In the process of pursuing knowledge concerning leadership one is likely to encounter many confusing opinions and theories on the subject matter. One of the main stated themes is that the leadership act is important to the societies' and organizations' evolution. More often leaders are termed heroes infusing institutions with a goal or a purpose while motivating their followers to be in their best shapes. In most cases, the success of an organization is attributed either wrongly or rightly to the people leading the rest. More so, institutional failures are often attributed to the unavailability of leadership. Generally, people are capable of making distinctions on the traits they consider necessary for good leaders and those for a bad one. However, there exist many questions about what good leadership constitutes. This essay discusses the personal leadership theory. It develops a theological rationale for the theory, explains the roles both followers and leaders play, and includes a relationship of this theory with other existing theories. More so, it shows how the personal ministry theory aligns with a biblical worldview.
Leadership happens to be a multifaceted concept in which many philosophies are generated. Many descriptions surround leadership on what it concerns as well as under what conditions it is visible to other people. Khan et al. (2017) define leadership as the act of influencing employees to collaborate towards the achievement of a common goal, which most find desirable. Leadership as elaborated in the definition requires an interaction between two parties, leaders, and followers in which the leadership aspect cannot occur with the absence of the parties. In the process of influencing people, leaders involve traits of honesty, intelligence, self-confidence, drive, honesty, cognitive ability, business knowledge as well as emotional stability (Khan et al., 2017). Achieving organizational purpose, a leader needs to create a vision, support the followers' strategies as well as enhance the strength of the individuals in the attempt to help the organization progress. Leadership significance is visible to the large sums of money spent each year in the development of leaders.
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Personal ministry leadership job is exciting; with no work greater than the other. Instead, Jesus is bound to come when the whole job is over, which involves mobilizing all the members in outreach (The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2010). The personal ministry leadership theory emphasizes taking responsibility and avoiding pride at all costs, which come with the leader's title. The personal ministries department works towards enlisting every individual in the act of winning souls for God. Leaders are privileged in the personal ministries, as they work directly with the Holy Spirit that inspires, organizes, trains as well as helps God's people. Success is possible by relying totally on God, who is omnipotent. In the process of coordinating the outreach acts in the local churches building a personal evangelism noble heritage, which is successfully modeled by men in history is necessary.
Roles of Leaders and Followers
Job descriptions in personal ministries include but are not limited to outreach coordinator, church growth chair, and evangelism director. North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists (2009) defines these people's ministry as planning, educating, planning, recruiting, training volunteers as well as ministry management. A personal ministry leader ought to have a great relationship with Christ as well as have the desire in sharing him with other people. Nonetheless, this leader needs to be capable of planning, organizing, managing, as well as evaluating outreach projects. North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists (2009) affirms that it is important for these leaders to supervise and motivate all the volunteers while communicating effectively with other church members as well as the community when the need arises. Therefore, the personal ministry's mission is to provide resources and training church members into reuniting their strength and effort with other church officers and the ministry in proclaiming Christ's salvation. Enlisting everyone in the process of active soul winning is thus the department's aim.
An effective personal ministry leader requires a connection, communication, and coordination. According to The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist (2010), getting connected to Christ is necessary as he is the vine, and they are fruits such that whoever abides by Him is capable of bearing fruits. A personal ministry leader can stay connected to Christ through praying always and having a consistent devotional life. More so, studying the bible and reading the prophecy's spirit. Nonetheless, keeping a witnessing habit either individually or communally will help with remaining connected to Christ. Feeling the burden is also necessary as God rewards with favor. Connecting with people in various departments is also necessary with traits that are lovable while still having an intentionally loving heart (The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist, 2010). More so, connecting with one's vision is necessary and remaining optimistic and focused on Jesus.
Communication is also paramount in the personal ministry leadership theory that requires recruiting volunteers as well as training them in the process of winning souls and serving the community. General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist (2010) affirms that surrounding oneself with a team of prayerful people is necessary. Volunteers in the various church positions require certain tasks that have clearly defined limits, a lot of affirmation, being in office for a short term and direct and simple feedback on how they are faring. With an understanding of people as the greatest resource, coordination is important while acknowledging that every person has a unique gift that can be actualized as everyone has a place in the church (Hoyt et al., 2006). Therefore, for effective execution of activities, a personal ministry leader ought to plan, communicate, educate, involve volunteers, and then manage the ministry.
Theological Rationale for the Personal Leadership Theory
Leadership experience and its understanding have undergone an immense change. Bevans (2017) explains that both leading practitioners and writers acknowledge the huge changes in leadership hence the reason they explain the phenomenon as an awakening, a transformation, and a paradigm shift. The transformation is visible in people termed as leaders, factors of authority, productivity, structures, competition, and power. More so, the leadership studies are shifting their focus from the leaders and emphasize more on learning skills, inspiring people, through faith, love, hope with a shared vision, modeling the way, and changing structures when the need arises (Elkington et al., 2015). Today's managerial and leadership questions do not lie on the structures and tasks but the spirit.
Leadership art involves acts of influencing, guiding, and directing other people to other heights of interaction, understanding as well as commitment. According to Elikngton et al. (2015), leadership is modeled by politics, religion, art, and love. Leadership and management thus differ in the aspect of motivation and inspiring others. Bevans (2017) asserts that managers’ main concern is maintenance while leaders are concerned with the organization's mission. The management works towards preventing problems, eliminating threatening effects to maintain a comfort zone. Management requires people to give away their power, become utterly perfect, and be willing to control or become controlled. However, the creative form of leadership, which is the most appropriate way of leading today one is frequently asking many questions concerning oneself as well as others. Creative leaders refer to the art of bringing something new in the process of creating something bigger. Therefore, leadership effectiveness is assessed by how co-workers are willing to perform chores to others without any form of payments.
Nowadays effective leadership depends on the attitude towards others and their view of the world. Doohan (2015, as cited by Bevans 2017) name core values that combine to form a spiritual leader as inner integrity, challenging others to become their best, having faith in the shared vision, relentlessly pursuing the common mission, inspiring commitment, and nourishing the vision shared. More so, humility is necessary towards other people's views, being courageous when communicating the necessary, maintaining distance from people and tasks, developing a sense of human interdependence and community. These core values depict a mission-centered and more creative type of leadership based on the values and vision of the Christian gospel different from the Roman and the Greek philosophical legal structures (Smit, 2015). Therefore, the theological rationale for personal ministry leadership is based on baptismal equality and Trinitarian equality, which is built from theology's paradigm shift.
In the past, the church understood its essence as monarchical, hierarchical, and institutional hence depicting an unequal society. According to Bevans (2017) in the Second Vatican Church, the laity and hierarchy chapters were presided by the "The people of God" chapter that pointed to all believers' equality. The equality guiding the believers is based on missionary discipleship and baptismal. Therefore, in today's church leadership understanding begins with the reality of discipleship vocation and fundamental equality. With this paradigm shift, leaders ought to understand that there are no passive Christians hence, they need to attend to the church's mission that all share in an ordered communion.
The new creation story theological perspective also influences the personal ministry leadership theory. In this paradigm, God is within the ongoing process of creation, in which he determines and manipulates all the aspects of his creation (Smit, 2015). The evolution of God happens to be respectful to freedom of the creative works through persuasion instead of dominating over the creations (Bevans, 2017). This aspect is visible in human freedom, in which God willingly waits and begs for love instead of forcing himself to people's souls. Therefore, God grants people the freedom to create themselves.
In both Catholicism and Protestantism, Trinitarian theology has undergone much change. Hoyt et al. (2006) assert that Trinitarian theology focuses majorly on the radical missionary in God's nature. As a loving communion God, does what he is. Therefore, the personal ministry leadership theory is built from the new paradigms of new creation in which God acts within every individual, equality, and communion-in-mission.
Personal Ministry Leadership Theory Relationship to other Theories
Traditionally, the leaders have been addressed as the organizational visionaries who address the organizational issues from higher levels within the institution. According to Stewart (2008), organizational development and changes in the past depended highly on the formal leaders' roles. Theories representing this stream of thought include the transactional, transformational, and charismatic leadership.
Charismatic Leadership Theory
Charisma is characterized by the capability of one to convey and elaborate an unconventional but clear vision. Stewart (2008) refers to charismatic leadership elements as the unique personal features that leaders have that interact with the needs and perceptions of their followers at a particular time. Some of the personal characteristics depicted by a charismatic leader include moral conviction, self-confidence, social influence, and moral exercise of power. Stewart (2008) assert that charismatic leadership focuses on the leaders' capability to vision a better future for the business organization and mobilize employees to its implementation. The charismatic theory involves reasoning, in which the leaders persuasively affect the perceptions, behaviors, and emotions of the employees of the organization to act in its favor. The charismatic leadership theory depicts the leader as a social values arbiter and motivator. The personal ministry leadership theory relates to the charismatic theory on the aspect of communication, whereby leaders share their vision with the volunteers that help in the ministry work.
Transformational Leadership Theory
There is a close relationship between a transformational leader and a charismatic leader in the skills necessary, with a great difference in the contingency view. Leaders that articulate a vision of a shared future then intellectually stimulates their subordinates and peers while paying attention to their unique differences characterize transformational leadership (Bojovic et al., 2013). Understanding the motivators and the needs of the subordinates is the role of the transformational leader. More so, they need to provide their followers with the socio-psychological support when necessary to meet the organizational goals. Unlike the charismatic leader that works through mainly persuading, a transformational leader functions through supporting their subordinates in expanding their individual view of the world (Bojovic et al., 2013). Therefore, the transformation occurs in the people being led, which automatically leads to organizational change. A charismatic leader expects to be followed in his leadership while the transformational leader leads through encouraging their subordinates to change and grow.
Transactional Leadership Theory
Transactional leadership differs from the transformational type as it works by simply rewarding their followers in exchange for their desired behaviors. According to Stewart (2008), a transactional leader needs a clear understanding of their followers to know the type of rewards that are likely to motivate his subordinates. For example, a priest in the Christian organization acts as a transactional leader when he determines the followers that will receive the communion. Therefore, unlike the transformational leadership transactional leadership is not concerned with changing his followers’ views only in motivating them to produce the desired goals.
The Relationship
There exists an overlap between the personal ministry theory and other motivational based leadership theories, in areas of spiritual survival. According to Fry (2003), for the spiritual survival of both leaders and followers, personal ministry leadership theory taps on their fundamental needs to ensure productivity and commitment towards the work of God. Personal ministry leadership theory requires behaviors and values necessary to intrinsically motivate others and one's self in the acts of bringing more people to God. Therefore, the creation of a vision in which the organizational members feel the sense of calling where they need to serve a purpose and make a difference is the goal of the personal ministry leadership. More so, having an organizational culture that is developed from the altruistic love in which both the followers and the leaders have genuine concern care, and appreciation for one another produces a membership sense, appreciation, and understanding.
Hope and Faith
Faith refers to the conviction and assurance of things not visible while hope encompasses the desires with the fulfillment expectation. Faith is based on attitudes, values, and behaviors demonstrating trust and certainty of the desired results with happening (Fry, 2003). Hopeful individuals are visionary of their goals and show a willingness to endure any forms of hardships for the achievement of their objectives and goals. Faith journeys like in the personal ministry leadership where leaders are in an outreach mission should execute their roles to win while striving for excellence exceeding their best. Victory or reward and vision found in the traditional theories such as charismatic and transformational leadership is also evident in the personal ministry leadership.
The Vision
The vision encompasses an outline of the future with explicit and implicit commentary on why it is necessary to work better to develop a better future. Vision is capable of clarifying the change's general direction, help in the efficient and quick coordination of different people's acts, and in simplifying more detailed directions (Fry, 2003). A vision describes the business organization's journey giving reasons why the followers and the leaders need to take it. Therefore, vision gives work meaning, energizes workers as well as garners commitment. Personal ministry leadership relates to other leadership theories, such as transformational and charismatic on the aspect of vision, which encourages faith and hope in the organization’s success.
Altruistic Love
Altruistic love is shown through loyalty, unselfish, concern, and care for oneself and others. Mission in an organization offers it a reason for its existence in which it develops its vision. According to Fry (2003) mission defines what the business entity believes and defines its core values, culture, and the reason for its existence. Altruistic love personal outcomes include peace, joy, and serenity( Pitt, 2012). Love is capable of overcoming the destructive effects of emotions such as pride, fear, a sense of failure, and anger. More so, these factors result in high productivity, commitment, and stress reduction in an organization (Pitt, 2012). Therefore, acts of appreciation, through rewards in the motivational type of theories such as transactional are evident in the personal ministry leadership in which Christ will come to reward the hard work of the leaders when they are through with the outreach jobs.
Personal Ministry Leadership and its alignment with the Biblical Concepts
Personal ministry leadership as a spiritual job needs members to understand the biblical concepts concerning their existence and their roles, which motivates and enables their witnessing. According to The General Conference Sabbath School and Personal Ministries (2010), every individual needs to acknowledge the honor of being called in the ministry. People are chosen by God to allow others to witness his goodness (1 Peter 2:9). People are called in the personal ministry leadership to show in the changed lives God's love in their lives. The responsibility of the personal ministry leaders is to ensure the salvation of other people. The leaders in the personal ministry should view it as an honor and privilege to be chosen by the enabling and empowering God. Therefore, successful leaders always illustrate and stress the privilege of being chosen, and when need arises show the responsibility.
Everyone in the personal ministry leadership is crucial with every member recognizing their importance in a person’s salvation, a case similar to that of Philip in reaching out for the seeking eunuch (Acts 8:26-39). Personal ministry leader acts as sources of light and joy through whom people can attain their eternal life. God is capable of sending angels to minister his word, but he wishes to share the joy originating from leading others. Moreover, God taps willing members to lead so that he blesses them in return, a case evident in his word of blessing those that bless others (Proverbs 11:25).
Leaders ought to believe their work will be successful as God is their guide, and he possesses unlimited power. In Mathew (28:18, 19), Jesus promises to give people power both in heaven and on earth. God grants people wisdom and power to lead effectively, without giving his servants burdens that exceed their powers. Connection with God is necessary, in which the personal ministry leaders achieve through having a consistent devotional life, praying always, studying the Bible as well as keeping the habit of witnessing. Therefore, with connection personal ministry leaders become completely dependent on God's wisdom and power, which guarantees success in their ministry work.
The leadership act is important to societies and organizations' evolution. In most cases, leaders are termed heroes infusing institutions with goals, and they motivate followers to be the best versions of themselves. In most cases, the success of an organization is attributed either wrongly or rightly to the people leading the rest. More so, institutional failures are often attributed to the unavailability of leadership. Generally, people are capable of making distinctions on the traits they consider necessary for a good leader although there exist many questions on what good leadership constitutes. This research has discussed in depth the personal ministry leadership theory, a theological rationale for the theory, and the roles for both leaders and followers roles in theory. It also shows how the personal ministry theory aligns with a biblical worldview.
References
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