H02. Levels of Leadership – B
List of the Online Lessons: A B C D E F G H
H02. Levels of Leadership – B
In the previous lesson we looked at the levels of leadership for a movement. The first guide we labeled L1 – „Diligent Sower“, who brings people to Jesus and serves them as new disciples. The „Level Two Leader“ is „Small Informal Church Planter.“ He/she forms new communities with new believers – families of God, as we call them. The „Level Three Leader“ is the „Multiplier of these church planters.“ He/she does the same things that L1 and L2 do, plus trains other leaders and helps them to form new families of God with their new people, too. And we also mentioned L4, which is „movement trainer.“ He focuses on training and supporting L3’s – those who help others to start new fellowships.
Movement practitioners and observers around the world speak of another level of leadership: the L5 – Strategic Coordinator. He functions similarly to L4, that is, it trains leaders at all the previous levels, and what is new is that the L5 leader is interested in the empty places where there is nothing yet, or in segments of the population where people have not yet heard the gospel, or where it is weak.
Certainly the apostle Paul was an L5: „I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already known by name.“ (Romans 15:20)
The goal of the L5 leader is to see multiple streams of new churches being established so that a certain territory is filled with the Gospel! Paul sums up the result of this effort, „From Jerusalem and all around as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ. (Romans 15:19) Now there is no place for me in these lands… when I go to Spain. I hope you will help me on my way there. (Romans 15:23-24)
Interestingly, the leader of the L5 is basically nowhere to be seen! He serves through others, whom he trains and supports. The others are seen, but not much of himself. To the Thessalonians Paul says, „YOU have become an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For FROM YOU the Word of the Lord sounded forth, YOUR faith spread everywhere, so that we need not even mention it.“ (1 Thessalonians 1:7-8) Paul clearly has no need to be visible and glorified there! And to the Colossians he writes: „I want you to know what a struggle I have in your behalf and for those who have not even seen me in person.“ (Colossians 2:1)
Please take another look at this outline.
L1’s are very important leaders! They lead people to Jesus. – They spread the Good News. No movement can do without it!
L2’s also sow. Plus they bring new disciples into new functional communities – small churches.
Even L3’s are sowing and starting new families of God, and by their experience they help others to sow and start new families of God, too!
L1’s are bringing individual new disciples into the Kingdom of God. L2’s in addition, create individual new communities. This is extremely important! With L3’s, there is a breakthrough from the adding individuals and individual families of God to multiplication. L3 helps others, so that they will reach many and start new small churches.
To the left of the dotted line, it is a very important ministry on personal level where the leader personally brings in individuals and starts new churches. To the right of the dotted line, it is about growth through co-workers, who have been taught by dear L3 and whom he continues to encourage to teach others. This is the break from addition to multiplication.
If you belong to Jesus and live in healthy relationship with Him, then it is very likely that you are able/capable of planting a church of this small type with brand new people around you who have recently believed or who are yet to receive Him in the near future through Your ministry. It takes a lot of prayer, perhaps with fasting, and for us to engage in abundant personal sowing and use of other tools. If we are already doing this and want to reach more people for the Lord, perhaps we can increase our efforts and give more time to the harvest and to new disciples, but there are limits – namely that we don’t burn out…! What can we do differently so that development can continue?
For the sake of keeping five minutes, I need one more lesson for this topic…
Lord Jesus, thank You that the tasks we have from You are doable for us. First, because You give us Your gifts and abilities, and also because Your power that is with us can handle absolutely everything needed…