At Manna Church, we are committed to leadership development.  

We believe that everybody is a leader, that God has called everyone to some form of leadership. So, one of our passions is to develop leadership in every person who comes into contact with us.  

We believe that our effectiveness in fulfilling our calling as a church family depends a lot on developing a leadership culture which grows all kinds of leaders in wide varieties of spheres of influence. 

Question: Are Leaders Born or Made?

• The right answer, of course, is both.  

• You can develop your leadership; God is prompting you to do so; that’s why you’re in LeaderStep. Both those who believe they’re born leaders and those who think they’re not can grow their ability to lead by engaging in intentional, purposeful leadership development.  

• You are a leader! Your development is more about your capacities, your character and your faith being stretched and expanded than it is about acquiring knowledge and skills  (though, of course, the latter are important). LeaderStep helps lay a vital foundation for your development as a leader, especially within the context of Manna Church. 

Everyone has a unique calling. God determined it.

Ephesians 4:1-4 (ESV) 

I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call.  

Everyone has a set of gifts. God downloaded them.

1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) 

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace… 

You don’t determine your gifts. Your job is to discover, develop, and deploy them. We believe this process occurs best within the context of involvement in small groups. 

Everyone has a set of talents and abilities—things you are naturally good at.

God decided on those. For those to develop, you have to get moving. So, look for opportunities to put your talents and abilities to Kingdom-use. You can’t steer a parked car! 

Everyone has a certain character cap.

A “character cap” involves how far your callings, gifts, talents, and abilities  can take you given the character you have. Your character can limit your effectiveness as a leader. The good news is that God creates opportunities for you to change your cap, to expand and grow your character. And these opportunities always involve people. Sometimes, people are hard to work for. Sometimes, they are hard to work with. People are often difficult to lead. And, hurt-people hurt people…. It is in our interactions with people we discover our character caps. Our interactions with people also present opportunities for our character and leadership to grow. 

Jesus died for people; that makes people the most valuable things on the planet. 

People can change if they come into contact with the God Who made them. Someone must lead them there. 

Leading people is the most rewarding thing in the world because... 

… these people belong to God. He has a plan for each one of their lives. 

… He has a special reward for those who lead them on His behalf.

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 

Insights from this text

• “among” = those people with whom you are presently associated (this may be challenging because they know you best). 

• “shepherd” = not be a domineering boss but a caretaker, a shepherd of the people. 

• "oversight” = servanthood. Servanthood makes you great! 

• “willingly” = not for gain. We don’t do to “get.” We do to “give.” Getting comes later in a variety of forms—promotion (greater responsibility) or reward (here or in heaven).

1. Any leadership opportunity, not just your “ideal” one (Struggle is good!). 

2. Places that are over your head (“If you’re ready, you’re late.”). 

3. Circumstances where there is potential conflict (Conflicts create opportunities for growth). 

4. Situations where you are uncomfortable, where you don’t know how to go forward (Neediness creates opportunities to learn new things or develop a deeper faith in God). 

5. Places where you face the possibility of failure (Failure is not fatal, so take some risks!). 

6. Situations where you feel a deep need for and dependence on God. God wants you in a place where you need Him, where you live a life dependent on Him.

• See and Shape the Future. See where you can go, then take steps into that future. 

• Engage and Develop Others. Believe in others more than they believe in themselves. 

• Reinvent Continually. Always look to improve, upgrade, do things better. 

• Value Relationships and Results. People and Performance! 

• Embody the Values. Walk Your Talk! 

We want you on our SERVE Team. Our SERVE Team provides exciting and challenging opportunities within which you can deploy your gifts, talents and abilities, as well as serve alongside other great people. These contexts provide excellent opportunities to develop your character and your leadership as well.