Equipping Leadership and Communication

What is equipping leadership? As equipping leaders, we find ourselves in a peculiar state as we attempt to bridge the gap between the curiosity and the reality of other leaders within our churches. Many people approach the equipping message with curiosity, hoping that something they see or hear will assist in their ever-growing desire to be more effective in ministry. Others have a clear picture of their current reality as they discover that equipping leadership is difficult and requires a great deal of behavioral change.

As Equipping leaders, it is critical that we take an honest look at how we currently lead others. This is not the time to create a false sense of self, but to assess our current reality, determining how things are going. As we take a very long and honest look at ourselves, we find ourselves standing in this gap pointing others toward the vision of Ephesians 4. We play this challenging role as characters in an ever-unfolding story, helping to make clear the picture of where we are going and how we are going to get there.

One of the things that I (CH) have learned as I have played this role in the last 7 years is the absolute necessity of sharing truth by painting clear the picture of what we are trying to achieve. This is best done through the sharing of stories…personal ones describing pain, successes, struggles, achievements, or challenges. As equipping leaders, we have the opportunity to point people toward truth by sharing our story and the story of others.

We must communicate this story effectively by sharing truth, using vivid, clarifying language and practical examples of failure and success. When we tell stories, we are helping to show leaders authentic and relevant ways to successfully bridge the gap between their curiosity and their reality. This storytelling provides a non-threatening and emotionally connected pathway that individuals can clearly see and optimistically approach. As we cast vision by telling stories, we become narrators in the unfolding of our shared spirit-called journey.

Jesus communicated His message largely through stories. Indeed, the Gospel takes on power and relevance in the lives of people as we explore the intersections of God’s story with our stories. The use of metaphor to describe our experience of the Gospel and of the living Christ can be quite powerful. Jesus knew the power of metaphor and used it well—the Kingdom of God is
like . . . The Apostle Paul offers an evocative metaphor for the Equipping Leader in his second letter to the Corinthians.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart . . . But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
2 Corinthians 4:1, 7-12

Overcoming the traditional leadership approach that most church leaders embody is a challenging task – even when the knowledge of your current reality and preferred future state is clear, this transition is quite difficult. As Equipping Leaders, we have been called to clearly articulate the needed change and assist individuals in navigating this challenging pathway toward equipping leadership.

In an effort to do this, we are consistently called upon to communicate this message and vision in an easily understandable and effective way. Because most leaders find understanding and practically applying this message difficult, we must communicate in a way that removes all obstacles, so that are message is received and applied.

Dr. Albert Merabian conducted a study years ago to determine the impact that certain components had on how our message is received. His findings suggested that 55% of how our message is received is determined by the visual components of our presentation (what we are doing when we speak the message), while 37% of our message is determined by the vocal components of our presentation (how we say our words) and finally, only 8% of how our message is received is determined by the verbal components of our message (the actually words that we speak).

This study suggests a couple of key learnings for the equipping leader…

One, it is vitally important that we remove all distractions from our communication so that our message will be received by those who need to hear it. As a result, the words that we speak can be clearly heard, understood and received.

Two, if this is to occur, then we must spend considerable time practicing our communication techniques which will assist in the “hearing” of our message. How many of us spend considerable time preparing the words that we will say, but never spend time practicing what we are going to be doing when we speak these words, or even how we are going to say them?

At first glance, this may appear rather rehearsed, not relying on the power of God to work in our lives, but it is in fact, the opportunity to more effectively hone the skills that God has given to us as leaders. As equipping leaders, we must become effective communicators so that God’s message, the one He has called each of us to deliver, will be heard and received.