What is an Effective Christian leadership? E-Book

Van Lal Thuam Lian

• Herausgeber: GRIN Verlag
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Theology - Practical Theology, grade: Merit, , course: MA, language: English, abstract: This essay is an attempt to suggest an effective Christian leadership by basing on a case study of Christian leadership in Myanmar. The essay has three parts. The first part tries to find a good definition of leadership, Christian leadership, and being effective. After discussing different definitions made by some prominent writers and leaders, I articulate my own definition of an effective Christian leadership. The second part highlights the leadership situation in my own context. In other words, the second part discusses a key issue of Christian leadership in Myanmar, where both political and Christian leaders tend to practice authoritarian leadership, and my critique on it. The final part is seeking an effective leadership for the Christian churches in the light of the key issue of Christian leadership in Myanmar. Here, I suggest an incarnational leadership, which calls the leaders to engage in suffering dying to their comfort zones, as a suitable leadership that will meet the need of the people today.

Leseprobe

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Content

Introduction

I. Definitions

I.1. Leadership

I.2. Christian Leadership

II. A Key Issue on Christian Leadership in My Context

III. Towards an Incarnational Leadership

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

In the foreword of his book, "Basic Leader Skills," Rusbuldt says, "Your church will not (and cannot) go further than your leaders take it. In other words, your church's leaders hold the key to the future of your church. The future of your church depends on your church's leader, clergy and lay."[1] I think this can be rightly applied to how much the role of the leaders not only in the growth of the church but also in any organisation or community is important.

This essay is an attempt to suggest an effective Christian leadership by basing on a case study of Christian leadership in Myanmar. The essay has three parts. The first part tries to find a good definition of leadership, Christian leadership, and being effective. After discussing different definitions made by some prominent writers and leaders, I articulate my own definition of an effective Christian leadership.

The second part highlights the leadership situation in my own context. In other words, the second part discusses a key issue of Christian leadership in Myanmar, where both political and Christian leaders tend to practice authoritarian leadership, and my critique on it.

The final part is seeking an effective leadership for the Christian churches in the light of the key issue of Christian leadership in Myanmar. Here, I suggest an incarnational leadership, which calls the leaders to engage in suffering dying to their comfort zones, as a suitable leadership that will meet the need of the people today.

I. Definitions

I.1. Leadership

Donald Dorr states that the term ‘leadership’ can be understood in two ways, suggesting that it can refer to the person(s) who is in charge of or in command of a country, a community, an organisation or any other group and also to the activity or ability of this person(s). [2] In this paper leadership is taken in the latter sense that presents it not as the person who is a leader but as the activity or ability of the person.

Obviously there are a lot of different definitions of leadership. Plueddemann, Professor of Missions from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Michigan, is surely right when he says that those definitions are “reflecting philosophical, theological and cultural values. People from a goal-oriented culture might define leadership as accomplishing the task through other people. People from a relationship-oriented society would prefer to define leadership as the ability to build alliances and fellowships. Societies from a low tolerance for ambiguity insist a precise definition, while those with a high tolerance for ambiguity would likely not bother with any definition.”[3] Therefore, I think it will be helpful to look at some definitions made by prominent writers and leaders on leadership in order to understand the concept better.