In our last Letter we began looking at the “Be, Know, Do” (BKD) model of leader development. This model is used by the U.S. Army but has also gained some measure of popularity in Christian leader development circles.

According to the Army, leaders lead others by their character, by their competence, and by their actions; therefore, effective leader development must focus on the leader’s character and values (“Be”), his competencies (“Know”), and his decisions and actions (“Do”). Continue Reading »

It may be a surprise to learn that the “Be, Know, Do” (BKD) model of leader development which has gained some degree of popularity in both formal and non-formal Christian leader development did not originate in the church, but in the U.S. Army. Continue Reading »

I am an emerging leader. You are an existing leader. I’m so grateful that God has placed you in my life. I really need you! Continue Reading »

In our last Letter, we looked at “Three Approaches to Leader Development”: the three ways that a leader development ministry might work with indigenous leaders. The third of these, and the most recommended for achieving true indigenization and contextualization, is the “Build the Designer Approach.” Continue Reading »

A New Paradigm

Our last two Letters set forth several significant paradigm changes regarding leader development that are necessary to deal with the crises of quantity and quality of church leaders around the world. Continue Reading »

As we have seen, we need a new paradigm of leader development. We cannot keep building leaders the same way while merely trying to do it faster and on a larger scale. More of the same will not do! We need to transform the way leaders are built. We need a new paradigm. Continue Reading »

In our last Letter, we saw that over the last 20-30 years, there has been considerable focus around the world on evangelism and church planting, producing an extraordinary number of people coming to Christ and new churches being planted. Of course, this is great cause for rejoicing.

However, there has not been corresponding attention given to leader development during this time, and we now find ourselves in a crisis of leader development. Continue Reading »

By definition, leaders have too many responsibilities on their plate. This is what distinguishes leaders from non-leaders – the ability to think it through and then act. And the courage to do so. Continue Reading »

The 5C Goal of Leader Development

According to Robert Clinton, over 70 percent of leaders who successfully climb the ladder of leadership influence do not finish well. Some dramatically fail, precipitating public scandal, while the majority of leaders who lose their influence just fade quietly into obscurity. They fall short because in their outwardly successful lives there is a disconnection between the development of leadership competencies and the development of leadership character. Continue Reading »

If union with Christ is the core reality of Christian leadership, then time with Christ in prayer must be one of its core activities. Continue Reading »