The Equipping Leader

Many Pastors and church leaders understand their call from Ephesians 4:11-12 is to equip God's people. They buy into it, wholeheartedly. However, there's a clear difference between knowing the call and understanding how to live the call in practical ways. The following chart represents a visual model for the competencies necessary to embody Equipping Leadership.

The chart provides four key competencies for Equipping Leadership: Serving, Facilitating, Developing Teams, and Coaching. Each competencies is supported by three key behaviors. The competency of Serving is supported by personal posturing, supportive guidance, and intentional care. The competency of Facilitating is supported by group processing, meeting management, and conflict development. The competency of Coaching is supported by encouragement, accoutability structures and person development. The competency of Developing Teams is supported by Discovery, Collaboration, and Empowerment.

There are key practical steps associated with each behavior. When leaders understand these key competencies, supportive behaviors, and key practical steps, transitions in their leadership methodology will occur.

Words from Wheatley's "Finding Our Way"

Words from Margaret Wheatley in her book “Finding Our Way”…

“Freedom to create is essential for change…the price we pay for obedience is that we forfeit vitality and creativity.” “People ONLY support what they help to create.” “People must always participate in the development of those things which affect them.” “Enormous struggles…are created every time we deliver changes to the organization rather than figuring out how to involve people in their creation.” “The simple fact is that we can’t design anything that works without the involvement of al those it affects.”

“It’s impossible to impose anything on people. We must participate in anything that affects us. We can’t act on behalf of anyone, we can’t figure out what’s best for somebody else. If leaders refuse to believe this and go ahead and make plans for us, we don’t sit by passively and do what we’re told. We still get involved, from the sidelines, where we’ve been told to sit and wait. We get involved by ignoring, resisting, or sabotaging all plans and directives that are imposed on us.”

"When things seem out of control, a living system will “focus on smaller and smaller details, those things we CAN control. It becomes more difficult to work together and nearly impossible to focus on the bigger picture.” “People who are stressed lose the ability to recognize patterns, to see the bigger picture. And as people become overloaded and overwhelmed with their tasks, they have no time or interest to look beyond the demands of the moment. Therefore, it is essential that the organization sponsor processes that bring people together so that they can learn of one another’s perspectives and challenges.” THEREFORE, “A troubled ‘system’ needs to start talking to itself.”

“Leadership through command and control is doomed to fail.”


Margaret Wheatley, Ph.D. from Harvard, author of “Leadership and the New Science”, “A Simpler Way” and “Turning to One Another,” Organizational Consultant and founder of the Berkana Institute.

I'm Back!

It's been a while since I've taken time to publish a blog post. Life's been pretty amazing...trying to be a decent father and husband, attempting to lead and pastor a church full-time, and doing my best to complete my D. Min. Needless to say, it's been pretty crazy. No more crazy than anyone else, I'm sure, but nonetheless, at times overwhelming. However, I felt it was time to start sharing my thoughts again. Regardless of whether anyone reads them or not, it feels pretty nice to download them from my brain.