Effective Church Councils

Part of a healthy, life-giving congregation is effective systems. Life-giving systems keep the congregation focused upon its God-given mission of making disciples. The Church Health Commission has developed the Effective Church Council training to do just that. In the six 90-minute interactive sessions, we will discuss ways to discover, develop and deploy leaders for the church’s leadership team.

The Stewardship of Leadership

The first session deals with the stewardship of leadership. It is God’s church that we lead. Specifically, we will discuss what it means to be a leader within the presbyterial form of government.

Character Traits and Operational Values for Council Members

The second session investigates the character traits and operation values of the leaders.  The biblical selection of leaders deals more with character issues than competency skills. We will investigate scriptural teachings about the person who is selected to lead, the roles of deacons and elders, and how the team works together as a unit to accomplish God’s mission.

Soul Care for Leaders

The third session addresses soul care within the leader. As leaders, we must position ourselves under the care of the Holy Spirit. This is how we remain effective stewards. In this session we will look at personal and corporate elements of soul care that address spiritual disciplines and group dynamics.

Effective and Healthy Decision Making

The fourth session moves us into practical applications of leadership. The topic is making healthy decisions. This is the crux of every leadership team. God-given discernment is critical in order to avoid ineffective methods. The effective team must follow a process to discern God’s will for His church.

Communicating with the Congregation

The fifth session helps the leaders effectively communicate the decisions to the congregation. The steps taken in Acts 15 will help guide us in ways to effectively inform the congregation of the impending changes. We will also discuss change theory and how transitions affect individuals and the congregation as a whole, so we can be transformed by the Holy Spirit into the body God desires.

Planning and Leading Effective Meetings

The sixth session covers the planning and leading of actual meetings. We will lay out an effective agenda and tips on leading the meeting, so God’s work can be accomplished.

The goal of effective leaders is to discover who Jesus has called them to be, to develop themselves and others as maturing followers and then to be deployed into His kingdom work. This training helps each of us serve God’s kingdom work.