Dear Friends,
This time of the year it’s (always) snowing in Maine, and the physical world is covered in a thick blanket of white as far as you can see. This reminds me of a passage in Psalm 51,
“…Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (v. 7).
We all need an ongoing cleansing of our hearts, by the Spirit, to keep healthy as we do what Jesus has invited us to do with Him in a hurting world.
Leadership Multiplication For Challenging Times
We are in a season as a Movement where leadership multiplication is on everyones’ minds. When we talk about leadership multiplication in a Movement as committed as the Vineyard to bring healing to towns, cities, and communities across the national landscape, we’re not only talking about creating new leaders that serve our church gatherings on Sunday mornings.
We’re talking about multiplying Christlike leaders for a world in need.
We’re in a challenging time as a country. People have been impacted, either directly or indirectly, by many events in the past few months.
The horrific high school shootings last week in Parkland, Florida and in other communities since the turn of the year, the devastating hurricanes that powered through people’s homes and neighborhoods across the US, the continuing plight of the poor, and people in society divided from one another by political or social views – all of these difficulties highlight the need for godly leadership to come from all corners of the Body of Christ.
In other words, our churches and our communities need Kingdom leaders at times like these – leaders discipled and learning to think and act like Jesus, working both in the church and in the local community.
Discipling Change Agents For Anywhere & Everywhere
We need mature, discipled change agents, compelled by Christ’s love (2 Cor. 5:14-15), serving people in all walks of life in our time.
Leadership multiplication, for the Vineyard, means that we are discipling men, women, and children, from all backgrounds and of all ages, to be Christlike change agents anywhere God places them.
There are no quick fixes for developing leaders. Multiplying Kingdom leaders is a long, slow Kingdom process of discipling Christians to maturity. And though the Holy Spirit is always involved awakening followers of Jesus to new life, God rarely develops a leader automatically, overnight.
Know that we are praying for God to give you eyes to see those He is inviting you to support in their growth into Christlikeness – and into leadership.
For the sake of the world, the Lord began His Church. Let’s rise to training the Christians in our communities to love as Jesus loved, ministering from the overflow of their intimacy with Christ.
For the Greater Glory of God, and the well-being of people,
Phil
Phil Strout
National Director
Vineyard USA
