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"We're seeing a Jon Stewartization of young people in our church," observes Noel Heikkinen, pastor of Riverview Church in Holt, MI. He explains, "Like Stewart, many young people are cynical about the future, skeptical about the integrity of those in authority, and have a fundamental lack of respect for anyone who holds an office or a position--and they feel completely free to say whatever is on their minds about all these things. I feel like I've got hundreds of Jon Stewarts in our community of faith." Noel is one of many pastors who are acutely observant about the pervasive impact of today's culture on the people in their churches.
Although those in their 20s are most powerfully affected because they've never known any cultural influence other than the postmodern
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world, everyone in the culture is being shaped. For that reason, a migration from traditional leadership development strategies is key to building leaders in every age group.
Initially, Lower the Bar
Candidates for leadership positions today are beginning the application and training process with fewer skills and a lower level of spiritual maturity than candidates only a decade ago. For this reason, some pastors are lowering the bar for people to enter the leadership development pipeline, and pastoral staff and lay leaders have to invest more time and energy to qualify people for leadership positions.
A Move Toward Mentoring
The conventional academic training model focused primarily on imparting content, but it often didn't sharpen skills or inspire people to take action. Les Hughes, pastor of Westwood Baptist Church near Birmingham, AL, remarks, "We hoped people would come to enough classes that sooner or later their lives would change. Years ago, this model was at least moderately successful, but it simply doesn't work in our culture today." To develop leaders, from the entry level to church planters, next generation pastors are moving toward a mentoring model where candidates receive one-on-one time with a proven leader.
Careful Selection
"Years ago," one pastor commented, "we issued a broad invitation to anyone who wanted to be a leader to come to our leadership development classes. There were two problems: many prospective leaders stayed away because we didn't personally invite them, and some of those who came had no business learning how to lead!" Careful selection and personal invitations yield stronger leaders and more fruitful relationships than a generic announcement.
A Heart for Relationships
Changing the model of leadership development in a postmodern culture requires insight and courage from senior pastors. Shifting the strategy and tailoring curriculum are essential, but even more, pastors have to be role models in mentoring young leaders. Next generation pastors realize that developing leaders in this culture isn't about standing back, teaching principles, and telling folks what to do. At the heart of their models is the invitation: "Come and be with me. Join me in serving God and touching people's lives." One pastor commented, "It's not just about 'taking the hill' anymore. It's about taking the hill with a team. We have to invest in relationships if people in our churches are going to become leaders."
This excerpt covers only 3 of 6 points in Developing Leaders in a Postmodern World: Current Principles and Practices in Selecting and Equipping Leaders by Pat Springle. To read the entire paper download it here:
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