Leader... Leadership... including Urban Leadership...

Note:  This is part of the "How Then Shall We Learn" series of Big Questions.  Also see "What Is Teamwork?"

"What should a 21st Century Urban Leader know... and be able to do?" 

[To weigh-in on this great question... see RED 'How to Participate' link at right.]

Your input will aid us in training individuals to be among the best equipped so that they can effect radical changes in the cities of the world for Christ.  If you want to make an impact beyond your community come join us as we shape tomorrows urban leaders today. 

Ok, now for some answers...   An Urban Christian Leader should...

• Biblical Worldview
• To lead, one must be able to interpret the signs of the times -- ie, be a visionary of opportunities (and risks) -- in order to know what to do next.
• To understand the (21st Century) times we live in, a leader must be well-connected, well-read and well-equipped.
• Ten Websites Every Pastor Should Know
• Models humility.
• Has convening power. 
• Willing to participate collaboratively for the sake of the mission at hand.
• Culturally sensitive to urban issues.
• Leader... toward being & doing 'right things'.
• Have a command of excellent 'information for change.
• Demonstratively productive... ie, fruitful.
• Innovative -- it's more than just applying technologies.  Here's LifeChurch.tv's senior pastor Craig Groeshel... on 'innovative leadership'.
• [Btw, we're compiling a list of potential Web Cam Interviews -- perhaps some 'innovative' cityreaching leaders?]
• Can implement plans into action.
• Able to replicate other replicating disciple-makers.  Uses Stair-step training style rather than Mountain-climber training.
• Articulate a clear biblically sound testimony.
• Write & speak clearly & persusively.
• Gather, evaluate and explain key information.
• Explain major biblical themes and doctrines in a diverse community.
• Identify his/her spiritual gifts.
• Maintain a regular discipline of prayer & devotions.
• Effectively teach and/or preach the Word among diverse audiences.
• Demonstrate a geneuine Christian love for church, family and others.
• Display a servant's attitude that is responsible, supportive and edifying.
• Show a passionate commitment for evangelization of all people-groups.
• Value cross-cultural relationships. 
• Knows the condition of his flock.  (Proverbs).  CityReaching Research?
• [Here's a great article by Pastor Joe Thorn, re elder/deacon training. Note comments too.]
• [From Todd Rhoades... Peter Drucker intimates that Managers are about 'doing things right', while leaders are 'doing right things'.]

This is Phil Miglioratti's two cents --

I respond to the question with three essential skills:

• Convening - bringing the right people together at the right time for the right purpose in the right place
• Facilitating - guiding and guarding united praying and strategic planning without controlling or acquiescing
• Coaching - balancing direction and support

A city reacher is the combination of a leader, guide and coach...

Neil:

Let me for the moment only zero-in on 'leading toward right things'.  That is, surely we'd agree that historically, well-recognized 'leaders' have led people astray.  Today even, given the relative ineffectiveness of the Church in the U.S., might we conclude in general that our current genre of 'leadership' has led us to the place we are today... with an overall 4% effectiveness rating?  So let's be careful to not readily just accept popular Christian thinking on 'great leadership models'... unless those models produced 'right things'... fruits of righteousness pervasively found in our cities.

Think of the II Chron 7:14 prescription.  Part of it is turning from our wicked ways (and by implication, instead do RIGHT THINGS).  It (almost) goes without saying that by definition a 'Leader' must know RIGHT Things and always lead us toward them.  Right things to 'be'... and right things to 'do'.  In the context of cityreaching, and especially as you use the term 'urban' leader, one of those right things he/she should know and lead us toward, is a biblical understanding of the Geo-Church.  If indeed we buy into the Geo-Church being the ONLY biblical divisioning of the Church, then won't it almost certainly mandate a new variation of the term LEADER? 

Case in point:  Often we assume that bigger is better.  The bigger the particular church, the more likely we'll assume the leader is a model leader.  What then are the leadership implications of reworking the geo-dimensioning of The Church?  That is, what if the most effective Church, per capita, is the small, local neighborhood Church?  What happens to our definition of a Model Urban Leader?

 After listing gifts great and small 1 Corinthians 12:31 tells "...and now I will show you the most excellent way" 1Corinthians 13: "Love"  Remember "God is LOVE" 1John 4:8

From Bishop Madison, Prophetic Utterance Ministry:

The answer to this question is not the location... there are many churches that are in the city, but they do not all work with the poor, nor do they want the lost in their house.  Real inner city ministry deals with the needs of the lost, reachs out to the people who most won't allow in the church... like the homeless, at risk youth and the like.

The problem today is... an urban location will not make you an urban ministry.  The sad part of urban work today is to reach the ones who need help too often.  The pastors who really do the work with the sick, the poor and the lost are not even talked to, because those who do urban ministry for real, do ministry in a diffrent way than the church did it in the 50s - 70s.  The urban pastor today will often have church on the street, feed the homeless on the street and do what most large churhes won't do -- take the gospel to the poor. 

There are some urban pastors like myself and others who wish we could get the word out about our ministries to people so we could get people to see real urban minstry to the lost and to the people who cannot come into most big churchs.  It is my hope that some of the great leaders in the city would talk to the pastors who pastor those who have lost hope and that some of the great leaders in Indy would come watch the real urban pastors work.  Urban pastors need prayer and help because they work long and hard for little or no money.  They deal with broken families, broken homes, and have great faith.  Yet they work with people who no one else wants to work with.  And when the saints get delivered, they leave that urban ministry and go to the big churchs that they could not go to when they needed deliverance.  

We wish people would respect the true urban pastor and the work they accomplish... one person at a time . We pray that the urban pastor could someday get the respect they need and the help they need to do the work they do even more to reach the lost with jesus.

From Cecelia Whitfield, Use What You've Got Ministry:

• "I don't know.  How would I know?" 
• "Probably the same basic qualities needed for an optimal rural leader."
• Be a servant first.  Learn to serve.  Learn to follow and 'row the boat' -- that's what Jesus disciples did at first.  Just rowed the boat.  Got the bread while Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well.  Picked up the baskets-ful of loaves & fishes after Jesus fed the 5,000.  Serve.  In due time, if you're faithful, He may give you some leadership responsibilities.... so you can in turn show others how to follow and just 'row the boat'.
• If I was given a class of 30 prospective leaders-in-training, I'd start by having 'em come out into the neighborhood for a solid week of long, hard days of picking up trash, cutting grass, pulling weeds and not saying a word unless spoken to.  We'd soon see who tomorrow's (real) leaders would still be on-task at the end of the week.   And btw, send the profs along with 'em.
• Humility is the greatest need among leaders in the Christian community today.  Currently our egos get in the way of being able to do very much together -- we too often want to know 'who started what'... and why THAT  person should get to call the dance, so to speak.  Thus we never can seem to get everyone together... even for prayer together about something as important as peace in our city.  If something is the right thing to do, jump in -- don't feel like you have to be the initiator or leader.
• Serve in functions that you're passionate about.  You can't be a leader without a passion for what you're doing.
• Have you been 'called'?
• Make it your personal goal to decrease.... like John the Baptist made it his goal to decrease, that the Messiah would increase.
• Be a Barnabus.  Disciple a Paul... who in turn discipled Timothy.  Don't be afraid your Paul will be even larger someday than you are.  Make that an objective.
• Don't forget who the enemy is.  And don't forget what his schemes are -- pride & divide.  And don't forget he's busy snatchin' seed every day, all day.
• Don't bother looking for the silver-bullet 'program' or 'method'.  Solid ministry comes via relationships, not programs.  Programs build up egos.  Relationships build up people.
• You've got to learn to be inclusive, when it comes to those you serve.  Jesus knew the difference between the wheats & tares, but He served among everyone. 
• Appreciate everyone on your team.
• Take folks to the Word.  If it's the Word that offends, too bad.  But insofar as possible, don't you be the offend-er.
• PRAY.  FAST.  SEEK the way of the cross -- ie, live the crucified life daily.
• Serve among the folks who need you the most.... the jailed, the poor, the disenfranchised.  It's the nature of God to do so. 
• "Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with our God."
• If you're an '8-track player' kind of guy, you still need to find a way to reach the 'iPod' generation.

[Allow me to insert a couple of YouTube video's from great leaders... which provide support for Olgen's comments above....   -Neil]

• Courageous – The fear of man leads to a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord is safe.  (proverbs)  I.e. He/she can’t be afraid of what people think.  He/she has to follow the Spirit’s leading even if (especially if) He asks the person to do something other people think is crazy.
• Open to new expressions of the “Church” – There is One body, One Lord, and One Church.  Our corporate American Model of  church is an expression but not the only expression of Christ’s body. Especially among the poor and oppressed we must be open to new expressions of the Body of Christ that are lived out in the context of unplanned geographic community.  By unplanned I mean that the poor don’t have the luxury of planning where they live based on various criteria.  Refer to Bob Lupton’s Community Chaplaincy concepts (FCS Ministries, Atlanta Georgia) and Revolution by George Barna

• A community developer – we must make and advocate for systemic changes that challenge the injustices in our society rather than only provide temporary relief.

• Have their eyes open and see with spiritual eyes the deep systemic injustices ingrained in our society – this comes through cross racial/socioeconomic relationships, living among the poor, and through reading, observing, studying

• Know, understand, and able to practice all the concepts of Christian Community Development – CCDA.orgA lover of people and a lover of God

• Impartial – does not treat a poor person differently than a rich person

• Have steadfastness and stick to it ness, i.e. endures and stands firm for decades – not just a few years.

• Knows how to take care of oneself and ones family so that one can survive for the long haul

• Has a good support system for same reason as above

Thanks for asking

Mary

Aaron Shelby takes notes from DeVos Initiative Seminar -- Bob Lupton, Facilitator

• DeVos Initiative wiki-page herein..

Paul Hoy, CityReacher, Floodgate Vision

[Rhett Smith, LA Youth Pastor & Blogger -- quoted in Christian Post...

"There's a flattening of hierarchy on MySpace or Facebook, Smith noted. In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Smith typically has to run ideas by higher authority such as elders. But on the Internet, there's no red tape.  "Our leadership style has to change," Smith stressed. "We can no longer be these people that lead on top ... I had to learn how to shift my leadership style where I'm a pastor who leads in the community."  "I can either stay on the sidelines while all my kids are on Facebook and MySpace; or I can enter in their midst and ... hopefully lead as a pastor within," he added."

Stray thoughts or links to consider?

• "Toward a New Model of Leadership Development" (Stephen Shields)
• David Gushee's article in Christianity Today re whites distributing leadership.
•  

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