Indigenous Leader Development

indigenous hands of the At the same time,

leaders, since indigenous leaders this approach
they are the from the very affirms that outside
1. THE ones, beginning. leader
“BUILD THE ultimately, development
DESIGNER” who will And because it’s ministries do have
APPROACH design the theirs, they will use an important role in
work, do the it and make it work. serving the
work, and indigenous leaders
We will come and
provide for its by working with
explore with you The author had a
support. them as they
the basic, biblical significant “Aha!”
4. It requires a interpret and
principles of how moment many
clear and implement biblical
leaders are built, years ago. For
accurate principles. This is a
and, on the basis several days, he
biblical model true partnership of
of those was with a group of
of how equals with neither
principles, we will top leaders from a
leaders are domination nor
then work with large church
built, rather dependency.
you as you network in Asia. On
than merely a
develop the the last day,
set While any of these three
strategies, hundreds of copies
curriculum approaches, or
methods and of the first book
along with combinations thereof,
tools that you will written by one of
preformed might be appropriate in
use as you build these leaders
implementati certain situations, an
your own arrived, fresh from
on strategies. emphasis on the “Build
leaders. the printers. The
5. It requires a the Designer” approach
deep and author watched as
many of the may provide our best
Clearly, this flexible
leaders excitedly chance of achieving truly
method is willingness to
tore open the indigenized and
considerably more explore and
packages and contextualized leader
difficult than the to learn on
grabbed many development in the long-
first two. However, the parts of
copies of the book term. Exactly how this
if successful, it will both the
to take home. With can be done will
yield a leader leader
animated joy, they addressed in the next
development development
threw the packages section.
process that is truly ministry and
indigenized and the local back and forth to
contextualized, and leaders. one another. BUILDING
is entirely owned, Clearly, this first DESIGNERS OF
designed, operated book was very
This approach important to them. INDIGENOUS
and funded by the
presupposes that As he watched this, LEADER
national leaders –
outsiders (with it occurred to the D EVELOPMENT
one that is capable
their inevitably author that there
of being sustained
limited awareness existed probably
and multiplied; one The following are the six
of the local culture, dozens of books by
that is entirely specific things that the
history and foreign authors
capable of being leader development
context) are simply that, technically,
changed whenever ministries can do as they
not the best ones were “better
necessary. seek to build designers
either to do or to quality” than this
design the leader among indigenous
one. But… this
This approach has development work leaders:
book was theirs!
the following – perhaps a more They owned it, they
characteristics: realistic 1. They should
would use it, and it
hypothesis! would work. prayerfully,
1. It is relationally and
considerably Significantly, this strategically
When the leader
harder to do. approach requires pursue
development
2. It takes a no “phasing out” or engagement with
program is
longer time “passing of the Christian leaders
designed and
to do. baton” since the who can
implemented by
3. It requires a batons of both potentially
the local leaders, it
deep and design and catalyze and
will work much
genuine implementation are champion
better than any
commitment entirely in the healthy leader
imported system.
from the development
 movements. this help from through time this involves
Appropriate inside their own spent together working with
leaders to work groups; so, this during meals or them
with will can be an while visiting for conceptually to
demonstrate the appropriate and several hours or enable them to
following: beneficial role for days. It will take internalize the
an outsider to time for fundamental
 Vision for play. Second, as relationships to biblical principles
healthy the leader be built and trust of leader
leader development to be established. development.
developme ministries work Moreover, the
nt. personally with exact manner in Universal biblical
them, it provides which principles, rather
 Strong
an example for relationships are than established
connection
them to follow as nurtured may curricula, are the
s to other
they personally vary considerably foundation of
leaders,
build their own culture to culture. indigenous leader
willing and
leaders. Thus, the development. For
able to
leader When the leader example, one
work
development development core biblical
together
ministries must ministries are principle is,
with them
be committed to sincerely “Leaders build
for the sake
genuine, caring committed to the leaders.” Two
of the
relationships with indigenous practical
Kingdom.
the indigenous leaders, and not implications of
 Learning
leaders and help merely trying to this principle are:
and
them build their use them to fulfill
innovation,
own lives. These their own
flexibility  Leaders
personal agendas and
and must
relationships then expand their own
willingness take
become the influence, they
to change. personal
foundation for will find that one
 Readiness healthy leader responsib
to engage. relationship ility for
development quickly and
partnerships. building
naturally leads to new
2. They should another, as the
build them in leaders,
Such indigenous and not
their own relationships leaders introduce
spiritual lives, only
cannot be forced. them to other fulfilling
biblical Neither can they leaders in a
understanding, their
follow preset pattern of ministry
marriages, patterns, plans or relational-
families and responsib
timetables. Trust networking that ilities.
ministries. There and respect must is deep, open,
are two reasons Jesus
be earned and effective and personall
for this. First, one this comes lasting.
of the greatest y built His
through a sincere emerging
current needs of commitment to
many Christian 3. They should leaders,
listening and explore with while He
leaders – learning. The
including those them the core conducte
leader biblical principles d His
with the most development
leadership of leader ministry;
ministries must development. He did
responsibility, first get to know
and especially in This is quite not
the indigenous different from delegate
areas of fast leaders, hear
church growth – imposing a that
what they have particular responsib
is for their own to say, and learn
personal nurture, curriculum or ility to
their vision, the preplanned some
encouragement current situation
and leader “expert”
in their churches, development institutio
strengthening. It and their genuine
can be “package” on the n.
needs and indigenous
challenging for  It takes
struggles. This leaders. Instead,
them to receive personal
can be done
 interactio ministries should accurately about development
n with “bring seeds, not doctrine, but also ministries will
mature potted plants.” that they express discuss what the
leaders right doctrine in a indigenous
to build During this manner leaders are doing
emerging building process, appropriate to in their leader
ones, and the leader their own culture development,
not only development and context, their specific
academic ministries must creating their designs, the
work in nurture the own underlying problems they
classroo indigenous assumptions face, and
ms. Jesus leaders’ abilities about the most possible solutions
took His to think and suitable forms of and strategies.
emerging design. This theological
leaders could be done teaching and not This includes
“with through specific merely building encouraging
Him.” His training that is upon the them, giving
disciples’ designed for this outsiders’ them
personal purpose, as well assumptions. “permission” to
interactio as through the take risks and try
ns with personal This exploration new things,
Him in examples of the must, of connecting them
life and teachers and necessity, be with others from
ministry mentors who highly flexible, so whom they can
profoundl model the it can learn, and
y thinking- accommodate debriefing with
transform designing not only cultural them their
ed their process. The differences, but failures as well as
lives and leader also maturity their successes.
made development levels and even
them ministries can philosophical
strong 5. They should
also give the differences found resource them
leaders. leaders among the with leader
challenging indigenous development
While biblical assignments to church leaders. tools, printed
principles will stretch them and materials,
work in any cultivate their It is also examples and
culture or abilities to think beneficial to case studies of
context, the about how create “design effective leader
specific leaders are teams” – both development in a
application of the formed and to within and across variety of
principles (the design their own church networks contexts, and
appropriate leader – consisting of other pertinent
curriculum, etc.) development indigenous resources.
will vary processes. This leaders and
considerably. should be all teachers who
Consequently, done in a face-to- This is a different
work together to kind of resourcing
the leader face context of design their own
development much than simply
leader supplying the
ministries should encouragement development.
not impose the and prayer. curriculum to
form of use. The
application but, 4. They should indigenous
In working with coach them on leaders are the
instead, explore the leaders on
with the leaders an ongoing basis ones who always
biblical and as they form and must be in
what those forms theological
might be. The implement their control of their
issues, the goal own designs in own leader
leaders of the leader
themselves must their own development. If
development environments. they own it, they
design their own ministry must not
leader This will happen will implement it,
only be that the in individual use it and
development indigenous
forms. In short, meetings with support it – they
leaders think the leaders, in will take
the leader biblically and
development which the leader responsibility for
 it. Many leader movements and indigenized leader self-propagating
development even nations can development means that and self-
ministries have be established. the indigenous leaders designing in their
been genuinely are the ones responsible leader
puzzled when This kind of to define, design and do development
indigenous networking is not their own leader work.
leaders initially intimidating to development. These are
embrace their the indigenous the three key elements. Clearly, to do all the
materials and leaders since no above will take
approaches with one is trying to Throughout all this work, considerably more time
apparent get them to “join” the leader development and involve more
excitement but something or to ministries must: complex challenges than
never follow embrace a an outside leader
through with a specific doctrine development ministry
systematic and  Aspire to an
or specific form attitude of true showing the indigenous
enduring of leader leaders “how to do it,” or
implementation. servanthood,
development – all refusing to ever simply doing it for them.
It was because the leaders are This, however, is a true
they never truly use the
responsible for indigenous partnership of equals
owned it. their own leader with neither domination
leaders in any
development way. nor dependency, and it is
The leader work. Thus, deep an appropriate answer to
 Strive to come as
development friendships and the current need of the
learners, not as
ministries cannot even working church in much of the
experts.
simply supply the relationships can world.
 Dialogue with the
indigenous be forged across
leaders, asking
leaders with the the Body of F U RT H E R
questions,
package that will Christ. I N F O R M AT I O N
learning from
do the job for
them, studying
them; instead, Through the above six- their culture, For our complete models,
they must build part process, they can history, please see: Healthy
their internal encourage them to struggles. Leaders: SpiritBuilt
capacity to define their own
design.  Bring resources Leadership #2 and SGA
LeaderSource
foundational models of rather than Building Leaders:
Christian leadership and agendas, Flat No. 602, C5 Brahma Avenue,
SpiritBuilt Leadership #4
6. They can help leader development, principles rather by MalcolmKhondwa,
Webber.Pune 411048
them network appropriate to their own than forms. Email: jebaraj@sgai.org
with leaders from culture and context.  Embrace Website: www.leadersource.org
other groups and flexibility, since
church planting In some cases, the healthy leader
movements, with indigenous leaders have development will
whom they been so convinced by the look very
interact outside “experts” that different place to
regarding leader they will never be place. Moreover,
development. capable of such a thing; it will change
so, this may require a lot over time.
This can be done of encouragement.  Honor the local
within their own leaders, never
nation or culture, This is the ultimate doing anything
or it could involve expression of that would
leaders from indigenization and undermine them
other nations or contextualization – when or their authority.
cultures. A the indigenous leaders  Affirm the local
vigorous sharing define their own leaders’ right to
of models, ideas, foundational models of all decision-
applications, leader development. making regarding
successes and their own leader
failures is greatly development
beneficial to all “Designing” and “doing”
work.
participants in are not enough, if
 Help the leaders,
such networking. outsiders are the ones
from the
In addition, new who defined what leader
beginning, to be
“design teams” development means in
self-governing,
spanning multiple the first place. Fully
self-supporting,