Practicing Christian Leadership, Mentor's Guide, MG11

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P R A C T I C I N G C H R I S T I A N L E A D E R S H I P

Please take as much time as you have available to answer these and other questions that the video brought out. In these turbulent times, many Christians and non-Christians alike are prone to ignore any spiritual roots of their problems. The Christian leader, however, is called to a kind of vision that gives rise to a host of therapies that are rooted in the wisdom of the Spirit, based on the Word of God, and designed to help believers get at the root of their problems and issues, from a God-kind of perspective. Understanding this responsibility is critical for your own development as a Christian leader, which this lesson equates (to some degree) with some form of Christian counseling. Take the time to review the concepts of this segment together, seeking to get the heart of the biblical concept of the Christian leader as minister of the Word of God among the people of God. 1. Why is it so important to define Christian counseling in the context of our application of the Word of God to our lives? Is it possible to call a form of counseling “Christian” which does not give central place and authority to the Word of God in its therapeutic strategies? Explain your answer. 2. Discuss the truth value of the claim that “Christian leadership is synonymous with being a godly counselor.” In what sense is Christian leadership leading his people into his will, which God describes as good, acceptable, and perfect? 3. In what ways does the model of Christian leader as physician of the spirit resonate with the New Testament’s understanding of the leader as counselor? 4. What should the role of the Scriptures be in the therapeutic situation when helping believers come to grips with the roots and shoots of their personal concerns and problems? 5. Why is it absolutely necessary for Christian leaders to be filled with the Holy Spirit if they are going to both represent God’s will to his people, as well as walk with others through the situations they are bound to face in a world that produces tribulation and trouble? 6. How should Christian leaders view the counsel and influence of others as they strive to care for the needs of others? How should a Christian leader handle issues of confidentiality and privacy when seeking the counsel of others on an issue, problem, or concern?

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Student Questions and Response

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7. How important is a believer’s place and participation in a local church to their ongoing healing and care, even if the first stages of a problem or issue