Role Differentiation for Disciples and Leaders

by Joel Pancoast

Over the last 20 years, I have learned from other consultants and ministry coaches much smarter than I am, a pattern for understanding different roles of leadership in ministry. Though I don’t know the original source of this model, I know it is rooted in secular organizational management and has been adapted by different people over the years for ministry. Councils and committees I have worked with have grown from understanding the roles of ministry and living into them to align their calling and behavior with God’s intention for them as individuals and the ministry as a whole.

It is important for church leaders to know when to lead and when to follow, and to understand specific behaviors and contributions for different levels of leadership. The leadership pyramid to the right shows four different behaviors for leaders of the body of Christ and followers of Christ himself.

Those who live into the visionary behaviors are councils, vestries, presbyteries, sessions, or whatever name your board of directors is known by, and pastors or executive directors. Their essential contribution to the whole is to invite change and freshness.

They are the heart of the ministry, and their tasks included in their behaviors are as follows:

Articulate vision and direction

Align resources to mission

Motivate followers

Oversee the whole

Protect followers who attempt new behaviors

Those who exhibit managing behaviors are committees, task forces, and staff. Where visionary behaviors invite change and freshness, managing behaviors invite stability and steadfastness. While many leaders in this level of leadership often ask for more leaders to join the team, it is usually not necessary, because these leaders represent the mind of the ministry and not the hands and feet. Their tasks include the following:

Plan | Organize | Administrate | Evaluate | Recruit. | Train/Orient | Problem Solve | Design

Develop Procedures, Protocols, and Policies | Budget | Schedule | Coordinate with Others

The next level of leadership are those who exhibit doing behaviors. These leaders and followers invite activity and energy into the ministry. Again, committees often think they have to do all of the ministry they plan and organize, but God’s Spirit will blow across your ministry when more people are engaged in the tasks of ministry, so encourage your managers to involve individuals with gifts for whatever task they are planning. These “doers” are the hands and feet of the body, with the following tasks:

Doing ministry together | Fulfilling commitments

Finally, we come to a level of leading and following that necessarily involves every person. There is not a single person in your ministry who should not be exhibiting receiving behaviors. These behaviors invite gratitude and delight into your ministry and keep the focus on Christ as the head of the body. They are the very soul of the body, with all of the following tasks of a disciple and follower of Jesus:

Be present with a Willingness to Experience God’s Intention

Listen Attentively | Participate | Offer Thanks | Feel Thoroughly With all the Senses | Reflect | Learn

Taste, Smell, and Touch as Appropriate | Engage | Discuss | Encourage

Share this with your leaders at every level and encourage them to lean into God’s call to them to as both leaders and followers, parts of the body.