Before moving on to the particulars of what marks a Missional church leader, I think it pertinent to discuss the distinctions between Missional leadership and what we would term traditional modern church leadership. If I may borrow a phrase from Dr. Ed Stetzer to draw out this distinction I would say that Missional Leadership, over and against traditional leadership, is a move from “Superman ministry to everyman ministry.”[1] What Dr. Stetzer, and what I in particular, have in mind by this phrase is the shift from a traditional model of ministry leadership where the pastor “does” ministry. Instead, what Missional leadership has, at its heart, is an approach to leading that aims at equipping the congregation to “do” ministry. This shift in leadership has a fresh understanding of Biblical ecclesiology, and specifically the God-given teleology of the church. The New Testament sees the church as the carriers of the Missio Dei, and this concept of the church is one of an organic community of regenerated believers. In contrast to this, church leaders have sometimes seen themselves as the carries of God’s mission and therefore have, to some degree (intentional or not), represented themselves and their staff as the church itself. If, however, the New Testament church is to be the bearers and movers of God’s mission then it is the body as a whole, and not simply its leaders, who must “do ministry.” In that regard Missional leadership is quite distinct from a contemporary model of ministry which places the pastor as the paid professional who “does church,” while his congregation simply “attends church.” All of this distinction, however, does have very real and practical implications for any specific church leader. The primary concern being the manner in which a leader can in fact help create a Missional community in his church. The process has four primary steps: (1) Creating a unique vision; (2) Uniting a congregation around that vision; (3) Exemplifying that vision; and (4) Cultivating a community where the living out of that vision can happen naturally.
[1] “Missional Leadership,” given at One Day Conference in Okalahoma.
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