For the week of June 19, 2006

Leaders Lead … in the Spiritual Life
By: Tom Bandy
Many pastors lament the low spiritual discipline of adult members of the church. It is very common for less than 5% of the adults in any established church to be in any accountable spiritual growth; and although many church plants start with very high percentages, that often drops dramatically once a building is constructed and leaders get drawn into management. How to recapture the “passionate past”?

Start with your board and core leaders. Unless they seriously model, celebrate, and mentor accountable spiritual growth disciplines, the members will never do it. Accountable spiritual disciplines at minimum involve daily Bible reading, daily intercessory prayer for strangers, weekly participation in a cell group, regular conversations among the public about God, lifestyle involvement in a hands-on mission, and financial giving significantly higher than the average church member.

Learn more in “Talisman: Global Positioning for the Soul” by Tom Bandy.