Leadership Studies
Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God – Use this 13-week study to conduct an Experiencing God Weekend or churchwide spiritual growth emphasis. Written by Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, and Claude King, the Experiencing God Bible Study leads individuals and churches to examine biblical and contemporary illustrations, and then to understand and apply seven realities of experiencing God.
Jesus on Leadership: Developing Servant Leaders – C. Gene Wilkes’ Jesus on Leadership is a six-session adult Bible study that leads members of the body of Christ to apply biblical principles of servant leadership to their ministry and service. By following the pattern of Jesus’ ministry of training people to do kingdom work, Jesus on Leadership helps develop church members into servant leaders. Sessions include:
- Session 1: Introduction
- Session 2: Down from the Head Table
- Session 3: Leaders Who SERVE (Part 1)
- Session 4: Leaders Who SERVE (Part 2)
- Session 5: How to EQUIP Others
- Session 6: How to Serve in TEAM Ministry
MasterLife – Avery Willis’ MasterLife series is an excellent resource to help persons move toward maturity in Christ. MasterLife is an effective growth and maturity tool for both new Christians and experienced believers. In addition to gaining victory over areas of weakness, participants are encouraged to master living in the Word, prayer, personal purity, witnessing and other key disciplines of faith. The four 6-week studies include:
- Book 1: The Disciple’s Cross
- Book 2: The Disciple’s Personality
- Book 3: The Disciple’s Victory
- Book 4: The Disciple’s Mission
Team Development
High Impact Leader by Carey Nieuwhof
Online Course, “High Impact Leader: How to Get Time, Energy and Priorities Working in Your Favor”
Leadership Gold by John Maxwell
Chapter 2 Outline, “The Toughest Person to Lead Is Always Yourself”
Chapter 6 Outline, “The Best Leaders Are Listeners”
Chapter 7 Outline, “Get in the Zone and Stay There”
Chapter 9 Outline, “To See How the Leader Is Doing, Look at the People”
Video, RightNow Media
TED Talks
Outline, “Everyday Leadership” by Drew Dudley (TEDx Toronto)
Video, “Everyday Leadership,” TED Conferences
The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey and Jim Huling
Outline, “The 4 Disciplines of Execution Overview”
Video, Vimeo
Replenish by Lance Witt
DVD Video, Willow Creek Association
Leadership Retreats
Staff Retreats – Staff retreats are an intentional way to develop the team and provide focused time for important and strategic things. Team benefits beyond the formal agenda and objectives shouldn’t be missed. Being together outside church circles builds the team bond and produces net positives in team relationships and camaraderie.
Although it’s possible to accomplish retreat objectives locally, enhanced focus often comes from extended time away from the whirlwind of day-to-day busyness. Out-of-town retreat costs will be greater, but the return on investment can also be higher. Consider mitigating retreat costs with an alternating plan for local and out-of-town retreats.
The best retreats combine several elements:
- Celebrating past accomplishments
- Casting vision for the future
- Focusing the team on important and strategic plans
- Introducing new vision-aligned initiatives
- Team development and interaction
- Prayer, worship and spiritual growth
- Fellowship and personal connections
- Guest speakers to help stimulate new thinking
Retreats might also include logistical items, budget discussions and calendar planning.
