Ministry Leadership Application Plan for a Church. Self-Leadership Growth Plan. Research Paper.

Part I: Ministry Leadership Application Plan for a Church

Leadership requires the person taking the leadership position to be one with a high level of integrity and one who puts the needs of others before theirs. They must also be people who are willing to dedicate a large amount of their time to the service of the public and in some cases, they may need to input their personal resources so that the organisation they lead may succeed in the plans they make. A ministry leadership for a church is special and requires that the individual lives a life that depicts their sincerity in handling diverse situations. They must also be people who lead the church towards a spiritual freedom that breaks them away from the doctrines that prevent people from thinking objectively. In addition, the ministry leadership requires that the person in charge does not show any level of preference to some people, as they must settle the cases presented to them in a just way. Most of the church leaders draw their inspiration and foundation from the teachings of Jesus Christ when He was on earth. They attempt to live their lives displaying the humility and serving people irrespective of their differences. It is worth noting that the public has high expectations when it comes to the church leadership and requires that they lead by example. Critics of religion take the leaders in church who fail to portray their maturity levels by solving the differences, which must exist, as jokers and bad examples to the society. For the purpose of the paper, a church can follow this ministry leadership application as it guides people in the house of worship on how to relate, and settle the cases presented to them.

The church leaders need to mentor the young on the culture of their religion. Knowledge of the culture sets the foundation of the lessons the young and upcoming leaders use as their basis of reference in the future. In case there are issues that they need to deal with, they may refer to what they were told and identify the solutions without affecting the beliefs other people have. In addition, people tend to have more faith when a person does not contradict the faith they share. Ministry leaders understand that they are working for Christ and should act as His followers. Hence, in their leadership positions, they ensure that their character, mode of dressing and talks displays a person of high integrity. They also understand that people look up to them and learn from them based on their behaviour more than they communicate to them. Their behaviours form the foundation of the culture and practices of the people, which pass down to the congregation. It also separates them from the other doctrines. The ministry leaders have levels of management and those in the top positions formulate the policies and teach those in lower positions on the need to uphold the culture for the benefit of the church as a going-concern. How they respond to those that break the culture they lay in place is also another major determinant in their leadership maturity.

The ministry plan in church will hold schedules meetings that offer the congregation a chance to hear how the money, resources, and assets of the church are maintained. Transparency ensures that the people have confidence in the leaders as they can account for every currency that gets in their hand. People trust the leaders that can answer questions they have regarding the finances. it leads to growth in the church and the public may have preference for churches that invest their finances in the right channels. Credible leaders ensure that the congregation can attest to their leadership skills without a doubt. Support comes from the congregation for the leaders that can fully work with the commitment they showed when they swore to take the leadership position in the beginning. For instance, during projects like fund raising, the leaders have the responsibility to tell the followers how much cash they expect to raise. After that, they can inform them on the funds they collected in terms of excess or deficit and how they plan to use the cash in their hand. In some churches, they may need to have ministry projects that earn their parish some income. Hence, the leaders are in charge of such projects and it means that they may need to make monthly reports and updates. With time, the congregation gains confidence and can entrust them with more tasks.

Volunteers in church have the self-less commitment and thought that they give their time and resources to the church. The ministry in the church must accommodate such individuals and embrace them despite their financial background. Most people feel discouraged when they get judgment from the ministerial leaders wrongly. For instance, people move to the church so that they can get hope and get comfort and come may volunteer their time since they lack the resources to support the church. Hence, when the leaders receive them negatively, they may fail to understand the reason. However, the ministry application that can be used in the places of worship is appreciating people irrespective of the voluntary service they give the church. Building and cultivating such a culture in church will see that the future leaders open the doors to the poor. It helps reduce and avoid the perception that people have towards some churches as financially segregating people and looking down on a certain calibre of people. The public understands that the church is a place for serving god without expectations of salaries or wages, but they should prepare food and beverages for those who go to church as the last option for getting a reliable source of food.

The ministry work in church is wide and requires the input of many people, it means that the leaders in the top positions must always work together. They must also be willing to accept the input and suggestions from the congregation in case they need a change in the leadership position. Solving the underlying issues on time helps prevent the trigger of fights that arise due to unresolved issues. Sharing knowledge about all issues related to church amongst the leaders ensures that the people can ask any leader about the progress of the church and get the right information. In addition, if the leaders explain the same details when questioned by the followers, they display a high level of unity, which must be the display of the church elders in the ministry.

Every workplace has shortcomings and conflicts that arise when people of different characters come together to work. The ministry of leadership in the church is no exemption and there arise problems amongst those in the top positions. However, there are expectations from the public on how they should behave. They should display a high level of tolerance towards each other to avoid conflicts spilling to the public. They can meet as leaders and discuss the problems they are facing which help contain situations within a short time. The conflicting parties must come together so that they can find a common ground and the one in the mistake should apologise to the other. Their ability to work irrespective of their differences ensures that they complete the work of the church within the stipulated time. In addition, they can motivate the youth leaders to follow their example in the future. The ministry in church understands that each individual has strengths and weaknesses. They must be willing and able to see the good character from every individual despite the negative character that may overload the positive influence they have. Further, the ministerial leadership must be willing to let go of the leadership positions when the time comes and retire to give room to the others to take the top positions in church. A smooth transition from the current leadership to the future one portrays that the church leadership has attained a high level of maturity. Retiring from active service in the church leadership does not mean that the individual has stopped mentoring the leaders, rather, they continue to inspire them albeit indirectly.

Part II: Self-Leadership Growth Plan

Taking the leadership position means that one leads a large number of people and must, therefore, have a form of influence on them. Motivating the followers means that they must be willing to be agents of change and reach the collective goals set in the beginning. Hence, a self-leadership growth pattern is important for an individual as they map out the steps they will take to become leaders. The leadership growth plan is an outline of the success that one will have at the end of the program and the changes they intend to have in their workplace or lives. It takes dedication, commitment, and the ability to withstand the pressure, challenges, and expectations that come from the public from a leader. Many authors have written diverse books on leadership and some argue that leadership is an inborn character. Performance and results are expected from a leader and that justifies the reasons why some people bow out of the leadership positions once they feel that the pressure facing them is too much. On the other hand, some people are willing to withstand the external and internal pressure to reach their goals. Hence, for the purpose of the study, this is a self-leadership growth plan that I intend to follow. As a summary, I tend to get picked up when in a crowd by people to lead them which implies that others view me as a leader. Internally, I feel like I can lead due to the discipline, vision, and commitment I show towards my personal projects. However, at the stage I am in, I need to develop and improve the skills I have so that I can attain the level I wish.

I intend to concentrate on my leadership lessons in the school and read widely about the success stories of individuals who have ever become leaders. The library has a large variety of books written by different people who talk about the different styles of leadership. I need to understand my character by taking personality studies so that I can be aware of the best style that would fit me when I lead a large number of people. Reading at least two to three books per week about leadership will help improve my language skills as I learn how to become more eloquent. It means that the case studies presented in the books will provide a chance to understand how other leaders solved the problems they faced in their time, the line of thought they had and how I can change that in the modern day challenges. In addition, the books at the library and lessons learnt in class will help in accessing situations and arranging them in terms of priority and the available resources. It is worth mentioning that a leader unites people as opposed to the divide and rule idea that dictators have with an ill intention. In school, forming discussion groups with other students interested in pursuing the leadership skills and knowledge will help motivate me as I learn on how they execute their plans.

The golden rule on how to treat people will be my main foundation as I move towards being a leader in the future. It will help guide me on how I should view other people as that is the same treatment they will give me. What I give is what I get. Understanding that the people who are under me are individuals that require the right treatment will ensure that employees under me have the confidence to approach me when they have issues. Therefore, I will commit myself to attend seminars that help motivate people on how they can become good leaders in the workplace and in social gatherings. It is in a seminar that I intend to meet like-minded people as well as mentors that can guide me in the leadership position. Interacting with mentors provide an insight on following the right path and motivating me to remain emotional stable despite the challenges at hand. After school, I will take the active position that I have since held...