专题3 ：如何在领导上赋能原住民领袖 SPECIAL TOPIC 3: Leadership Empowerment for the Indigenous Leaders

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For Pastor Lam Kee Hing, helping the Indigenous leaders to grow in their leadership skills is his personal mission and calling. That is why in 2003, God led him to establish Cornerstone Resource Berhad, a ministry with the mission of equipping and strengthening Indigenous church leaders, helping them to grow in Christ and in their service to Him. Pastor Lam is greatly inspired and influenced by the teachings and principles of John Maxwell, and use the quote of this renowned Christian leadership teacher to contemplate on the importance of leadership influence.
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📌    “Everything rises or falls on leadership. (John C. Maxwell) 

In his ministry, Pastor Lam has witnessed time and again the timeless truth; a good and committed leader for the Indigenous people will be a great blessing to their community. On the contrary, a bad leader will bring endless destructive problems to the community. Pastor Lam categorically pointed out various major and common problems among the Indigenous community and church leaders. He also offered his counsel on how to resolve these problems, with the hope of helping the Indigenous leaders grow in their leadership competency .
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In general, Indigenous leaders refers to community leaders – the head of a social community or village, sometimes also called as the village head or the chieftain; while church leader refers to someone who serves in church and provide spiritual leadership in the community, such as the pastors, teachers, elders, deacons, and other persons in church leadership position. Though these two are different types of leaders with responsibilities towards different communities, it is not uncommon that the position of the community leader and the church leader is held by the same person, more commonly so in villages with a bigger Christian population.

🔍  Common Problems of Community Leadership:

1. “Yes-man” Syndrome
Generally the community leaders in a village are appointed by the government, making it easier for them to seek financial aids from the authorities for the welfare of the community; unfortunately. they are also obliged to give in to most demands of the government officials.

2. Self-centredness
Given the privileges and authority, the community leaders easily fall into the trap of self-centredness. Instead of caring for the welfare of the community, they may be more interested to enrich themselves and gave in to the exploitation of the village by the authorities, e.g. deforestation demands.

3. Irresponsible 
Some leaders only want to enjoy the privileges and benefits, but not the duties and responsibilities, that come with their appointed position. These leaders would neglect their responsibilities or even if they do work, their efforts are often half-hearted at best. Rarely do they carry out their responsibility to provide assistance and offer solutions to the problems faced by their own community.
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4. Ineffectiveness 
Some leaders are ineffective and not fit to be in leadership positions. Getting close to government officials and people with authority, merely to gain position of power for themselves. They have no desire to serve and hence unable to contribute effectively to the community. 

🔍 Common Problems of  Church Leadership: 

1. Lacking in vision and direction
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” ( KJV). When church leaders lose sight of God’s vision, churches are weakening and stop growing. Such leaders only keen to  perform sacramental duties and rites, busy attending meetings and events, but fail to bring about spiritual growth, neglect the actual needs of churches and congregations. 
 
2. Lacking in unity and collaborative spirit
This kind of solitary leaders tend to work alone, usually lacking the skills and desire to work in a team. They often struggle with leading people and managing teams, unable to assign duties and share workloads, and not knowing how to set priorities and targets. They have the authority of a leader but lacking in leadership ability or skills, preferring a top-down communication style, resulting in poor working relationship. There is also lack of openness and trust among members; cooperation and teamwork between members is uncommon.
 
3. Lacking in character and integrity
Poor leadership character and integrity are present in all churches, such as Chinese, Tamil and Indigenous. But such problems are more apparent among the Indigenous churches , particularly when it comes to money matters. Besides, many church leaders have been ensnared by the temptations of sex and power.
 
4. Lacking in resources and financial support 
Compared with Chinese or Tamil churches, a large majority of Indigenous churches still struggle with poverty. Many Indigenous Christians are ignorant to tithing, and their offerings are often comparatively small in amount. Faced with the growing demands of ministries, even the small village churches are required to share the financial burdens irrespective of church or denomination. Bringing much  pressure to the Indigenous church leaders. Furthermore, many of the leaders struggle with stewardship of their own and are found wanting in their financial management ability.
 
Pastor Lam observed that the situation will only get worse with the pandemic. With the global financial crisis not showing any signs of recovery, churches, organisations, and individuals continue to struggle with post-pandemic issues; in turn, external support for the Indigenous churches is also negatively impacted. The  dwindling external support will see the financial burdens of the Indigenous churches increased manifold.
 
5. Lacking in spiritual maturity and depth
We would imagine the spiritual leaders elected to their position are capable, dependable, and spiritually matured Christians, but sadly, quite often this is far from being true. Often, a leader is appointed not because of their capabilities, but rather, their personal charisma, tribal politics, or due to flawed or corrupted election process. When such leaders with unrighteous motivation are appointed, there is always risk of grave consequences. 
 
6. Lacking in leadership qualities
Some leaders have eloquence and personal charisma but without good leadership qualities and competencies. They possess academic certifications and qualifications but lacking in effective executive capabilities. They remain in the position, not able to perform but merely enjoy the benefits and for self enrichment only. 
 
7. Lacking in confidence and sense of security
Such leaders struggle with communication, impairing their ability to effectively lead the community. Often, they are overly concerned with their weaknesses and limitations, and sensitive to comments and criticisms. They may have taken up their role and responsibility as a leader, but are reluctant to learn from the experiences and leadership abilities of their predecessors. They are gripped with a strong sense of insecurity, unwilling to seek counsel from the elders, as they view the presence of the elders as a threat to their authority.
 
Insecure leaders often exhibit two extreme styles of leadership: indecisiveness and domineering. The former struggles with making decisions, the latter sees threat in every person.
 
8. Lacking in succession planning
These leaders are unwilling to make succession plans to find new leaders, or are simply lacking in the knowledge to do so. They may serve faithfully as a leader for years, until one day – due to illness, old age, or maybe even misconducts – they are forced to leave their position, and with no new leaders identified or groomed, the churches are thrown into chaos. This would result in a break in ministry continuity, new potential leaders being missed out, and loss of momentum in the church growth.

💡Pastor Lam offered some solutions to the leadership problems:
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1. Provide regular leadership trainings
Provide regular training to the leaders to equip and enhance their leadership competency, and also to provide a platform of support, so that they can be more effective in their service and ministry. 
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2. Provide and share leadership related resources 
Share resources such as books and movies on leadership and encourage them to pass on and share with other leaders. 

3. Identify local leaders
Identify experienced and matured leaders from the local community, recruit younger potential leaders to be trained and nurtured. To also provide them with leadership mentoring.

4. Include leadership training in seminary programmes
Many seminary students start serving in churches upon graduation with biblical knowledge, but not equipped in leadership skills to lead the community. They may be dutiful in performing religious rites like officiating the Holy Communion or wedding, but are found wanting on things like resolving conflicts, setting strategies for their ministry, leading and  communicating with people effectively etc. This is one big stumbling block for next-generation leaders to be effective in their ministry. As such, seminaries should include leadership education and training in their programmes.

5. More conscientious in leadership selection 
Many leadership problems can be traced back to a lax leadership selection process and poor screening criteria. It is essential to strengthen the leadership selection and screening process, and those who are involved must also adopt a Godly spirit and vision in choosing leaders. 

6. Establish an effective internship and mentoring system
Many seminary students are sent to serve in rural villages upon graduation, often alone. They often experienced huge pressure and strong sense of loneliness, feeling weak and helpless to lead the community and finally giving up their ministry service entirely. An effective resolution is to let them come under study and learn from an experienced leader for one or two years before setting out on their own ministry. 

7. Ensure that the needs of pastoral staff and their families are taken care of
We can do more to support the basic needs of the leaders, such as, office space for pastoral staff, their accommodation and transportation needs, salary and other financial subsidies, emotional support and care etc., including the needs of their families, so that leaders can serve with peace of mind without worrying for their practical needs.

8. Nurture and cultivate leaders with purpose and intent
Purposefully focus on growth and development in their leadership qualities; instead of only managing during crisis. For example, provide continual mentoring, targeted training in their leadership skills, and provide strategic empowerment, etc.

9. Making changes to the current  ministry model 
Many services and ministries in churches are only reserved for pastors, missionaries, or elder, when there are many other christians who are capable, experienced, well connected and even rich in financial resources, who are potential leaders that we should explore and nurture. 

10. Strategically train and develop next generation leaders 
Deliberately prepare the next generation to take over the role of leadership. Leaders must identify and nurture young and potential Christians for leadership roles, so that churches can resonate with the demands of the next generation, and continue to grow.

Finally, Pastor Lam concluded his sharing urging us to intentionally do all that is within our means to support the Indigenous pastors, leaders, and their families. Not just financially, but more so to become their friend, to regularly encourage and send them messages of support,  and to constantly pray for them. We can also share with them our skills, expertise, and experience, and to provide them with the resources that they need to help them grow. Other than that, we can also support by sponsoring their young leaders to receive training and education, blessing an overworked leader with a well-deserved vacation, or to financially support a specific Indigenous leader or organisation.

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Leadership Empowerment from the Lens of Shepherding

Shared by  Bishop James Wong ​

Bishop James Wong shared topic "Leadership Empowerment From The Lens of Shepherding"

The Basel Church in Sabah has been in existence for some 140 years, while the Indigenous ministry has a history of not less than 55 years. Currently, there are 43 Chinese language based churches, 10 English churches, and 136 Malay speaking churches under the Basel Group; among all the members of these Churches,  half are Indigenous members. According to Bishop James Wong, to properly lead such a significant number of Malay speaking churches, competent and effective leadership is essential. In particular, he stressed on the importance of leadership empowerment strategies and process. He further shared 10 key areas of leadership empowerment for the Indigenous church leaders:

1. First and foremost, have a good leadership selection and screening process. If no suitable candidates, select those who are willing to serve. Nurture and develop them, serve together with them, and help to discover their potential to become a competent leader. During this period, look for good and Godly characters,  like love for God, diligence, teachability etc., and thereafter, have the second round of selection and filtering. At the same time, continually pray for God to send the right people, as we believe a good leader is better than twenty unremarkable ones.

2. After the selection and screening process, give them a clear explanation of the purposes and duties of their roles. This is a crucial step, for we are not looking for volunteers for service, but engaging leaders with expectation and purposeful roles, and to avoid any possible misunderstanding with unpleasant outcome. 

3. After clarifying the purposes and duties of the service, provide them with specific trainings on church leadership. The trainings can be customised to suit the needs and purposes, either lessons in the classroom, or practical, hands-on learning in the field. We must also state our expectations for them during the training, for example: being upright in their personal lives, refraining from drunkenness, maintaining a strong spiritual life by staying close to God and praying daily etc.

4. Give them guidance and instructions on administrative and office operational matters. We must let them understand how we work, how we make decisions, or to provide them with an administration handbook, so that they can be quickly familiarised with the operations. 

5. Explain to them the structure of the organisation; as the structure is key to the development of the organisation, it is important to help the Indigenous leaders understand the internal working system of the Church.

6. Set goals and strategies to help the Indigenous leaders grow and improve. Teach them skills and knowledge on leading and managing teams and help them to become better leaders through periodical performance assessments.

7. If there’s a specific knowledge or expertise to empower them, you must guide and accompany them through the implementation process. At the right timing and when you are confident of their mastery, you can slowly let go.  One of the leadership taboos is micromanagement – do not require them to report to you every single thing, as it will only create pressure and discontentment for them.

8. Even as you have empowered them, it is unwise to leave them entirely on their own. We can continue to guide and care for them through training and monetary support.

9. Sending them to Sabah Theological Seminary to help equip the Indigenous Christians to be competent pastoral church leaders.

10. The Indigenous leaders need to be educated on community development and its importance; as most Indigenous people live in the most remote and poverty-stricken areas, the Indigenous church leaders must know how to help develop the community and bring economic empowerment to the people alongside their spiritual shepherding, to prevent the people from falling even deeper into financial and social plights. Through economic empowerment, the Indigenous people can have better opportunities in education, improve their living standards, become healthier, and eventually help to establish stronger and self sufficient churches.
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林其兴传道的个人使命与呼召是帮助原住民领袖提升领导力。2003年，上帝带领他创立房角石资源中心（Cornerstone Resource Berhad），目的是要加强和装备原住民教会领袖，帮助他们在基督里成长并有效地事奉祂。他深受世界领导学权威约翰·麦斯威尔（John C. Maxwell）的影响，引用他认为最重要的话，让大家深思领导力的深远影响。

📌   “领导力决定每个事件的成与败。”——约翰·麦斯威尔（John C. Maxwell）

林传道在他的事奉生涯曾见证，原住民社群中有好的领袖委身和事奉时，社群将大大受益。反之，则产生一系列具破坏性的问题，闻者心碎。对此，林传道分别指出社区和教会领袖现有的问题，并建议其解决方案，以提升原住民领袖的领导力。
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社区领袖是领导某个乡村的领袖，通常称作村长或首领；教会领袖则是在教会内事奉和带领会众的人，包括牧师、传道、长老和执事等。虽然两者负责的领域各不相同，但往往都由同一人出任，特别是基督徒人口较多的乡村。

🔍 社区领袖的问题如下：

1. 千依百顺：通常政府会委派村里的社区领袖，因此他们比较容易申请经费或拿到津贴，便于为村民争取福利。但同时也较容易对政府官员的吩咐千依百顺。
2. ​自我中心：享有权利和福利让社区领袖容易陷入自我主义。假公济私地为“社区益处”着想，实际上是为自身利益，允许外人破坏村子。如：过度砍伐树木。
3. ​不负责任：有些领袖只想着享受所拥有的福利和特权，不想对他们的职务负责任。他们通常不会认真办公，总想着敷衍了事。鲜少帮助他们的社群解决所面对的问题。
4. ​ 没有效率：还有一些是完全没有展现任何效率的领袖。他们为了得到权力和福利，刻意亲近政府官员或权威人士。虽然他们成为了社区领袖，但却没有明确目标也没有领导力，最后变成有名无实的领袖。

🔍教会领袖的问题如下：

1. 缺乏异象和方向：箴言29:18提到：没有异象，民就放肆。当教会领袖没有异象，教会就停滞不前，无法成长甚至倒退。他们基本上就只在维持工作秩序，执行教会礼仪相关的职务，忙着出席各个会议和活动，却没有为教会的需要做出贡献。
2. 缺乏团结与合作精神：领袖缺乏团结与合作精神，便不懂得与团队合作，经常单独行动。他们不懂得带领团队、分配工作，也不晓得工作优先秩序。由于习惯自上而下的沟通，也造成他们与团队间的关系极差。团队之间缺乏开放度，便不愿一起讨论。 
3. 缺乏良好品格和诚信：不仅是原住民教会，华人和印度人教会同样缺乏良好品格与诚信的问题。但这问题在原住民教会中却是非常严重的，特别当牵涉到金钱。除此之外，许多教会领袖也落入性和权力的诱惑。
4. 缺乏资源和财力： 相对于华人或印度人教会，大部分原住民教会较属贫穷。原住民奉献能力较低，不常给十一奉献。教会和宗派不断发展，需求加增，乡镇原住民的教会同样也需分担经济责任，无形中加添了原住民教会领袖的压力。此外，一般上，教会领袖也没有做好管家的职分，缺乏财务管理能力。林传道观察，后疫情将加剧原住民教会资源财力短缺。全球经济受打击，过去不断支援原住民教会的外来组织、机构和教会，也面对后疫情的挑战。外来支援逐渐减少，生活成本速速提高。
5. 缺乏属灵深度与成熟度：我们经常假设被委派的属灵领袖都非常有能力、成熟和可靠，但这并非如此。通常领袖被委任，有时并非因他的能力，而是其个人魅力、部落立场或不道德的竞选活动。若这类型领袖被委任，而他们有不正当的事奉意图时，后果不堪设想。
6. 缺乏领导能力： 有些领袖有口才和个人魅力，但不一定具有领导特质和能力。这包括拥有文凭但却没有执行能力的领袖。充其量，他们维持现有的工作，不然他们就享受在目前的职位和福利，陷入自我中心。 
7. 缺乏自信心和安全感： 缺乏自信心和安全感的领袖不善表达，难以将团队带领好。他们虽已接棒前辈，却没有从中学习到领导力。强烈的不安全感导致他们过于专注自我的软弱和限制，无法接受批评和建议。所以他们也不愿邀请前辈成为顾问，害怕前辈的出现威胁到自己。拥有强烈不安的领袖，都会出现两种极端的领导风格：优柔寡断和霸道。前者不善于做决定，后者不容许任何人来挑战他。​
8. 缺乏继任规划：这类型的领袖不想或不晓得如何做继任规划。他们长期都在尽忠职守，直到病痛、年迈或犯罪等的情况下被迫离职，教会陷入混乱。从而导致教会失去连续性、具有潜能的领袖和成长的势头。​​

💡林传道建议的几个解决方案：

1. 提供定时的领导培训：每隔一段时间，给予领袖们装备和培训。这不仅鼓励，也帮助他们更有效地服事。
2. 提供与领导相关的资源：与领袖们分享有关领导的书籍或影片。他们看完以后，还可以与其他领袖们分享。
3. 挖掘本土的好领袖：可以从本土挖掘许多有经验和成熟的领袖。招募他们培训和装备新一代领袖。同时在领导方面成为新一代领袖的督导。
4. 将领导学纳入神学院课程：很多神学生毕业后便开始在教会服事。除了对圣经要有一定的认识，他们也需要懂得如何带领团队。可惜的是，他们尚未做好准备当领导。他们虽善于带领圣餐、婚礼等仪式，但不擅长解决冲突、策略和沟通等。这是下一代领袖成长的绊脚石。因此，希望神学院可以将领导学纳入课程。
5. 领袖筛选过程需更谨慎：许多领导问题源于没有严格筛选，轻易过关让对方当上领导。因此，强化筛选过程并带着敬虔的态度是必须的。
6. 设立有效的实习和督导制度：许多神学生毕业后就独自一人到偏乡牧养教会。他们不仅感到孤单，还承受极大压力。这容易导致他们的领导不力，放弃离开。有效方法并不是直接差派他们到禾场，而是先让有经验的领袖带领他们一至两年。
7. 确保牧者、教会同工和其家人的需要有被照顾：确保照顾到牧者或教会同工及其家人的基本需求，如牧者同工的办公点、住宿、交通、津贴、薪水、支援和关怀等，让事奉人员无后顾之忧。
8. 刻意培养领袖个人和其领导力：更多着重在推动领袖们的成长与发展，将能大大减少处理突发问题的情况。好比持续性督导、有意提升领导力和策略性赋能等。
9. 改变现有的事工模式：许多教会的服事，不是只有牧者、宣教士、长老才可以做。教会还有其他有财力、人脉、经验和技巧的会友，是我们要去珍惜和使用的。
10. 策略性栽培下一代领袖：刻意预备下一代承接领导的角色。领袖们需要辨识、培育年轻和优秀的年轻人，以致教会与现时代生活产生共鸣，并不断成长。

最后，林传道总结，我们可以在能力范围内，支持原住民牧者、领袖和他们的家人。除了在金钱上支持，也可以与他们做朋友，并定期发简讯鼓励和为他们祷告。我们也可以与他们分享技能、专长和经验。为他们提供所需的工具和资源。此外，我们也可以赞助年轻人接受领袖培训、祝福操劳过度的同工或领袖几天的假期旅游、支持服事原住民的个人或机构。

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从牧养看待领袖赋能 ​

分享：黄忠良会督

黄忠良会督分享“从牧养看待领袖赋能”

​沙巴巴色会已立会140年，而原住民的宣教工作已有55年。目前，巴色会有43间中文堂会、10间英文堂会和136间马来文堂会，原住民信徒占了全会众的百分之五十。黄忠良会督说道，要带领这么多间马来文堂，确实需要发挥有效的领导力。因此，他强调领导赋能策略以及过程非常重要。以下是黄会督分享的十个原住民领袖的领导赋能。

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1. 第一，筛选领袖。若找不到合适的领袖，就找愿意服事的人。先栽培他们，与他们一同服侍，从中发掘他们的潜能并帮助他们成为称职的领袖。我们可以从栽培的过程中看到他们身上的好品格，如：爱神、勤劳和受教等，然后再进行第二次筛选。同时，我们也祷告上帝差遣适合的人来到我们当中，因为一个好的领袖可以胜过二十个普通人。
   
   
2. 筛选过后，要向他们说清楚服事的目的和任务。这很重要，因为如果希望对方是义务性服侍，但对方期待受薪，那就出问题了。
   
   
3. 服事目的和任务谈妥之后，就可以提供与教会领导相关的培训。培训的场地根据内容而定，可以在课室，也可在禾场。同时，你也需要在培训中，说清楚你的期待，如：他们的生活不能醉酒、每天亲近神和祷告等。
   
   
4. 给他们关于行政事务的指导，如期待他们要完成什么，以及如何执行办公室事务等。所有与行政相关的程序，我们都要给予指引。告诉对方我们做决定的方式，或提供行政手册，好让他们更快熟悉整体运作。
   
   
5. 告诉他们组织的架构。这个架构会决定组织的发展，帮助原住民领袖了解教会内部是如何运作。
   
   
6. 设立目标和策略帮助原住民领袖前进。教导他们如何带领团队，也透过评估帮助他们做得更好
   
   
7. 若你有一些知识或专长要赋能予他们，就要陪伴他们一起执行。相信他们可以胜任，然后当时机成熟时，就可以慢慢放手。在领导中最避忌的是微观管理，即不必每一件事都报告，这会让人觉得窒息。
   
   
8. 即便赋能了，也不能马上放手不管他们。我们可以透过培训和财务继续支援他们。
   
   
9. 送他们到沙巴神学院，栽培原住民领袖成为教牧领袖。
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10. 原住民领袖需要知道什么是社区发展及其重要性。由于多数原住民都住偏乡，属经济贫穷的社区，所以原住民领袖在牧养时，需要懂得社区发展和经济赋能，以帮助原住民社群不落入更贫穷的光景。透过经济赋能力，原住民们可以拥有健康饮食和教育机会，也可以建立自供自养的教会。

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For Pastor Lam Kee Hing, helping the Indigenous leaders to grow in their leadership skills is his personal mission and calling. That is why in 2003, God led him to establish Cornerstone Resource Berhad, a ministry with the mission of equipping and strengthening Indigenous church leaders, helping them to grow in Christ and in their service to Him. Pastor Lam is greatly inspired and influenced by the teachings and principles of John Maxwell, and use the quote of this renowned Christian leadership teacher to contemplate on the importance of leadership influence.
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📌    “Everything rises or falls on leadership. (John C. Maxwell) 

In his ministry, Pastor Lam has witnessed time and again the timeless truth; a good and committed leader for the Indigenous people will be a great blessing to their community. On the contrary, a bad leader will bring endless destructive problems to the community. Pastor Lam categorically pointed out various major and common problems among the Indigenous community and church leaders. He also offered his counsel on how to resolve these problems, with the hope of helping the Indigenous leaders grow in their leadership competency .
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In general, Indigenous leaders refers to community leaders – the head of a social community or village, sometimes also called as the village head or the chieftain; while church leader refers to someone who serves in church and provide spiritual leadership in the community, such as the pastors, teachers, elders, deacons, and other persons in church leadership position. Though these two are different types of leaders with responsibilities towards different communities, it is not uncommon that the position of the community leader and the church leader is held by the same person, more commonly so in villages with a bigger Christian population.

🔍  Common Problems of Community Leadership:

1. “Yes-man” Syndrome
Generally the community leaders in a village are appointed by the government, making it easier for them to seek financial aids from the authorities for the welfare of the community; unfortunately. they are also obliged to give in to most demands of the government officials.

2. Self-centredness
Given the privileges and authority, the community leaders easily fall into the trap of self-centredness. Instead of caring for the welfare of the community, they may be more interested to enrich themselves and gave in to the exploitation of the village by the authorities, e.g. deforestation demands.

3. Irresponsible 
Some leaders only want to enjoy the privileges and benefits, but not the duties and responsibilities, that come with their appointed position. These leaders would neglect their responsibilities or even if they do work, their efforts are often half-hearted at best. Rarely do they carry out their responsibility to provide assistance and offer solutions to the problems faced by their own community.
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4. Ineffectiveness 
Some leaders are ineffective and not fit to be in leadership positions. Getting close to government officials and people with authority, merely to gain position of power for themselves. They have no desire to serve and hence unable to contribute effectively to the community. 

🔍 Common Problems of  Church Leadership: 

1. Lacking in vision and direction
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” ( KJV). When church leaders lose sight of God’s vision, churches are weakening and stop growing. Such leaders only keen to  perform sacramental duties and rites, busy attending meetings and events, but fail to bring about spiritual growth, neglect the actual needs of churches and congregations. 
 
2. Lacking in unity and collaborative spirit
This kind of solitary leaders tend to work alone, usually lacking the skills and desire to work in a team. They often struggle with leading people and managing teams, unable to assign duties and share workloads, and not knowing how to set priorities and targets. They have the authority of a leader but lacking in leadership ability or skills, preferring a top-down communication style, resulting in poor working relationship. There is also lack of openness and trust among members; cooperation and teamwork between members is uncommon.
 
3. Lacking in character and integrity
Poor leadership character and integrity are present in all churches, such as Chinese, Tamil and Indigenous. But such problems are more apparent among the Indigenous churches , particularly when it comes to money matters. Besides, many church leaders have been ensnared by the temptations of sex and power.
 
4. Lacking in resources and financial support 
Compared with Chinese or Tamil churches, a large majority of Indigenous churches still struggle with poverty. Many Indigenous Christians are ignorant to tithing, and their offerings are often comparatively small in amount. Faced with the growing demands of ministries, even the small village churches are required to share the financial burdens irrespective of church or denomination. Bringing much  pressure to the Indigenous church leaders. Furthermore, many of the leaders struggle with stewardship of their own and are found wanting in their financial management ability.
 
Pastor Lam observed that the situation will only get worse with the pandemic. With the global financial crisis not showing any signs of recovery, churches, organisations, and individuals continue to struggle with post-pandemic issues; in turn, external support for the Indigenous churches is also negatively impacted. The  dwindling external support will see the financial burdens of the Indigenous churches increased manifold.
 
5. Lacking in spiritual maturity and depth
We would imagine the spiritual leaders elected to their position are capable, dependable, and spiritually matured Christians, but sadly, quite often this is far from being true. Often, a leader is appointed not because of their capabilities, but rather, their personal charisma, tribal politics, or due to flawed or corrupted election process. When such leaders with unrighteous motivation are appointed, there is always risk of grave consequences. 
 
6. Lacking in leadership qualities
Some leaders have eloquence and personal charisma but without good leadership qualities and competencies. They possess academic certifications and qualifications but lacking in effective executive capabilities. They remain in the position, not able to perform but merely enjoy the benefits and for self enrichment only. 
 
7. Lacking in confidence and sense of security
Such leaders struggle with communication, impairing their ability to effectively lead the community. Often, they are overly concerned with their weaknesses and limitations, and sensitive to comments and criticisms. They may have taken up their role and responsibility as a leader, but are reluctant to learn from the experiences and leadership abilities of their predecessors. They are gripped with a strong sense of insecurity, unwilling to seek counsel from the elders, as they view the presence of the elders as a threat to their authority.
 
Insecure leaders often exhibit two extreme styles of leadership: indecisiveness and domineering. The former struggles with making decisions, the latter sees threat in every person.
 
8. Lacking in succession planning
These leaders are unwilling to make succession plans to find new leaders, or are simply lacking in the knowledge to do so. They may serve faithfully as a leader for years, until one day – due to illness, old age, or maybe even misconducts – they are forced to leave their position, and with no new leaders identified or groomed, the churches are thrown into chaos. This would result in a break in ministry continuity, new potential leaders being missed out, and loss of momentum in the church growth.

💡Pastor Lam offered some solutions to the leadership problems:
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1. Provide regular leadership trainings
Provide regular training to the leaders to equip and enhance their leadership competency, and also to provide a platform of support, so that they can be more effective in their service and ministry. 
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2. Provide and share leadership related resources 
Share resources such as books and movies on leadership and encourage them to pass on and share with other leaders. 

3. Identify local leaders
Identify experienced and matured leaders from the local community, recruit younger potential leaders to be trained and nurtured. To also provide them with leadership mentoring.

4. Include leadership training in seminary programmes
Many seminary students start serving in churches upon graduation with biblical knowledge, but not equipped in leadership skills to lead the community. They may be dutiful in performing religious rites like officiating the Holy Communion or wedding, but are found wanting on things like resolving conflicts, setting strategies for their ministry, leading and  communicating with people effectively etc. This is one big stumbling block for next-generation leaders to be effective in their ministry. As such, seminaries should include leadership education and training in their programmes.

5. More conscientious in leadership selection 
Many leadership problems can be traced back to a lax leadership selection process and poor screening criteria. It is essential to strengthen the leadership selection and screening process, and those who are involved must also adopt a Godly spirit and vision in choosing leaders. 

6. Establish an effective internship and mentoring system
Many seminary students are sent to serve in rural villages upon graduation, often alone. They often experienced huge pressure and strong sense of loneliness, feeling weak and helpless to lead the community and finally giving up their ministry service entirely. An effective resolution is to let them come under study and learn from an experienced leader for one or two years before setting out on their own ministry. 

7. Ensure that the needs of pastoral staff and their families are taken care of
We can do more to support the basic needs of the leaders, such as, office space for pastoral staff, their accommodation and transportation needs, salary and other financial subsidies, emotional support and care etc., including the needs of their families, so that leaders can serve with peace of mind without worrying for their practical needs.

8. Nurture and cultivate leaders with purpose and intent
Purposefully focus on growth and development in their leadership qualities; instead of only managing during crisis. For example, provide continual mentoring, targeted training in their leadership skills, and provide strategic empowerment, etc.

9. Making changes to the current  ministry model 
Many services and ministries in churches are only reserved for pastors, missionaries, or elder, when there are many other christians who are capable, experienced, well connected and even rich in financial resources, who are potential leaders that we should explore and nurture. 

10. Strategically train and develop next generation leaders 
Deliberately prepare the next generation to take over the role of leadership. Leaders must identify and nurture young and potential Christians for leadership roles, so that churches can resonate with the demands of the next generation, and continue to grow.

Finally, Pastor Lam concluded his sharing urging us to intentionally do all that is within our means to support the Indigenous pastors, leaders, and their families. Not just financially, but more so to become their friend, to regularly encourage and send them messages of support,  and to constantly pray for them. We can also share with them our skills, expertise, and experience, and to provide them with the resources that they need to help them grow. Other than that, we can also support by sponsoring their young leaders to receive training and education, blessing an overworked leader with a well-deserved vacation, or to financially support a specific Indigenous leader or organisation.

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Leadership Empowerment from the Lens of Shepherding

Shared by  Bishop James Wong ​

Bishop James Wong shared topic "Leadership Empowerment From The Lens of Shepherding"

The Basel Church in Sabah has been in existence for some 140 years, while the Indigenous ministry has a history of not less than 55 years. Currently, there are 43 Chinese language based churches, 10 English churches, and 136 Malay speaking churches under the Basel Group; among all the members of these Churches,  half are Indigenous members. According to Bishop James Wong, to properly lead such a significant number of Malay speaking churches, competent and effective leadership is essential. In particular, he stressed on the importance of leadership empowerment strategies and process. He further shared 10 key areas of leadership empowerment for the Indigenous church leaders:

1. First and foremost, have a good leadership selection and screening process. If no suitable candidates, select those who are willing to serve. Nurture and develop them, serve together with them, and help to discover their potential to become a competent leader. During this period, look for good and Godly characters,  like love for God, diligence, teachability etc., and thereafter, have the second round of selection and filtering. At the same time, continually pray for God to send the right people, as we believe a good leader is better than twenty unremarkable ones.

2. After the selection and screening process, give them a clear explanation of the purposes and duties of their roles. This is a crucial step, for we are not looking for volunteers for service, but engaging leaders with expectation and purposeful roles, and to avoid any possible misunderstanding with unpleasant outcome. 

3. After clarifying the purposes and duties of the service, provide them with specific trainings on church leadership. The trainings can be customised to suit the needs and purposes, either lessons in the classroom, or practical, hands-on learning in the field. We must also state our expectations for them during the training, for example: being upright in their personal lives, refraining from drunkenness, maintaining a strong spiritual life by staying close to God and praying daily etc.

4. Give them guidance and instructions on administrative and office operational matters. We must let them understand how we work, how we make decisions, or to provide them with an administration handbook, so that they can be quickly familiarised with the operations. 

5. Explain to them the structure of the organisation; as the structure is key to the development of the organisation, it is important to help the Indigenous leaders understand the internal working system of the Church.

6. Set goals and strategies to help the Indigenous leaders grow and improve. Teach them skills and knowledge on leading and managing teams and help them to become better leaders through periodical performance assessments.

7. If there’s a specific knowledge or expertise to empower them, you must guide and accompany them through the implementation process. At the right timing and when you are confident of their mastery, you can slowly let go.  One of the leadership taboos is micromanagement – do not require them to report to you every single thing, as it will only create pressure and discontentment for them.

8. Even as you have empowered them, it is unwise to leave them entirely on their own. We can continue to guide and care for them through training and monetary support.

9. Sending them to Sabah Theological Seminary to help equip the Indigenous Christians to be competent pastoral church leaders.

10. The Indigenous leaders need to be educated on community development and its importance; as most Indigenous people live in the most remote and poverty-stricken areas, the Indigenous church leaders must know how to help develop the community and bring economic empowerment to the people alongside their spiritual shepherding, to prevent the people from falling even deeper into financial and social plights. Through economic empowerment, the Indigenous people can have better opportunities in education, improve their living standards, become healthier, and eventually help to establish stronger and self sufficient churches.
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