Team Leadership in Christian Ministry

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Team leadership is the exercise of one's spiritual gifts under the call of God to serve a certain group of people in achieving the goals God has given them toward the end of glorifying Christ. How is your church or organization governed? Does it have an authoritarian, top-down administration? Is the ministry vision developed by a few top officials, with little input from staff or volunteers?

Today the definition of an effective leader has changed. No longer does the model leader manage like the Lone Ranger--either do it his way or no way. Today the model leader shares responsibility with fellow team leaders and seeks to serve them. In this complete revision of his earlier work, Building Leaders for Church Education, Dr. Gangel carefully lays a biblical foundation for the team leadership model. This leadership is not dogmatic control or personality worship. It has no room for political power plays. Instead, it is Paul gently nurturing young Christians in his epistles. It is Barnabas willingly thrusting others into situations where they develop their own gifts. It is Christ, choosing not one, but twelve men to carry on His ministry. It is servant leadership.

With examples, illustrations, and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter, Dr. Gangel prods and encourages the reader to move beyond the safety net of autocratic leadership into the rewarding, effective practice of leading with and through others.

KENNETH O. GANGEL (B.A., Taylor University; M.A., Fuller Summer Seminary; M.Div., Grace Theological Seminary; S.T.M., Concordia Seminary; Ph.D., University of Missouri) is a Scholar-in-Residence at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia and the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the author of a number of books including Team Leadership in Ministry and The Christian Educator's Handbook series. He now resides in Tarpon Springs, Florida.