Creating a gathering where people immediately sense community doesn't happen by accident. Unfortunately, rallying leaders together for kingdom wins is not easy. These gatherings take a humble strategy that we call cooperative leadership. Here are some key attributes of cooperative leaders.
What Makes a Cooperative Leader Unique?
A "cooperative leader" is foundationally different in three ways as they guide a kingdom movement in their community. They:
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LEAD themselves as they steward their gifting in the body of Christ.
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LIVE the conviction that their gifting is part of the solution, but not THE solution.
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LIFT others through a "Plus 1" leadership mentality to develop and equip other leaders through this vision.
Self-Leadership
Cooperative leaders operate from the inside out; they first lead themselves by growing as Christ-followers. This pursuit is out of stewardship instead of duty. Just as Jesus followed his Father, cooperative leaders follow Christ's example of abiding as their daily pursuit. We can't lead well until we first learn how to follow well!
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Active Learner. The heart of an active learner is grounded in humility. They listen and learn through books, podcasts, messages, as well as making room for solitude and prayer - they never seem to stop dreaming or growing. They humbly seek to improve.
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Motivated. Compelled by the love of Christ, they are change agents who push forward through obstacles. They know that God is their leader and place their trust in Him. He gives them the strength to get up and get going every day!
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Self-Discipline. Cooperative leaders say "no" to distractions. They discipline themselves to keep the main thing the main thing. As they have learned to follow, they keep God's directives as their central focus. They don't get caught up in finding the latest and greatest flavor of the month. They say "no" when needed so they can say "yes" to God's best.
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Teachable. Self-leadership includes "editability." Editors take what is there and make it better. They proactively seek people who can speak into their lives to help them become more godly leaders. These leaders can admit when they are wrong and listen to more than just easy coaching. They seek out many diverse mentors who are able to give wise counsel.
Vision to lead community
Cooperative leaders see there is a better future for all when the body of Christ is working together. They seek to involve and connect their community's available resources toward activities that accomplish this vision. They:
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Keep this God-sized vision before them in their planning as the reason to collaborate,
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Strategically involve others along the way for mutual success,
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Remind others often of the vision, and
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Evaluate what they do in light of it.
Knowing that "vision leaks," cooperative leaders practice what the prophet Habakkuk wrote: "Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run." (Habakkuk 2:2)
Implementing the Vision
The way a "cooperative leader" lives out their vision is radically different:
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Unity is the byproduct of unconditional love. Unity is not the end goal. And the love of Christ is offered without a quid pro quo. Cooperative leaders care for the needs of the community and the souls of other leaders as much as they seek strategy, and that is evident in their meetings. Check out John 13:34-35.
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Their priority is building God's kingdom. Their significance is not found in the success of their personal ministries, nor in the satisfaction that their ministry is more successful than other ministries. Leaders aren't in competition. Check out 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
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Working together is a priority. Collaboration isn't optional or merely anecdotal. Cooperative leaders deeply believe that working together is a priority because it demonstrates Jesus is who he said he was. Check out John 17.
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They leave the egos and logos at the door. Cooperative leaders don't need to be the center of attention. They don't care if someone else gets the credit. They say "we" and "our" instead of "me" and "my." They live out Philippian 2:1-8.
Practicing "Plus 1" Leadership Mentality
Cooperative leaders actively combat isolation through discipleship. Isolation tempts leaders to sin, and sin pushes leaders into isolation. Cooperative leaders live out the principle of "Plus 1" Leadership by intentionally bringing younger leaders along and empowering them to lead. Some readers of this post may need to exercise their Plus 1 Leadership mentality to introduce a senior leader to the concepts of cooperative leadership.
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Never do ministry alone. Jesus, the perfect leader, did ministry with a team: His disciples included men, women, zealots, tax collectors and fishermen. He could have done it alone, but He didn't. Neither should we! Partner with others to lead your network.
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Seek to pass the baton. Develop other leaders for the mission and then get out of their way. We learn more from failure than success. Plus 1 leaders don't hand things over without support, but continues to show unconditional love through grace-filled mentorship.
In a survey conducted by Virtuali and Work Place Trends, over 90% of millennials surveyed expressed a desire to lead. Almost 50% of them also said that they believed leadership includes the empowerment of others. Networks can help the church become more relevant as we shift away from an old model of authoritarian leadership by modeling cooperative leadership and empowering others within our communities.