Foundations of Christian Leadership, Mentor's Guide, MG07

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F O U N D A T I O N S O F C H R I S T I A N L E A D E R S H I P

* What are the kinds of problems that could occur if a group of churches found themselves under the authority of a bishop who failed to meet God’s standards of godliness, doctrine, and mission? In such a case, what could a pastor or congregation do to remedy the situation? * What are the signs that a pastor or church has simply lost touch with others, and are on the verge of becoming sectarian, even cultic in their isolation from others? * In your opinion, what is the bare minimum contact that churches should have with others in order to keep them connected and integrated with the other believers in an area or region? Explain your answer. * Many affirm a congregation’s near absolute right to govern itself, finance its own initiatives, and control its own missions outreach. Under what conditions would the three selfs of self-government, self-support, and self-propagation be too “self”-ish? What safeguards must any church take to ensure that it does not lose contact with others? * In your view, how has the mega-church either undermined or strengthened the possibility for connection and oversight between and among churches? Does a church with a membership of 7,000 people need to be associated with other congregations for its own health and well-being? * Can you envision a situation where churches in a region would not want to associate together for the well-being of each other? Describe that situation. A common phrasing with many in ministry today is the idea that they are pursuing a vision that the Lord gave them directly. Often it can be heard that “The Lord told me to begin this initiative” or “The Lord told me to come here and begin this ministry.” Unfortunately, the only evidence for these revelations are the statements themselves; with no overarching authority or credible connection to anyone, many of these initiatives do not last. However, often God has in fact directed certain individuals through his Spirit to undertake innovative and exciting new ministries for his Kingdom’s advancement, and these new churches and ministries have thrived because the Lord did in fact instruct them to initiate these tasks. What are the criteria and qualifications of an authentically God-ordained, God-directed vision? To what extent should legitimate spiritual authority endorse a vision before The Lord Has Given Me a Vision

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