By Ben Swanson, Pastor of Edina Covenant Church 

Identifying and mobilizing leaders can be a church's most effective use of time and energy. Identifying and mobilizing followers can be a church's most effective use of time and energy. Both are equally true!

Like a well-constructed chemical experiment, dynamism happens when all the elements are in the right place at the right time. Leaders lead and followers follow.

I recently heard about a church of 100 members with a council of 22! Bad news, effective leaders are more rare than 1 in 4. Most likely that council has a few leaders and many well-intentioned followers who lead uncomfortably (and ineffectively).

The most merciful thing to do for a follower stuck in leadership is to release them from leading and allow them to follow. Leave council seats open or change your bylaws. These options are merciful and serve the community not the constitution.

Identifying a leader is not as easy as finding spiritually mature people, the longest tenured members, or successful businesspeople. Leaders have a gift, a Holy Spirit given ability to draw people into a mission movement and enable them to use their gifts for God's Kingdom. Be on the lookout for leaders not fitting our culture's definition of what a leader looks like.

Once found, release the leader to lead. We have a shortage of leaders in our churches today. Release every leader! Sometimes this is as simple as saying, "You are a leader. It's OK to be bold." Other times more mentoring and training is necessary.

Followers delight in following just as leaders delight in leading. Get them in the right position and dynamism happens.

The 2012 Northwest Conference Annual Meeting, which will feature the theme "Mission Friends: Love Mercy, Do Justice," will take place April 20-21 at Alexandria Covenant Church in Alexandria, MN.  

Dr. Soong-Chan Rah will be the keynote speaker for both the NWC Annual Meeting, and the Ministerial Association Annual Meeting, which takes place April 19-20 at the same location. Rah is Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL, and the author of "The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity."

Catalyst Covenant Church in Alexandria, MN, will be welcomed into membership during the Friday evening worship service. Join us as we celebrate with Catalyst staff, members and attendees. The Friday service will also feature musical worship, a message from Rah, a special offering, and more.

Visit our Annual Meeting page to learn more and register online.  

Coming Together 2012 is a leadership conference for pastors, ministry leaders and volunteers, designed to equip local churches and organizations to create healthy, multi-ethnic communities, and to provide opportunities to bridge the divides that separate us.

Minneapolis-St. Paul is a diverse, multi-ethnic, global city of many cultures, races and ethnicities. We live in a growing cultural mosaic, yet we also have long-standing divisions that must be bridged and relationships to build. This conference brings many different Christian leaders together to learn, discuss and build relationships.

To learn more or register online, visit www.comingtogethertc.org 

Communications Corner