Writings on Christian leadership and leader development by Malcolm Webber
Our goal is healthy churches and Christian ministries. This means every member must take responsibility for the whole; every member must function actively and thoughtfully. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Eph. 4:16) To this [...]
Malcolm Webber
Elsewhere we have defined “leadership power” as the leader’s capacity to influence others to move from where they are now to somewhere else. Formally, leaders have more organizational power than do followers. Nevertheless, good followers exercise considerable power to positively influence the direction and effectiveness of the [...]
Malcolm Webber
Someone said, “God gave us two ears but only one mouth. Some people say that’s because He wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as talking. Others claim it’s because He knew listening was twice as hard as talking.” We’ve discussed before the many barriers to listening. But how do we overcome these barriers to improve our own [...]
Malcolm Webber
Effective listening is not and never has been easy. Norman Weiner wrote, “Speech is a joint game between the talker and the listener against the forces of confusion. Unless both make the effort, interpersonal communication is quite hopeless.” In order to improve our listening, we must first identify the barriers we encounter to [...]
Malcolm Webber
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant …” (Matthew 20:25-26) Jesus said that leadership in the Kingdom of God is fundamentally different [...]
Malcolm Webber
Transformation is radical change. To transform means to change in the way that a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, or a tadpole into a frog, or a baby into a child and then into an adult. After the process is completed, it is as if the older form ceases to exist. Transaction, on the other hand, is simple exchange. It is benefits [...]
Malcolm Webber
Leaders must be set apart for the work to which God has called them. Every leader was called to his ministry before the foundation of the world (cf. Eph. 1:4, Jer. 1:5, 2 Tim. 1:9) This calling then becomes known to the leader at some point in his life. For example, God revealed something of Paul’s calling to him at the time of his [...]
Malcolm Webber
Community serves a twofold place in the life of the leader. First, the healthy leader is built in community (Eph. 4:13-16). No healthy leader will ever be developed in a vacuum. The hottest ember grows cold in isolation. When we come together we are given copious opportunities to be patient, kind, forgiving and loving, to walk in [...]
Malcolm Webber
Too often, we spend our time thinking about strategies and techniques to develop leaders instead of praying. Our focus is more on methods, whereas Jesus’ focus was on men and women. Our time is spent with each other in planning and strategizing; Jesus’ time was spent with His Father in communion and fellowship. His inward union with His [...]
Malcolm Webber
Christian character formation is the result of three kinds of work of the Holy Spirit: Divine Dependence Dramatic Dealings Daily Discipline These works are all motivated by the Holy Spirit and used by Him to transform our lives and ministries into the image of Christ. We need all three. In this series, we explore the blessings and [...]
Malcolm Webber