God's Design for the Church: Body Life

Church Leaders need to not only promote but also function within God's design for the Body in order to effectively lead the church toward God's purposes. Consider how the following body life principles affect your leadership. What personal barriers must you break through to line up with God's blueprint for the church?

Leaders Practice God's Design for Interdependence

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" (1 Cor. 12:21)
Certain leadership practices can send wrong messages about body life. Click below on your tendencies as a leader. After reading some thoughts on that answer, use your back button and continue on this page.
  1. tend to take on too much and wear self out
  2. tend to feel nobody can do it right so do it myself
  3. tend to trust people and let them do what they want to do

Leaders Model God's Body Life Design for Unity Out of Diversity

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. (1 Cor. 12:12)
Leaders should be modeling God's design. Click below on tendencies you might have that work against God's design. After reading some thoughts on that answer, use your back button and continue on this page.
  1. feel threatened if others oppose my beliefs or leadership decisions
  2. get defensive or engage in a power struggle if another leader steps into the picture

Leaders Live Out God's Design for the Dignity of All Members, No Matter What Their Role

On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. (1 Cor. 12:22-25)
Leaders need to value all people in their sphere of influence. Click below on tendencies you might have that do not promote God's design. After reading some thoughts on that answer, use your back button and continue on this page.
  1. feel my position gives me the upper edge
  2. back away from "sandpaper" people and focus on others
  3. don't feel people need to be affirmed for doing their duty
     
Hopefully you took time to click on your response to each of the above. Be sure to follow up on suggestions provided. For more input, take time to look at each response to benefit even further.

Leaders Promote and Practice Body Life in All They Do

The Practicum on this site gets practical about how the basics of life in Christ affect all we do as leaders. Click on links below to learn more about how Body Life relates to specific leadership tasks and issues.
 

 
The points on this page form the outline for the Steering the Church Toward Body Life Leadership Guide.
 
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