, counseling, insurance, and other services to people with the disease, whose treatment costs can run up to $20,000 per year.

Calvary of Albuquerque gave so much that NMAS not only received enough food for Thanksgiving but for Christmas and Easter, as well.

Is your church reaching out with the love of Christ to your community? If not, now is a good time to launch an outreach that could grow to proportions you wouldn’t imagine.

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). And, when you give, you are also blessed.

Think about the location of your church and what special opportunities await your congregation. Then, visit Crown.org/Library, where we’ve posted a document on frequently asked questions about church benevolence programs. It takes one person to get the ball rolling, and maybe that person is you!

Howard Dayton

My system is stronger than ever

Don’t pay attention to or make any plans based on what the media says or what the politicians say. Stand on My Word in John 16. Pay attention to Me. I [the Holy Spirit] will obey verses 13-15. I will show you things to come. I will lead you through troubled times. I already have THE plan for you, and it’s very good. Follow it. It will not only get you through, it will place you in a very high place - a rich place - a strong place of victory.

You will have to discipline yourself and be diligent to listen to Me. All the other voices will have a plan, a word, an idea for your future and security. Don’t listen to Babylon’s system. It has fallen apart. My system is stronger than ever. My kingdom is flourishing, and THE BLESSING is the place to be.

Keep your eyes on My Word. Listen to it. It will guide you and I will perform it. Love Me. Love My people as I have loved you. Walk in it. Love never fails, and neither does My plan.

Be very cautious to stay completely clean from covetousness. First Timothy 6:10 must live in the forefront of your thinking. If you will do these things and continue therein, you will come into your wealthy place. A place lifted up. A place in Me already planned and prepared for you now. Here. Not heaven - not yet. But it will seem like heaven right in the midst of all the trouble, and you’ll be able to reach out to untold numbers of suffering people with the Good News of the gospel.

I’m coming very soon. Sooner than you think. Keep your eyes on Me and you’ll get the job done.

- Prophecy delivered by Kenneth Copeland, Oct. 19, 2008