Steven Covey, in his book Principle-centered leadership states that effective leaders "exercise four dimensions of the human personality: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual" (Covey 1990, 38). I believe that in order for church leaders to become effective leaders, opportunities need to be offered that will assist them in their efforts to improve their ability to serve Christ, the community, and the congregation under their care. Throughout my own life, I have found that these four dimensions of the human personality are intertwined. When I participate in physical exercise, it impacts the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of my life as well. Something positive happens when natural endorphins inside us are stimulated, in turn, affecting our whole being. As I get older, however, I am learning that strength goes beyond our physical vigor. As I age, I am discovering that though I am losing physical strength, I am gaining spiritual strength as I learn how to better exercise the faith dimension of my life. Spiritual strength doesn't just happen, but results when my faith is exercised and trained on a regular basis. This impacts how I see myself in the other three dimensions of my life as well. Whenever I have taken steps to "train" for more strength in my spiritual life, this has resulted in renewed spiritual vigor, a deepened sense of call in my life, and an increased desire to serve Christ.
My desire is to create a program which will enable church leaders to exercise all four dimensions of who they are as God's servants and improve their ability to lead God's people. The basis for this program is founded in Ephesians 4: 7, 11-12, as taken from Eugene Peterson's translation,"Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift ... He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist and pastor-teacher to train Christians in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ".
The goal ofthis officer's retreat project isto improve the spiritual vitality of the church leaders at First Presbyterian Church, Mayfield, KY. As I reflect on my hiking experiences on the Appalachian trail and the lessons I learned as a result, my vision is to take church leaders on a spiritual hike or journey which will teach them to how to adapt and grow stronger in their ability to serve God as church leaders. The hope of this project is to provide opportunities which will promote the spiritual health of church leaders so that they can develop a stronger sense of competency in their ability to do such things as: lead a prayer in public, lead Bible studies, organize and direct committee meetings, help others in times of crisis, and have the confidence and security to share their faith story with others. The intention of this project is to equip church leaders with a program which will help them have a healthier understanding of what it means to serve Jesus Christ and the church.
