Rev Sandra Gibbons
Auckland Deaf Christian Fellowship
Auckland Deaf Christian Fellowship
Leadership Training Course
Tutor: Rev Sandra Gibbons B.Min,
PG.DipEd(Guidance Studies), Cert
Min, Cert Clinical Pastoral Education
Sometimes we feel that
we are not good enough
to lead other people.
Sometimes we feel
afraid of what it would
mean.
Sometimes we are not
sure if people will accept
us.
This is true of everyone –
leaders are people who
do it anyway!
Don’t be afraid to take
a leap of faith.
You have nothing to
lose but fear itself.
We don’t
have to be
perfect to be
leaders – just
willing to do
God’s work,
and willing to
work with
other people.
Early in the Bible, in the time
of Moses, we have a picture
of what a good leader
should be like. Moses lead
God’s people out of Egypt
taking them to the land God
had promised them.
But for many years they
stayed in the desert and
Moses was responsible for
leading them and making
every decision on his own.
When his father in law,
Jethro, came to visit Moses,
he was concerned Moses
was doing too much.
Jethro watched what Moses was
doing and told Moses that he
was not leading people in the
best way.
Jethro told him he was doing too
much and should have more
people helping him, so that he
did not have to do everything
himself. So Moses took Jethro’s
advice and found people to help
him.
You can look at this true story in
Exodus (the second book of the
Bible) chapter 18 verses 13 – 27.
The lesson Moses
learnt from his
father in law is a
lesson we need
to learn too. We
cannot do all the
work or make all
the decisions on
our own. That is
why we have
committees and
different groups.
Leading is about
team work,
sharing!
Here are some different ways of leading,
some are better than others:
Some leadership
styles:
Too bossy
Autocratic
(Bossy )
Leadership
style:
Tells people
to do what
they are
told.
What other styles
are there? Lets
look:
What
happens in
the ADCF
now
Not enough
leadership
Easy
Democratic
going/no
(sharing)
real
leadership
leadership
style:
style:
Allows
No actual
people to
leadership.
help make
People
the decisions, become
which are
confused
agreed by
about what
leaders.
to do.
This leadership style has one person who is
seen as more important and above other
people. It is a traditional model. (This can be a
‘bossy’ style)
Leading from the front to try to show the right
way: but be careful; you may lose your
followers when they lose energy and
enthusiasm! (Can be ‘bossy’)
This leader is trying to do everything them
self. You can see this is going to end in badly
Leading from within the group. Friendly, trying to
lead people through encouragement, but it can be
hard work. (Can seem to lack leadership)
Leadership as team work. Sharing the work
and making decisions together so that the
work is done by the group, not just one
person.
What is your style?
Creative
• Brings new
skills
• Excellent
behaviour
• Encouragement
• Ideas for
doing things
differently
• Caring
Servant
• Know & understands
themselves
• Puts other people
first
• Works in a team
• Helps other people
to learn
• Supports people
• Has energy to care
for other people
• Thinks about what
will happen to others
New
Approach
• Knows
themselves
• Able to look at
issues from
the outside
• Looks at the
big goals
• Different &
new ideas
• Does what
needs to be
done, not just
• ‘talk’
"A leader lives with
people to know
their problems.
A leader lives with
God in order to
[help] solve them."
--John C. Maxwell
When we lead, we
must remember that
we are doing this for
God, not for ourselves.
God has given us gifts
to do the work, and
we are called to serve
God’s people. We
must never think the
people are less
important than
we are.
Team Leadership
This picture seems almost
impossible to read. There is
a reason for that: it shows
us that sometimes what
needs to be done seems to
be almost impossible,
beyond what we can do or
understand. The same as it
was for Moses.
What does this picture say?
‘It always seems impossible
until it is done’. What does
this mean? It means that
when we look at something
that needs to be done, same
as Moses, the work seems
too much. What needs to
happen? Planning or making
goals, etc. making sure
everything is done, people are
given the right work and
nothing is forgotten. the work
can seem almost impossible.
But if we take one step at a
time, and work together, what
seems impossible is broken
down into small steps which
are possible.
Then amazingly, all the work
that looked impossible to start
with is done! Just like it was
for Moses.
Building a
Successful groups need to
have
When we share leadership with other people in a
team, we
• Share our different skills and abilities: together,
we are able to do more than one person can.
• We are able to bring different experiences and
understanding into the team.
• People have different ideas, skills and strengths
that help the team work more successfully.
BENEFITS OF TEAM LEADERSHIP:
• Planning and putting ideas and goals into practice
becomes shared, and often brings better ideas than
if only one person was doing it.
• We do not have to use up as much energy if we are
a team, we work together.
• Don’t have to worry about not having all the skills
and abilities to do the job. Other people will be
able to help, and have strengths we don’t have.
Team Leaders:
Help
people to
do their
best.
Help and
support
LEADERSHIP
TEAM
Planning
Do what is
right
All of us have things we can do well and things
we are not very good at. That is why working
in a team is best. The same was true for
Moses, and like Moses, we can share our skills.
No one can do it
all on their own!
But when we
share the load,
everything can
be done.
Working together
Working Together in
Leadership
Planning
And
goals
Getting
ideas
Communication: the
most important part!
OUR SKILLS
AND GIFTS
ARE
SHARED
Now that we know what team leadership is,
• How do we do it?
• Where do we start?
• Who is responsible for what?
Here is a diagram that may help. Start at the
bottom and work up.
The part with the widest area needs most work,
the top part needs less, but every part is
important!
THE WAY TO
DO TEAM
WORK
6. Keep checking to make
sure the team is working
to the goals and plans that
have been approved by
the group/church.
After everyone has
Don’t leave it up to
a chance to talk, the
5. Get
everyone else on the
team get together
involved
Leadership team
to make the final
choices,
The leaders
remembering what
are there for
has been said
the church, not
3. Have a meeting to understand and
listen to people’s suggestions about what the other way
around
has been decided.
2. The Team tell/Inform the group (church) & make
sure everyone understands the goals & plans and
helps to make decisions before the meeting
1. The Leadership Team gets together to decide
what needs to be done
If EVERYONE is
moving forward
together
Then
Success
Takes care of
ITSELF
Each of us has a
special gift to use in
the Body of Christ, the church.
When we work together,
we don’t have to be
afraid that we will get
worn down by the
pressure and burdens of
leadership.
Team leadership:
God calls each one of us to help care
for God’s family. In a group of team leaders
we do not have to do everything on our own!!
Working together brings
Teamwork: sharing knowledge,
experience and skills.
Ephesians 4 says:
God works by using
all of us, and lives in
all of us.
Christ has
generously divided
out his gifts to us.
Christ chose some of
us to be apostles,
prophets, missionaries,
pastors and teachers,
so that his people
would learn to serve
and his body would
grow strong. This will
continue until we are
united by our faith and
by our understanding
of the Son of God.
We don’t
have to be
perfect to be
leaders – just
willing to do
God’s work,
and to work
with other
people.
REVIEW
Questions to think about:
• Who helped Moses change his leadership
style into a team leadership group?
• How many different styles of leadership
have we talked about? Which one do you
prefer and why?
• What is team leadership?
• Name 3 things about team leadership that
you think are helpful.
• What does a team leader need to do?
• name 5 things the leadership group need to
try to make happen to improve the
leadership of the church.