Pioneering Leadership

Notes for the Kyiv Conference (26th February 2022) from Jeremy Cook

1. A very warm welcome from the UK. You are very much in our thoughts and prayers as we see the build up of Russian forces. We pray for your safety and wisdom .

2. I understand this a is a leadership conference and I wanted to give you some outline thoughts on leadership.

3. There are many different types of leaders from pastoral to administrative, but today I want to talk briefly about pioneering leadership. That is leaders who are able to start new ministries or new churches. Some leaders are very good and maintaining, and some at pioneering.

4. What do we mean by pioneering, we mean those who have both vision and ability to start new things such as new churches, or new small groups, or children ministry, or poor ministry.

5. Over many years in the Vineyard we have identified five main characteristics that such leaders have. However before I discuss those I want to say that leadership is a gift from God as expressed in Romans 12:8. If we have that gift then we are told to do it well. Leaders improve with training and practice and feedback.

6. The five characteristics that we have identified are:

   1. Vision and Calling

   2. Communication

   3. Spiritual and Emotional Capacity

   4. Gathering and Mission

   5. Leadership and Multiplication

7. Let me give you a brief picture of each one.

8. Vision and Calling

   1. You have in your mind a clear picture of God the Father, God as Jesus the Son- His work on earth, and God the Holy Spirit who is with us now .

   2. The Vision is the mission of God to demonstrate his love mercy and justice to a lost and broken world.

   3. That mission must include justice and mercy to the rings of humanity.

   4. As we communicate that vision form God then it connects with others who want volunteer and serve that vision.

   5. The vision is given to leaders but belongs to God.

   6. We do it in the context of who the Vineyard is in recent church history. We are called third wave, the first wave was the Pentecostal move of the spirit beginning in the Azusa St revival of 1905. That was followed by a second wave of the Holy Spirit in the Charismatic Movement which had it roots in the 1960s. Then there was a third wave starting in the late 1970s

   7. In the case of the Vineyard it was characterised by signs and wonders and kingdom theology. The Kingdom has come but not in its completeness or fulfilment.

   8. We express Vineyard values.

   9. We are about building teams to share in the work of ministry.

   10. We model a lifestyle in inviting people into our lives.

   11. We constantly work at communication vision to those around no us recognising that it inspires and releases resources.

9. Communication.

   1. Not just public speaking but the ability to connect in many situations and be understood .

   2. It would include preaching and teaching , well planned well prepared well taught. This takes time and effort. It takes study prayer and thought .

   3. It requires the ability to communicate in difficult situations such as:

      1. Possible suicide situation

      2. Bereavement

      3. Leading difficult groups or people.

      4. Giving people feedback so they can grow as leaders.

   4. Developing your own style, we are all different.

   5. Require effort and planning - adjusting your schedule to make time to do it well.

10. Spiritual and Emotional Capacity

    1. This is key to finishing the race. We are in a marathon not a sprint. We want to finish the race and not burn out, or fail morally in some way. Many of you will have looked at this already

    2. Self awareness is the key. There are many helpful tools such as Meyers Briggs or the Enneagram.

    3. You must understand how you function. Are you an introvert or an extrovert. Do you talk a lot or little. What fears and insecurities do you know you have. How do you deal with anger.

    4. What activities restore you,

    5. Hurts form the past , family ,marriage , sexual, rejection, this is a huge area and needs to be dealt with and healed over time.

    6. Have you developed a good fruitful personal prayer life,

    7. Do you know how to worship, in all you do, placing God in the right place .

    8. Keeping your heart free from hurt and pain. Forgiveness, thanks giving, joy, repentance.

    9. Understanding mental health , your and being able to see it in others. Stress, anxiety, , depression, anger, apathy.

    10. Spiritual formation - the disciplines of spiritual growth, fasting, silence, solitude, reflection, meditation on scripture to name just a few.

11. Gathering and Mission

    1. Study Paul and his letters for his Apostleship, his view of the Church, his view on the Holy Spirit and his view on the resurrection. These are the instruction manuals for the early church.

    2. How to do youth ministry and connect with young people

    3. Children’s ministry

    4. Singles and singleness

    5. Building healthy marriages.

    6. Students and young adults

    7. Event planning and budgeting

    8. Street evangelism

    9. Personal evangelism and group evangelism

12. Leadership and Multiplication

    1. Take your own pioneering leadership seriously, ask questions, get advice, reflect, get feedback

    2. NT leadership is servanthood - foot washing

    3. IRTDMN new leadership. Seek to reproduce yourself.

    4. Plan to lead for the long journey. Think in terms of 30 -40 years .

    5. Church finance and budgets

    6. Personal financial planning .

    7. Monitor and nurture leaders, they grow quicker.

    8. Women in leadership

    9. Come as you are: learn and teach about inclusion

    10. Learn to ask searching questions