(ThyBlackMan.com) The leadership in the Church of Christ has particular responsibilities in the multiple roles of leadership, counselor, scriptural resource, teacher, minister and other diverse responsibilities that are placed upon leaderships shoulders. The presence of the ministry is firmly upon leadership’s shoulders and as the walk with God, the ministry follow God’s word.
Leading the ministry does not require broad physical strength, it actually requires a strength of faith, a passion for people, the love of Christ, and the wellspring of intellect because learning never stops. There is always time for reading, meditating and contemplating the Word of God and then praying for clarity with no addition or subtraction to his word.
In the Church of Christ the ability to lead is just as important as the ability to pray, the desire to save souls and keep souls saved, the will to study and the patience to teach and preach to God’s people. The diversity of God’s people can be challenging, that is why leadership must rely on the anointing of God not self to do the works that are required in “Saving Souls and Keeping Souls Saved.”
All of those qualities do not come naturally, some must be learned, others developed, some refined and other qualities discarded that hinder being a shepherd to a diverse flock of Christians that are still struggling with a Christian walk that matches their talk. The minister/evangelist must lead by example and by education. To do this the minister must study, apply, integrate and be immersed in the scriptures to allow God to provide the guidance and interpretation to his word.
Then he must guide the flock into understanding the message that is intended to prepare them for a world of deception, distractions and disappointments.
The “Path of Salvation” is a direct building of a personal relationship that leads to accepting Christ as the savior and his death, burial and resurrection actually have importance not to the physical
applications of life, but for eternal life and prosperity.
This being stated a “Thought Leader” in the Church of Christ must be aware of what that means, defined as, “Your followers rely on you, not only to share the relevant news, but to give your opinion on the issues. People look to you to help them understand the day’s developments. You understand what’s important and what your audience values.” Klout
This definition is applied to Social Media experts as they develop content that people want to read/hear and can apply to their lives, whether it is in business, technology, commerce or other disciplines. Applying this to ministry particularly the Church of Christ the “Thought Leader” is the studier of the Word of God, praying to interpret the correct meaning of each word, passage, scripture in book and verse. The members of the Body rely on the minister to steer them in the right direction to get their minds right with and on God.
To say that all ministers are “Thought Leaders” is not correct, working to obtain this summation is always a work in progress. Titles have no meaning in the Body, but the accumulation of scripture knowledge, interpretation and sharing is of value to those that listen and can immerse themselves into the message.
The real “Thought Leaders” are those that are putting into practice what they read in the scriptures. Applying them in everyday life the best that they can and serving as an example by speaking and walking a Christian life. Leading by example while taking risks in their positions is crucial (being a thought leader).” Craig Badings is the co-founder of Leading Thought.
The internalization of being a “Thought Leader” is that there is a willingness to cognitively expand, evolve, and grow as a person into what God would have you be. This means letting go of yourself and letting God in to make the corrections necessary for him to move forward while using you as a vessel. Your opinions do not matter to God only your obedience and willing to work with him.
Quote: “A thought leader is someone who creates something before people realize that they need it.” In this quote is the understanding that God has already created the “Path to Salvation,” but it will take the minister and leadership to lead the people to it. They do not know, nor understand the process, so through study, prayer and love the minister and leaders must prepare to share what God has already created to share with the lost, broken hearted, blind, angry, and lonely people.
The worlds “Thought Leaders” will have different paths for business and technology, so quotes like these make a distinction in directions. “A thought leader is someone with proven expertise and experience who isn’t afraid to share it with the world without direct compensation. That combination isn’t a given. There are lots of experts out there who refuse to “open the kimono of knowledge.” That’s a shame. Conversely, there are lots of non-experts out there who share and publish like crazy unproven ideas and opinions of limited value and depth. That’s a bigger shame.” Jay Baer:, Convince & Convert.
The world cannot compare to the Church of Christ, the world cannot save souls and keep souls saved because the “Thought Leaders” in too many cases are not willing to share their knowledge freely and it is based on a world of commerce and capitol. Just as Christ threw the sellers and buyers out of the church, the ministers and evangelists also cannot allow foreign ideologies and idol worship to come into the house of God to sell false scripture.
The word of God is the truth and the way… no additions and subtractions can be made. Being a “Thought Leader” in the Church of Christ is not a title, it must be earned from studying to be approved and sharing the Word of God to “Save Souls and Keep Souls Saved,” building the kingdom of God for his glory not our individual egos.
Jessica Northey: Social Mediologist, Social Media, Broadcasting, Country and Music Blogger/Journalist as well as a Nationally Recognized Speaker “A thought leader is true to themselves even when others might laugh, disagree or nay-say.
They actually walk their talk. My grandpa used to always say ‘run your own race’ as well as things like, ‘drive three cars ahead of you’, and ‘second guessing instinct causes accidents.’ Looking back, I can see how he literally applied these sayings to life. Focus on the grooves in your track, the folks drafting you might not be chasing you at all. Matter of fact, they might not even notice you. Quit worrying about what everyone else is doing. Be yourself, everyone is taken.”
The Church of Christ has a responsibility to study the Word, apply the Word, share the Word and interpret the Word so it can be applied in the real world. Moving from A.D. 33 to a digital age, the message continues in the scripture. It still needs study and prayer no matter what century.
Staff Writer; William D. Jackson
Find out more about this talented writer over at; OCS For Education.