(spiritual) leadership development

In chapter three of Spiritual Leadership, the authors point to a different book titled The Making of a Leader by author Robert Clinton. Clinton offers a six stage model of how God develops leaders.

Phase One: Sovereign Foundations
God's activity during life's formative years. Parental love, birth order, childhood illness, prosperity or poverty, loss of loved ones, stability versus upheaval are factors over which children have no control...the way emerging leaders respond to these factors determines much of their leadership potential.

Phase Two: Inner Life Growth
The period in which people develop their character as well as their spiritual life - no longer subject to whims of fate but are in a position where they can systematically be transformed to think and act like Christ. Leaders without the Holy Spirit are much more subject to their pasts than those whose characters are shaped by the Holy Spirit working within them.

Phase Three: Ministry Maturity
This is when people make their earliest attempts at Spiritual leadership, perhaps volunteering in some capacity in their church. What leaders learn from these early experiences will largely determine how they advance in leadership ability.

Phase Four: Life Maturing
When spiritual leaders begin to focus on their strengths and find leadership opportunities in which they can be most effective - God moves from working in the leader to working through the leader.

Phase Five: Convergence
When people's ministry experiences and their life experiences meet in a specific job or responsibility wherein they draw on all they have learned in order to enjoy maximum effectiveness. This will be the job or role for which they are best known and in which they experience their greatest fulfillment.

Unfortunately, many never reach convergence. Some leaders never find jobs or challenges that bring to fruition all that has gone before in their lives. When leaders neglect the Holy Spirit's role in their lives, they never reach their full potential.

Phase Six: Afterglow or Celebration
This is a level of leadership few achieve. It comes after one has successfully led others for a significant period of time. A time for teaching the next generation. These leaders have nothing to prove. Others respect them not because of their position of influence, or even because they are continuing to lead, but because of who they are and what they represent.

What an impressive trajectory! What makes the difference between those who complete the phases and those who don't? According to the authors, it is reliance on the Holy Spirit's promptings. I believe I have passed through phases 1-4. I hope and pray for convergence. I long to find the right opportunity that utilizes my experiences in a God honoring way. I want to reach that culmination of effort. God has led me to this place, which exceeds my wildest dreams, I trust he will lead me on.

Which phase are you in? Is that where you would like to be?