Giving leadership
is driven by the Kingdom of God and the goal of resourcing others to help make disciples.

Closed leadership’s
primary value is “my” ministry.

Giving leadership
is genuinely excited and happy when God blesses others and their ministries.

Closed leadership
is suspicious of other leaders and ministries because it sees them as competitors.

Giving leadership
asks, “How can I equip, empower, and develop others?”

Closed leadership
asks, “How do I hold on to what I have and keep from losing it?”

Giving leadership
wants to see new leaders emerge and take on key roles of responsibility, along with taking appropriate risks.

Closed leadership
stops movement, and the mission becomes focused on not losing what has been gained. People turn into instruments instead of image-bearers.

Giving leadership
looks to deploy the best resources and people strategically for ministry.

Closed leadership
looks to always keep the best resources and sees people being sent out as a “loss.”

Giving leadership
operates on trust and cooperation (Faith).

Closed leadership
operates on control and suspicion (Fear).

Giving leadership
creates processes and organization that enhances what the Spirit is doing.

Closed leadership
lets outdated organizational models and increasing policy hinder ministry.

Giving leadership
is always asking if current methods and organization best serve the mission.

Closed leadership
treats the maintaining of established—and sometimes no longer effective—models as the mission.

Giving leadership
looks to train, provide feedback, and send out all members to their communities and workplaces as missionaries.

Closed leadership
focuses more on programs for members, with experiences that are often passive and deal with the accumulation of information.

Giving leadership
invests heavily in developing leaders, volunteers, and people, remembering that people are ministry and ministry is people.

Closed leadership
invests primarily in facilities and programs.

Giving leadership
creates community where people are really known and hands-on learning takes place, joyfully giving away authority, influence, and leadership to others.

Closed leadership
mistakes large turnouts for actual development and spiritual maturation, and is often too slow to delegate responsibility—which causes emerging leaders to leave.

Giving leadership 
creates unity, healthy communication, and loving ways to deal with conflict. Conflict is not feared but approached with humility and desire for reconciliation. Repentance is the norm and routinely modeled. Humility is the governing ethic.

Closed leadership
expects conformity, and issues are often suppressed until they manifest in unhealthy ways. Conflict is avoided due to lack of belief in real reconciliation. Repentance is seen as weakness or too risky, and some leaders appear “untouchable.”

Giving leadership
stays true to the mission, but is flexible with methods. Convictions do not change, but conditions and contexts do.

Closed leadership
remains devoted to what has always been done, making it what must always be done.

Giving leadership
promotes a freedom to fail and a culture of learning rather than assigning blame.

Closed leadership
maintains the same methods even when they are no longer effectively discipling anyone. Questioning them becomes akin to organizational heresy.

Results

Giving leadership
motivates people by grace to serve, give, and grow.

Closed leadership
fills slots temporarily with people since there's a “need,” but service will be half-hearted and quickly dwindle off.

Giving leadership 
focuses on how people can contribute and participate.

Closed leadership
is willing to give little, but uses and consumes people.  

Giving leadership
develops people so that they grow into greater ownership and responsibility. Over time they begin to reproduce themselves and create more leaders. They are known and want to know others. Hence you have a “sticky” church.

Closed leadership
does not develop people; it uses them. They do only what is asked and do not look to reproduce themselves.

Giving leadership
moves ministry further faster as calculated risk, experimentation, and initiative are highlighted and encouraged. Goals are shared as ways that God’s grace can be seen and celebrated.

Closed leadership
slows and stalls ministry as fear and failure lead people not to risk but to be oriented toward self-preservation. Goals are used to get people to do what they are needed to do.

Eternal influence

Giving leadership
forms disciples who are winsomely compelling and effective to the lost world around us. People become more like Jesus (Rom. 8:29), and more people in our communities meet Jesus.

Closed leadership
does not develop mature disciples, which means that the lost world around us is less likely to encounter mature disciples of Jesus.