The Leadership Church profile is based on the Leadership emphasis within the Encourager LIFE framework. Leadership Churches often demonstrate a strong commitment to vision, leadership multiplication, and helping people discover and fulfill their Kingdom calling.
As a Leadership Church, you are often energized by possibility, direction, and growth. You value clarity of mission and seek to create environments where people can develop, serve, and lead effectively.
Leadership Churches frequently become catalysts for new ministries, church planting efforts, leadership development initiatives, and innovative approaches to advancing the Kingdom of God.
How LIFE Shapes This Expression
Encourager LIFE is built around four dimensions of church flourishing: Leadership, Influence, Formation, and Engagement. The Leadership Church expression emphasizes vision, leadership development, and helping people grow into their God-given roles and responsibilities.
Common Strengths
- Provides clear vision and direction
- Develops and equips emerging leaders
- Creates effective ministry structures
- Encourages innovation and growth
- Helps people discover and use their gifts
- Builds systems that support ministry effectiveness
- Mobilizes volunteers and ministry teams
- Creates momentum around mission and purpose
Potential Growth Areas
- May become more focused on strategy than relationships
- Can move faster than people are prepared to follow
- May emphasize activity more than formation
- Can become dependent on a few key leaders
- May struggle to slow down and celebrate progress
- Can unintentionally overlook quieter contributors
- Needs to balance vision with pastoral care
Leadership Themes Often Associated with This Profile
Recommended Next Steps
Practices and opportunities that often help Leadership Churches flourish include:
Biblical Examples
Nehemiah
Scripture: Nehemiah 2:17–18; Nehemiah 4:6
Nehemiah cast vision, organized people, overcame obstacles, and inspired a community to work together toward a God-given purpose.
Moses
Scripture: Exodus 18:17–23; Deuteronomy 34:9
Moses learned the importance of leadership development by empowering others to share responsibility and lead alongside him.
The Apostle Paul
Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:2; Acts 20:28
Paul invested deeply in developing leaders, planting churches, and preparing future generations of ministry leaders.
LIFE in Church Ministry
The Leadership Church profile does not suggest that leadership is more important than the other LIFE dimensions. Rather, it reflects the primary way this church often contributes to the Kingdom.
Healthy Leadership Churches recognize that vision must always serve discipleship, leadership must remain rooted in humility, and growth must be guided by faithfulness to Christ.
Leadership and Equipping
Key Verse: Ephesians 4:11–12
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
The calling of a Leadership Church is not simply to accomplish ministry, but to equip others for ministry.
As Leadership Churches mature, vision becomes service, leadership becomes multiplication, and influence becomes a means of helping others fulfill God’s purposes.