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

maximum impact for the Church’s edification and the Kingdom’s advancement. As an apostle , the bishop functions as one charged with the ongoing care of new churches and their leaders, doing all they can to ensure the protection, edification and development of them. Finally, as a spiritual director the bishop provides challenge and encouragement to budding ministries and churches as they mature in Christ. The notion of bishop relates to the idea of how churches associate with one another, either regionally through the locale church, or through affinity and shared identity. Urban churches need both the godly association of other fellowships as well as the oversight that godly bishops can provide them. The Scriptures are clear that the faithful bishop will experience God’s full blessing and reward at the Second Coming of Christ, who personally will give them the unfading crown of glory. Galloway, John T. Ministry Loves Company: A Survival Guide for Pastors . Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003. Purves, Andrew. Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition . Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. Wilimon, William H. Calling and Character: The Virtues of the Ordained Life . Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000. The principles of Christian leadership covered in this module were designed in order to enable you to secure a solid and defensible understanding of the various principles and roles of leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, your own study, meditation, and investigation, along with your fellow students, has given you a solid foundation of Christian leadership. Now, it is time for you to explore ways in which you may apply the insights of this module’s key insights in a practicum that you and your mentor agree to. The ramifications of these insights are clear; Christian leadership, in the end, is not something that one simply studies or ponders, but a calling to serve Christ by laying down one’s life and goods for the sake of others, especially those in the body of Christ. Your ability to follow through on these insights will show your understanding of them. The truth of Christ in Christian leadership must become a part of who you are–how you pray, how you live at home and on the job, your response to other members at church, and your If you are interested in pursuing some of the ideas of The Christian Leader as Bishop (Episkopoi) , you might want to give these books a try:

Resources and Bibliographies

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