Discipleship board offers 2
new leadership resources

United Methodist News Service
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The United Methodist discipleship agency has announced two initiatives aimed at building spiritual leadership among pastors and within congregations.
The announcement comes as part of a denominationwide response to an urgent need identified by the 2004 General Conference, the top legislative body of the denomination. The assembly cited leadership and faith development as critical matters facing the church in the 21st century.  
The two initiatives, designed to help pastors and congregations build those leadership skills, were introduced Jan. 11 at the General Board of Discipleship. They are:
n L3 (Love, Learn and Lead) Leadership Incubator.
n Church Vitality Indicator.
More than three years in the making, the two initiatives use a combination of cutting-edge technology and prayerful dialogue to strengthen leaders and reshape disciple-making faith communities.
“These two companion resources squarely address the most pressing issue of the church today,” said the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive of the agency. “Both initiatives are dedicated to creating spiritually formed leaders who want to improve their skills and deepen their congregation’s commitment to disciple-making. The impact these resources will make will be felt for years to come.”
The Rev. Harry G. Kahl, Southwest Texas Conference congregational growth director, is already running an L3 Leadership Incubator group in San Antonio.
“The L3 Incubator is a way to bring folks together who want to love God and one another, learn how to become better disciples and lead in making disciples,” Kahl said. “It’s valuable for participating in the Wesleyan small-group accountability process.”
Members of the San Antonio group are to go back into local churches to start other leadership groups.
“That’s what makes it an incubator,” Kahl said. “It’s the multiplication factor.”
The Church Vitality Indicator is a subscription-based online assessment and discernment tool to identify and build upon a congregation’s strengths. Using results from a 66-question survey, the indicator provides an impact report that helps lay and clergy leaders understand the state of their congregations.
and plan for the future. The online resource provides leaders with analytical tools and offers up to 96 possible focus areas for unlocking a congregation’s growth potential, according to agency staff members.
“It is not merely an assessment but a discernment tool that leaders utilize to ... get at truth,” said the Rev. Vance Ross of the discipleship staff. “What we are looking for is to be able to get at truth as we discern what is going on in a congregation and how to begin to move from decline and deterioration to growth, vitality and health.”