Leadership
is where it starts and ends. This is not my idea but God's design for the church and family. In fact, this page is a presentation of His great purpose for the church. Our goal then is to understand it and then apply it. The following instructions can be presented in at least 2 obvious contexts, workshops and consulting. There are also more creative ways to get the job done, such as men's events dedicated to leadership training.

For All Leaders: The Organization of the Church (5 Lessons)
The early church leaders described the church in its two broadest dimensions: organism and organization. The organism of the church is the spiritual life of the church. Its deals with vitality issues such as prayer, personal growth, and fellowship. Scripture is filled with full-of-life images such as the body of Christ, branches to a vine, and fruits of the Spirit. This vital and important dimension is NOT the focus of these lessons. Though extremely important, the leadership lessons here focus on the other "o": organization. The organization of the church is the structure and government of the church. It outlines how this vibrant and living body can be formalized into an institution that will serve God. Scripture is full of evidence of how the church should be organized. The sheer presence leaders and specific job descriptions for them make it clear that God has a palpable plan for his people. This plan will be the focus of these lessons. Topics covered will be: principles of leadership, forms of government, the specific tasks of leaders, the doctrinal duty of church government, etc.

For All Leaders: Principles of Volunteer Development (5 Lessons)
One of the greatest challenges to leadership is the recruiting and mobilization of volunteers. Such volunteers seem to be few and far between as a mere 20% of the people do all the work while 80% stand around and watch. Actually, the situation is quite complicated as there are many psychological and spiritual factors at play. Understanding these factors is important simply because we are talking about people. People have attitudes, perspectives and feelings...and are sensitive. Understanding these complexities, showing sensitivity and respect to the individual will be important. The following is an overview of the five lessons.

            Lesson 1, The Wrong Ways of Recruiting: a humorous but brutally honest look at the wrong ways we recruit people into service.
            Lesson 2, The Right Heart in Recruiting: a confirmation of the right kind of heart needed in serving Christ. A full examination of 1 Timothy 3:1
            Lesson 3, Profiling the Uninvolved, part 1-situational factors: understanding the situation that surrounds the uninvolved person.
            Lesson 4, Profiling the Uninvolved, part 2-psychological and spiritual factors: understanding the uninvolved person.
            Lesson 5, Profiling the Recruiter: Understanding the mindset of the recruiter, the reasons to recruit and the reasons why he/she is reluctant.
            Lesson 6, The Nomination Committee: The vision, purpose, and strategy involved in the nominating of church officers.

Perhaps foremost is Pastor Tae's ability to mobilize potential leaders within the church first by helping them identify their unique competencies, second by aiding them in finding a need that matches well with their gifts and abilities, and third by equipping them with the knowledge and training necessary to lead that ministry. He does so with patience and compassion, ministering unto those that he is developing for leadership.  As an elder, I personally have benefited from Pastor Tae's ministry. He has provided us a biblical understanding of what it means to be an elder through an excellent in-depth training program that he himself has put together. I remember well our interview with Pastor Tae. At one point in that interview, he looked us in the eye and stated "you can count on me. I will not drop the ball."  No truer words could have been spoken.  In an age when clichés are common and promises cheap, Pastor Tae has been a man of action. Elder / Dr. Peter Hill, Professor at BIOLA University, La Mirada, CA

For the Elders:
The abundance of biblical material for church eldership makes this teaching to be the most difficult to accomplish schedule-wise. The commitment in my church, for example, is a three year (probably four) schedule of meeting once a month for two hours each. This commitment also involves a decision to study the Bible at a very deep level, making this endeavor quite a drawn out process. Along the way, there is "homework" ("ministry assignments") given as a way to apply the lessons learned. The other variable at play is the actual ministry situation. As ministry situations arise, it is critical that these situations and issues are raised in the training meetings, thus further destroying the schedule. The following is an overview of the major sections in the training. Each section has more than 7 lessons.
            Section 1, Character, Motive, and Abilities: a surprising amount of time will be dedicated to the person himself.
            Section 2, Basic Theology of Eldership: why male leadership? Why a plurality of elders? The teaching and ruling elder. His appointment.
            Section 3, The Task of the Elder: Team ministry. Defining the work. Sharing the work. Conflict management. Mercy ministry. Church discipline.
            Section 4, General Orientation: Leading worship. Serving communion. General Administration. Visitation. Leading prayers. General policies.

I have come to value Pastor Tae's assessment skills regarding church matters. His constant call to action, and personal effectiveness when he discovers a need or when the circumstances are thrusted upon him, have earned him the respect of all with whom he has worked. 
Elder Shawn Smith, Orange, CA

I met pastor Tae in 1998 when I was a graduate student at Westminster Theological Seminary. I had applied for a job/internship position at a church where Tae was one of the overseeing pastors. He graciously agreed to meet and interview me for the position one night after my fledgling Christian rock band had finished rehearsing. I have to admit that I was a little worried about being interviewed by a pastor for a ministerial internship under such unconventional conditions. But one of the first things that really impressed me about Tae was his easygoing demeanor and ability to connect with people. Tae was not at all put off by the circumstances of our first meeting, and even though I’m sure his ears were still ringing from the volume of my Marshall amplifier, Tae was accommodating and extremely approachable. Well, I eventually got the internship and quickly discovered that this aspect of Tae’s personality is something that permeates his style of ministry and, to my mind, sets him apart as an exemplar of Christian leadership. Chris Tennberg. Doctoral student in philosophy, professional surfer, Goleta, CA

For the Deacons and Deaconesses:
Much like the situation with elders training, scheduling is a church-specific matter as each church must work within its own challenges and responsibilities. Like the training for elders, this commitment also involves a decision to study the Bible at a very deep level, making this endeavor quite a drawn out process. Along the way, there is "homework" ("ministry assignments") given as a way to apply the lessons learned. The other variable at play is the actual ministry situation. As ministry situations arise, it is critical that these situations and issues are raised in the training meetings, thus further destroying the schedule. The following is an overview of the major sections in the training. Each section has several lessons.
            Section 1, Character, Motive, and Abilities: a surprising amount of time will be dedicated to the person
            Section 2, Basic Theology of Deaconal Work: The calling. The nature of serving. Mercy ministry.
            Section 3, The Task: Team ministry. Defining the work. Sharing the work. Calling vs. Task. Primary and secondary tasks.
            Section 4, General Orientation: Recruiting and mobilization. General administration. Mercy ministry. General policies in the local church.

Click to hear a sample:

More Specialized Examples of Leadership Training
Small Group Leaders Training: Real life ministry teaching specific areas of small group development and sanctification issues (personal growth challenges). The goal here is the equip the leader with a clear strategy for spiritual growth so that he/she can monitor and help in the personal growth of the group members. In this sense, the counseling skill of leaders will be developed. Practical resources in specific areas of growth will be presented. For more information, click counseling.
Marriage Workshop Leaders Training: The entire marriage curriculum is taught to the leaders with the goal of having them create small groups where they can teach these principles. For information on the curriculum, click marriage
Family / Parenting Workshop Leaders Training: The entire family / parenting curriculum is taught to the leaders with the goal of having them create small groups where they can teach these principles. For more information on the distinction between family workshops and parenting workshops, click parenting.

For consulting and private coaching, email consulting@pastortae.org