Love as a Way of Life



Study Series: The Case for AntiochBy: Jeff IorgLesson Title: “Leaders and Followers” (pp. 70-80)October 8, 2017Session 06The main point of this lesson is: Transformational churches follow strong leaders.Focus on this goal: To help adults exercise and follow godly leadership.Key Bible Passages: Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3; 15:1-3,22-41To the LeaderThe nature of this session could make it easy for some group members to try to get on a proverbial soap box regarding one or more present or past leaders in the church. Be prepared, should that happen, to quickly refocus the group on principles of leadership and followship rather than specific personalities toward whom some might hold a grudge.Before the SessionPrepare a copy of the following checklist for each learner. “Which of the following do you observe in your church? ___?Strong leaders ___?Plurality of diverse leaders ___?Men in leadership roles.” (Step?3)Obtain a list of the teams and committees for your church including the names of members of each. (Steps 6 and 7)During the SessionStep 1. Lead-in Lead learners in a game of Simon Says. After two or three commands, ask if anyone else would like a turn to lead. After the game, ask: What happens when someone is prepared to lead but no one wants to follow? What happens if there are only followers, but not a leader? State, the author stresses that there is a relationship between the leader and the follower. Just like in this game, one does not happen without the other. Step 2. Day 1 – Strong LeadershipGive learners the opportunity to respond to the author’s statement (Day?One, p. 70), “God creates, shapes, and uses strong leaders to do His work.” Ask: Why does it take strength to lead? Ask learners to share examples from their own lives of strong leaders who have influenced them. Form four groups. Assign two groups to choose a strong Old Testament leader and two groups to choose a strong New Testament leader. Using the path outlined in Day One (p. 70), ask groups to prepare a brief report on their biblical leader. (The path: God allows a need; God calls a leader or leaders; God prepares the leader(s); God uses the leader(s) to meet the need and accomplish something significant.) Encourage each group to share Scripture references as part of their report. As each group shares, compile a list of these biblical heroes and the impact they made.Step 3. Day 2 – Strong Leaders at AntiochState the church at Antioch provides examples of strong leaders. The author focused specifically on Barnabas and Paul. Encourage learners to survey the information in Day Two (pp. 72-74) about how both men demonstrated strong leadership. Ask for volunteers to share the evidence of leadership that provides the most meaningful example for them today (activities 1 and 2, pp. 73-74). State that the author listed three qualities from the example in the church at Antioch for the transformational church to have in place today (p. 74). Provide the prepared checklist for each learner and ask them to answer the question. Give learners time to share responses to the checklist.Step 4. Day 3 – Strength in LeadershipAcknowledge that not everyone feels comfortable with strong leadership. Ask: What brings about discomfort with strong leadership? Request that learners review Day Three (pp. 74-76) and identify reasons for resistance to leadership. Encourage learners to add reasons they might have observed that people resist strong leadership in the church. Ask: What should someone do if they have been hurt by a leader in the church?Step 5. Day 4 – Leading TogetherState the church at Antioch exemplifies leadership working best when it is done as a team or in partnership. Ask: What are some activities in the church we enjoy doing as a team or in a partnership? Ask for volunteers to read the key Bible passages that provide examples of team work: Acts 11:20; 13:1-3; 15:1-3,30-35. Lead learners in a discussion of what qualities are needed in a leader to work well with a team or in partnership. Ask: Why can it be important to make decisions in groups or partnerships instead of as individuals? How can these examples in the church at Antioch influence the work of teams and committees in our church?Step 6. Day 5 – Men in Church LeadershipState the author encouraged the transformational church to evaluate the role of male leadership in the church. Distribute the lists of teams and committees. Ask learners to review the list and make observations. Suggest that learners look back at the checklist they completed in Step 3 and evaluate it now from the actual list of team members. After a general survey, look specifically at the issue of men in leadership. Ask: How many of the teams have men on them? How many of the committees are led by men? Are there teams without any men on them? If so, how many? Summarize Day Five (pp. 78-80) of the study in emphasizing that the author clearly identified the value of women and at the same time laid out the challenge for the church to prioritize men in leadership “in a contemporary culture that devalues masculinity” (p. 80).Step 7. Make It PracticalEncourage adults to group themselves in twos and threes to pray over the leaders included on the list, praying specifically for courage to lead strongly and for a willingness on the part of the church to follow. After allowing time for groups to pray, lead the group in a closing prayer for wisdom and godly leadership in your church.Additional Questions for ReflectionHow do you define strong Christian leadership? Who are some good examples of the best church leaders you have ever followed? What made them so remarkable?Have you had a bad experience with a church leader? What happened? What effect has that experience had on your responsiveness to other church leaders?What is your church’s practice of mentoring men for leadership? Does it need to become more intentional? How?Have you ever resisted your church’s leaders? Why? Did you handle the situation appropriately? If not, what will you do differently next time you face a similar situation?On a scale of 1 to 10, how effectively does your church practice a partnership or team leadership model? What would need to change to implement a more collaborative model? ................
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