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

submission, and the Church is central to their own maturity as leaders. It will be critical, therefore, that you help your students wrestle with what it means to understand and apply the elemental principles of leadership we have discovered through looking at our four dimensions of leadership. What are these dimensions again? These four dimensions, which we have covered in-depth include deacons (Greek diakonoi ), elders (Greek presbuteroi ), pastors (Greek poimenes ) and overseers or “bishops” (Greek episkopoi ). Again, it is important always to keep in mind the central principles which come forth from an extensive study of these dimensions as we have undertaken in this module. Walker provides us with a nice, neat summary of the central ideas that emerge from this kind of study: Five general principles can be deducted from the NT teaching as a whole: (a) all authority is derived from Christ and exercised in his name and Spirit; (b) Christ’s humility provides the pattern for Christian service (Matt. 20.26–28); (c) government is collegiate rather than hierarchical (Matt. 18.19; 23.8; Acts 15.28); (d) teaching and ruling are closely associated functions (1 Thess. 5.12); (e) administrative assistants may be required to help the preachers of the word (Acts 6.2–3).

~ G. S. M. Walker. “Church Government.” The New Bible Dictionary . D. R. W. Wood, ed. (3rd ed. ) (electronic ed.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996. p. 203.

Keep these principles in mind as you cover, for the last time with your students, the last case studies of our module together.

Congratulations! You have completed the module with your students on the Foundations of Christian Leadership ! Your work as an instructor, however, is not over; it will actually begin in earnest now in terms of the student’s assignments, and your grading of them. Make sure that you have commitments for the ministry projects, exegetical projects, and other data together as this will be important for you to determine the student’s overall grade. Again, your discretion regarding late work can easily determine whether you dock students of points, resulting in letter grade changes, or give students an “Incomplete” until the work is finished. However 6 Page 184 Assignments