Friday, April 1, 2011
When No One Seems Qualified to Lead: Article Review by Dan Baer
Jobe’s article on the lack of qualified leadership is meant to raise awareness within the church to the integral need for apprenticeship. His model consists of bringing a congregant alongside of his ministry to teach and mold in a practical and hands-on environment. The qualities Jobe needs to see in order to allow a congregant to become an apprentice are faithfulness, availability, Spirit-filled, and teachable.
While I agree with these four criteria for the raising up of leaders where there are none others, is this an exhaustive list? Jobe does mention calling as part of the process, but he does not see this as a characteristic necessary for training up leaders. Could it be that calling is actually secondary to those parts of one’s attitude toward ministry, as Jobe seems to advocate? Or is calling the foundation upon which each of these other four characteristics rest?
Jobe continues be advocating that the signs of successful apprenticeship are calling, character, and fruitfulness, again complicating the issue. It would seem then that calling in Jobe’s mind is something that is developed as one finds their niche in ministry. Is calling this secondary to what seems to be such an organizationally and efficiency minded notion of ministry? Or is calling much more foundational that Jobe seems to advocate?
In my opinion, Jobe has it backwards. Could availability, a teachable spirit, faithfulness, and the Spirit’s indwelling each be developed and nurtured in that person that is primarily called to a ministry, or do these really have to be evident first for apprenticeship to work?
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I agree with Jobe’s the assessment of what is needed to develop leaders in the church. One must be faithful so that their faithfulness can be cultivated to help them to become a better leader, one must be available in order to be trained. The Holy Sprit guides so in order to be a true Christian leader one must be Spirit-filled, and if one is to be trained one must be teachable. Calling is important in ones Christian walk, however; don’t all Christians have a calling, if that is the case calling is not is not important in developing leaders. It is important the one understands what a persons calling is, but it is not important in terms of general leadership training. Calling is foundational to the work that one dose in ministry, however; one must understand that when talking about developing a persons leadership skills, one my not be addressing developing their calling. Leadership is a skill. In developing a leader the focus could be broad or narrow depending on where you need the leader to lead. You might need them to lead that Christian Education Department, but their calling might be missions.
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