3 Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves about Equipping the Church for Ministry

1. How am I growing personally when it comes to my relationships?

I guess I should take my turn on that one!

I want to grow in being more active rather than passive—in pursuing people. There are times when we gather together that I would just like to sit back and relax and hear and learn and be fed. But I need to recognize that I am part of a highly interdependent, interconnected body, and I want to know somebody well enough to pray for them. That’s one of the things I want to grow in.

So the first thing for leaders is to ask themselves, “How am I growing personally in these matters?”

2. How are the leaders of my church growing together?

In the context of various leadership groups (e.g., elder board, deacon board), how are we growing together?

How are we knowing each other well enough to be able to pray for each other? If its not happening among those relationships, it’s not going to be dispersed throughout the context of the church.

Caring for One Another

Edward T. Welch

Edward T. Welch guides small groups through 8 lessons aimed at helping ordinary Christians create a community where people bear one another’s burdens and care for each other in times of trouble.

3. What is my strategy for church-wide discipleship?

This is perhaps the hardest question to answer. How can we have a careful, thought-out discipleship strategy for the entire church over the next couple years?

What are the key skills that seem to arise right out of Scripture that are essential for our caring for one another?

These are just some of the things that leaders should grapple with.

Edward T. Welch (PhD, University of Utah) is a counselor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation. He has been counseling for more than 35 years and has written extensively on the topics of depression, fear, and addictions. His books include When People Are Big and God Is Small, Crossroads: A Step-by-Step Guide Away From Addiction, Running Scared: Fear, Worry and the God of Rest, Shame Interrupted, and Side by Side. He blogs regularly at CCEF.org.