LEADERSHIP AND FOLLOWERSHIP

PROFESSOR BEN ONYEUKWU (REV)

             NCE, (ENG.) ND/HD (JOURNALISM), DIP; BA, (THEOLOGY), MA, PhD

Leadership and followership

Introduction:

According to Iloeje, Audu and Anozie (2001:33), for one to know what leadership and followership mean, one must first of all find out who is a leader and who is a follower. In view this, Ukegbu Merry and associates put forth that, a leader is a person who shows the way and guides another person or group of persons to attain a goal or accomplish a task, as well as define a follower as, ‘anyone who accepts the authority of another person, obeys his instruction and yields to his advice. In an attempt to inspire a better understanding of who is a leader, and who is a follower, Iloeje, Audu and Anozie cite that, “society generally has people who tell others what to do, and others who do what they are told to do. According to them the first set of people lead, whereas, others follow. So, the first sets of people are leaders and the second sets are followers.

         Having cited the above, what is therefore, leadership and what is followership?

The meaning of leadership:

          Ikwumelu in Ajaegbo and Ibezim (2001:45) remarks that, “the term ‘leadership” is derived from the Latin word, ”ductus”, meaning to lead”. He equally notes that, leadership as a word appears in virtually all the fields of study and in each of these fields, it evokes different and varied meanings. In the words of Iloeje, Audu and Anozie, “leadership is therefore, the service of leading people”, whereas, Alexander (2011:51) says, it is the state or position of being a leader.

Types of Leadership

           leadership is of various types and numerous. However, in this course, we shall be looking at the following:

1.     Family leadership:

            According to Iloeje, Audu and Anozie (2001:34), “in the family situation, the father is the leader. He occupies the family leadership position, and other members of the family are followers, who he guides, maintains and protects.

2.     Traditional Leadership:

         The traditional leadership position is occupied by a traditional ruler. Ukegbu and associates (2010:48) opine that, this kind of leadership is based on a people’s custom. Therefore, a traditional  ruler may be defined as someone who rules the people in line with their customs. In Nigeria, the Igbos call them “ezes” the Yoruba people refer to them as “obas”, and the Hausa community call them “emirs”, etc.

3.     Religious Leadership

           Religious leadership is the type of leadership found in religiou institutions. For instance, in  Christian religion, the bishop, pastor, elder are in leadership positions. In Islamic religion, the imam is in charge, and in traditional religion, the chief priest is known to be occupying the leadership position.

4.     Political leadership:

          Iloeje, Audu and Anozie (2001:35) posit that, “political leadership” is of various types, and the leaders run different types of political systems or governments, and  these they cite as follows:

(a)  Monarchy:

       These are political leaders who become leaders because they are born in a royal family. Such leaders are called monarchs, and their political leadership type or system is called a monarchy. 

(b) Aristocracy

        Aristocracy is that type of political leadership occupied by people from rich and powerful families. Such leaders are referred to as aristocrats. some very powerful kings in the Middle  East are aristocrats.

(c)  Autocracy:

             Also, Iloeje, Audu and Anozie (2001:35) cite that, “when a political leader rules all by himself, he assumes full and total power and issues laws and orders without consulting anyone, he is a dictation and he runs a dictatorship or a totalitarian or autocratic government. Hitler was a dictator in Germany in the 1930s.

(d)          Democracy:

              Democracy is said to be “government of the people, by the people and for the people”. In this type of political leadership, the leader has a cabinet of advisers with whom he discusses and whose combined views he takes to ensure that the collective will of the people is achieved.

(e)              Gerontocracy

               Gerontocracy is cited where political leadership is assumed by the elders in the society. In this type of political leadership, the elders who are in power rule by consultation and consensus

Functions of leadership

              According to Ikumelu in Ajaegbo and Ibezim (2001:56) leadership functions consist of, first, helping the group to find the means to a goal already agreed upon, and second, helping the group to decide upon a goal. More typically, individuals come to be accepted as leaders because they provide focus for existing or emerging values and beliefs.

         Burgoon et al, (1974:147) outline a number of leadership functions some of which are hereunder discussed.

1.                 Initiation function: The leader ought to originate and facilitate new ideas and practices. It is equally his duty to resist new ideas when, in his own estimation, they are inappropriate.

                A leader that clings to the status quo and resists change by all means is soon faced with stressful followers and general uprising. A laissez-faire leader is rarely an initiator.

2.                 Membership function: A leader should ensure that he is a member of the group. He achieves this by mixing with the followers, emphasizing informal interaction, and taking care of their socio-emotional needs. An autocratic leader is lacking in this function.

3.                 Representation/Defiance Function: A leader should act as the spokesman of the group and defend the members from external threats.  The ability of the leader to carry out this function determines the rating of the group by others, and the rating of the leader by the group.

4.                 Organization function:   A leader should structure his own work and that of others. Involvement of the follower in the setting of organization objectives and in evaluation makes the execution of this function possible.

5.                 Integration function:  A leader should posses the skill of conflict resolution or crises management. He should at all times strive to create and sustain conducive industrial environment and individual happiness.

6.                 Gate-keeping Function:  A leader should function as filter and manager of information entering and leaving the group in interactive relationship with other groups. This is referred to as gate-keeping function.

7.                 Reward function: The leader evaluates and assesses the performance of the followers. He expresses approval or disapproval of their behaviour, via material rewards such as salary increases or by conferring status, praise, or recognition.  In all these, he allows objectivity to hold sway.

8.                 Production function: In some cases, a leader is responsible for getting a task done. When this is the case, he has to device ways and means of achieving the objective without neglecting the socio-emotional needs of the followers.

   Qualities of good leadership

           Good leadership must demonstrate certain qualities if progress would be made in an organization. In line with this, Alexander (2011:54) outlines that a good and true leader is one who does his work honestly. In other words, a good leader is honest and:

    Disciplined

    Punctual to office or work

    Shows probity of character

    Speaks up for justice

    Faithfully carries out personal, family, religious and civic duties

    Shows initiative when tempted to do nothing

    Encourages the down-hearted, less-privileged, widows, physically challenge, etc

    Takes unpopular, but essential stand

    Forgoes some luxuries to help those who have little or nothing

    Respects the personal freedom of others

    Has the impelling desire of promote the temporal and external interest of all

    Respects and cares for self and develops his/her God-given talents

    Has the capacity to influence others towards positive achievements

    Remains ever focused

    Makes others feel important

    Tolerates mistakes of others with patience

    Humble and open to new ideas

    Proficient and has good knowledge of the task at hand

    Democratic and allows others people’s positive ideas to feature.

The meaning of followership:

                     In the words of Iloeje, Audu and Anozie (2001:33), “followership means the status of a follower or the act of following a leader, and according to Alexander (2011:52), “followership refers to the act of supporting an ideas or person or group of persons, etc.

                  However, Ikwumelu (2001:49) stresses that, “followership as a term is often used in conjunction with leadership. It therefore, shares most of the problems associated with the latter. It has an added difficulty of delineating a follower- after all, a follower at a given set-up could be a leader, and in another set-up , a follower, as he stresses further that:

1.     An individual who is a follower in one situation may be a leader in another situation.

2.     Leaders and followers control one another’s behaviour.

3.     Follower’s compliance is evoked by coercion, persuasion or conviction.

4.     Methods appropriate for the control of behavior of one group might be unsuitable for another group.

5.     Followership has as much responsibility as the leadership in ensuring group cohesion and continuity in organizational structure.

6.     There is closer understanding between followership and leadership in a democratic setting than in any other leadership-followership orientation.

7.     Followership is greatly influence by the socio-political environment within which it operates.

QUALITIES OF GOOD FOLLOWERSHIP

             Alexander (2011: 55), also says that the qualities of good followership are:

    Being humble and obedient to take instruction.

    Being hard working and focused.

    Being disciplined and punctual to work.

    Doing one’s civic duties and obligation as at and when due

    Accepting responsibilities that are appropriate to one’s status in life, for instance as a student

    Obeying rules, regulations and tenets that guide one’s place of work, school, country, state and society.

    Being faithfully to religious tenets.

    Loving and tolerating others in their different religious faith and weakness.

    Making “value” a watch word and doing everything that society value system demands.

ROLES OF A GOOD FOLLOWER:

According to Ikwumelu (2001:59), a good follower is an:

1.     Initiator: He should be able to propose or initiate new ideas, procedures, objectives and solutions to emerging and existing problems.

2.     Integrator: A good follower integrates the ideas or activities of other members following a clarification of the relationship between various facts, opinions and suggestion.

3.     Information Manager: He relates personal experiences relevant to the achievement of group objective, and seeks clarification when necessary.

4.     Opinion giver/taker: A good follower freely offers his own opinion on issues concerning the group and solicits the opinions and feelings of other group members.

5.     Elaborator: He clarifies and expands the ideas of others through examples, illustrations and explanations. He maintains objectivity and empathy in this exercise.

ROLES OF A BAD FOLLOWER:

Ikwumelu also cautions that the following roles of a follower are dysfunctional and should be avoided:

1.     Recognition seeker: This type of follower invites comments that focus on his achievements successes. He boasts of his skills, intelligence and purity of character.

2.     Dominator:  The follower monopolizes group interaction and wants to have everything his own way

3.     Anecdote:  The follower tells irrelevant stories, and in his bid to attract attention he dwells on irrelevant anecdotes.

4.     Aggressor: The follower insults and criticizes others. He exhibits jealousy and ill will.

5.     Blocker: the follower constantly and consciously objects to others’ ideas and suggestions despite the appropriateness of these ideas and suggestions. Through this negative attitude, he prevents progress in all spheres of group interrelationship.

6.     Special-interest pleader: The follower represents the interest of a different group. His loyalties lie outside the group he apparently belongs to.

In conclusion, and according to Iloeje, Audu and Anozie  (2001:33), there is no leader without  a follower, since a leader cannot lead himself . In the same way, there is no follower without a leader, since a follower must follow someone else, not himself . Consequently, leadership and followership go together. They are two sides of a coin, and no doubt, this is why experts consider the terms as a subject –matter.

                                    References:

           Alexander, O.A. (2011), standard   civic Education, Book 2,

Tonnimas & Company,   Nigeria.

           Ajaegbo D.E, ibezim, E.O.(2001), citizenship Education in Nigeria, an Interdisciplinary Approach, Solomon  Publishing Coy. Onitsha, Nigeria. 

                                              

               Iloeje,W.P, Anozie C.O.E, and Audu, A.R.E  (2001)21^ST Century Edition,                                                                              Junior Secondary Social Studies, Inselberg (Nigeria)Ltd, Enugu, Nigeria.

            Ukegbu, M.N, Mezieobi, K., Ajileye, G., Abdulrahaman   B.G., and Anyaoha,          C.N.(2010), Basic civic Education, for Junior Secondary Schools, Alphabet Nigeria publishers, Owerri, Nigeria  .

ELEMENTS OF CHURCH GROWTH

PROFESSOR BEN ONYEUKWU (REV)

NCE, (ENG.) ND/HD (JOURNALISM), DIP; BA, (THEOLOGY), MA, PhD

ELEMENTS OF CHURCH GROWTH

Introduction:

          Biblically speaking, the Church is designed to be a world-wide force for evangelism and impact in society. Giving credence to  the above view, James Poitras, remarks that, “we cannot have a realistic church growth without preaching the message of the early church, (Acts 2:38). He further notes that, “in preaching from our pulpit a word-centered/anointed, and also relevant and practical to the people, five elements of church growth based on Acts 2:41-47 must be considered”. In order for the church to grow, Poitras also remarks that each of these principles must be operating in the church and they must be in balance, which implies that non of the principles should be considered to be more important than another, as each of them is necessary”.

BASIC TOOLS FOR CHURCH GROWTH

1:1    Fellowship  

          According to James Poitras, the first church members were in unity; shared in fellowship and in breaking of bread. This is why it is important for each member to attend church regularly. The church, where fellowship is strong is a caring church where believers demonstrate a genuine concern for one another. Based on the foregoing, the scripture remarks that we should not be in the habit of “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is:  but exhorting one another and so much more as we see the day approaching”, (Hebrews 10:25).

          In fact, the early church did not only have fellowship with one another but also with God, through prayer. The first church, in the

words of Poitras, was brought into existence as a result of prayer meeting and continued to grow as a result of prayer. Miracles began taking place in Act 3, as they featured prominently in prayer. Therefore, if the present day church must genuinely grow, it must adopt the cited twin approach in fellowship, that is, fellowship with one another and with God through prayer.

1:2 Discipleship

          We are called upon to make disciples, (Mathew 28:19). In the expression of James Poitras, this call, is a call to reproduce ourselves. Thus, the Apostle Paul says, “and the things you have heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also”, (2 Timothy 2:2).

          In the Great Commission, Jesus Christ placed “discipleship” at the top of the list on things needed to be done. As a church, Poitras continues to remark, “we must never forget about discipling and enabling our members “. By this, it becomes important to attend and participate in the elective series of teaching offered for adults and Sunday school offered for all ages, as this provides spiritual nutrition for us to grow.

          The early church did not cease to preach and teach (Acts 5:42), and so, filled Jerusalem with their doctrine, (Acts 5:28). Similarly, “we can only make a difference in our community, culture and country, as well as foster church growth when we preach and teach sound biblical doctrines that promote the knowledge of God. In this connection, Hosea remarks, “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”, (Hosea 4:6). Put differently, if we do not teach people what is expected of them from the Bible, as well as present such things in the way they promote sound knowledge of the living God, our quest for church growth will remain futile.

1:3 Worship

          James Poitras as well holds out that “worship and praise are vital to church growth, as he illustrates that, “in sports we realize there is something greater about a game that is played in front of thousands of people, compared to a game prayed in front of a few hundred people. He, therefore, notes that “as we gather together at church, there is an atmosphere of celebration, and so, when we begin to celebrate our God and what he has done for us, we are expressing our love for God. So, the start-off point for any concrete effort that leads to church growth is worship. Thus, Poitras equally remarks that “we enter the church to worship and leave to reach others for Christ. In other words, when we worship the Lord before evangelism, we definitely acquire power from his presence that makes for effective evangelism, that hitherto results in church growth.

FOUNDATIONS FOR CHURCH GROWTH

2:1    Prayer

          In the words of Ben Onyeukwu (2009), “prayer is the surest and strongest source of energy (power) on earth, and a foundation laid through it never falls. In this connection, every effort towards church growth must begin with prayer. This is because the demonic powers that seek to hinder church growth can only be overcome through fervent prayers. And, since Satan is the spirit strongman that hinder people from coming to Christ, he must be bound through prayer, if any meaningful progress would be made, (Matthew 12:29)

          Jesus Christ started his evangelical ministry through prayer. And, the inauguration of the church in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) was through prayer. Furthermore, throughout the history of the church, as narrated in the book of Acts and beyond, successes in evangelism that resulted in church growth were all through prayers. So, no fervent prayer, no church growth.

2:2 Fasting

          When prayer appears not to be effective, fasting must be considered. This is because certain strong forces of darkness cannot give way for the repentance and deliverance of people unless fasting is employed in prayer, (Mathew 17:21) Jesus used the weapon of fasting in his ministry,(Mathew 4). The Apostle Paul fasted often (Acts 13:) And, all through the New Testament church records in Acts of the Apostles, fasting was a regular habit (Acts 14:23).

          Fasting subdues the flesh and enable the spirit takes control of the realm of the supernatural. The church that refuses to fast cannot always be in control of its place of operation. This is because prayer alone cannot always dislodge certain powerful demons which, at times, may be posted by Satan to work against the church. So, as there is need for prayer for church growth, so is the need for fasting, at certain internals, as may be directed by the Holy Spirit, when the need arises.

2:3 Bible Message

          Church growth cannot be achieved by precepts in human subjects, but by precepts in the word of God. This is because God confirms his word with signs and wonders following and not the words of men (Mark 16:20). It is only the word of God that bears fruits in evangelism, and not the human stories we tell. This is why the Holy Scripture urges us to “preach the word”, (2 Timothy 4:2). In line with this, Gary Mclntosh and Charles Ann remark that, “the best growing churches in the world have solid biblical preaching at their core. These churches do not water down the Gospel so much that you cannot see the lifted cross”. And, by pointed to the lifted cross, it means that the biblical message of the gospel which seeks to foster church growth must present Christ and his cross and not the preacher, (2 Corinthians 4:5).

ACTIVITIES NECESSARY FOR CHURCH GROWTH

3:1 Visitation

          In the words of Charles Trombley and Gordon Lindsay (1989:3) “the ministry of visitation was foreshadowed in God’s dealing with the first members of the human family. The Lord visited Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He visited the children of Israel in the day of the Exodus. Christ’s incarnation was God visiting his people in the veil of the flesh, (Luke 1:68). When the Lord began his ministry, he visited the people in their homes. His first miracle was performed in a home” (John 2) Likewise, He sent his first disciples into the homes of the people, saying, “in whatever home you enter, first say, “peace be to this house”, (Luke 1vs5).

          Trombley and Lindsay, also remark that Church History tells us that the spread of the gospel in the early centuries, despite intense persecution, was extremely rapid. This tremendous growth, they say, was largely the result of their visitation programme”. In keeping will this tradition, therefore, the present day church, as a way of fostering church growth must, in the words of Trombley and Lindsay (1989:6), learn to.

i.             Contact those families who attend church  irregularly or who have been considered members of the church, but have ceased attending

ii.            Visit those who sign visitor’s cards at the services

iii.           Visit the homes of those who attend Sunday school, but not the other services

iv.          Visit new people moving into a community or city, etc.

3:2 Follow-Up                                   

          Follow-up programme is vital to the growth of the church, as it promotes interpersonal relationships between the church and members of its immediate environment. In this connection, Charles Trombley and Gordon Lindsay (1989:33), hint on approaching people on five levels of follow-up that would foster church growth. Therefore,  there should be follow-up for;

1     New converts from crusades

2     Inquirers and visitors who have attended church services

3     Those one has personally won to Christ

4     Those who are irregular in church attendance, Sunday school and backsliders…

5     Those who accepted literature (tract) during the house-to-house visitation

3:3 House Fellowship:

          House fellowship is another veritable tool for church growth, since it is a means of making people outside the location of the church become aware of its programmes. It is also a way of making non-members share in the fellowship of the church, especially those who have certain inhibitions that prevent them from becoming members of the church. In summary, therefore, house fellowship is a way of;

i.             Bringing the church closer to the people

ii.            Reaching out to people who have certain factors that hinder them from becoming members of the church

iii.           Promoting evangelism beyond the immediate location of the church

iv.          Bringing new converts to the church, etc.

FACTORS THAT HINDER CHURCH GROWTH

     For the church of Jesus Christ to scripturally grow, in any location of its operation, the full drive to evangelize and maintain the principles of God’s word must be in place. Considering the foregoing, Ben Onyeukwu (2014) remarks that the church cannot really grow where there are;

1.   Lack of spirituality

2.   Lack of the Presence of God

3.   lack of sincerity  of purpose

4.   Lack of sincere milk of the word

5.   lack of the love of God

6.   Lack  of motivation

7.   Lack of kingdom focus

8.   Lack of the demonstration of the power of God, etc.

FALSE VIEWS ABOUT CHURCH GROWTH

          Misconception on church growth abundantly exist in the circle of the Christian faith. To many, when a church blossoms numerically, such a church is successful and growing. But scripturally, and in the sight of God, a church only grows at the rate of the number of persons with genuine conversion, and are really candidates of heaven, as every other person outside the said range is not part of the growth (Acts 2:47). In line with the foregoing, this lecture note seeks to cite the following unbiblical principles of church growth.

5:1 Gospel without the Cross:

          Liberal preachers often play down the truth of God’s word in their attempt to attract people to their denominations. This is obvious in today’s church, where certain preachers have deceitfully watered down the massage of the cross, and have deceived many into the light-feather Christianity, through which no one can be saved.

          But, Jesus says, “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”, (Matthew 10:38). By this, Jesus declares that Christianity is not a “bed of roses”, as some preachers portray at present. He, also, made it clear that for one to become a true disciple of His, one must be prepared for the sacrifice of self-denial (Matthew 16:24). So, any church growth without the principles of the cross of Jesus Christ is false, and unbiblical.

5:2 Gospel without morality        

          The idea of growing a church with human gimmicks and all forms of propaganda is currently ravaging the Christian church. As such, most preachers, at present are in the business of bringing people to the church for what they get from them and not for the purpose of making them true believers or candidates of heaven. It is obvious today, that so many Christian pulpits are no longer propagating messages of salvation and revival, but those which give people false hope about the kingdom of God. And, this has given impetus to the influx of people in the church, who are, “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful and unholy”, instead of those with genuine Christian virtue and morality, (11 Timothy 3:1-5).

          Today, there is hardly a rebuke for sin committed or suspension for any immoral or criminal acts in the church. Instead, what is heard are sounds of “God bless you”, to sinners who carry the damnation of hell with them. As a result of this, millions of Christian denominations with the cited tendency grow at a jet speed with false hope of making heaven at last. Based on the foregoing, this lecture note brings to the fore, that any church growing without the Christian virtues of holiness, righteousness and godly love, is not really growing, but carries the propensity of false growth.

5:3 Gospel of False Miracles, Testimonies and Prophecies

          The Gospel of Jesus Christ scripturally carries the power of miracles, signs and wonders, (Mark 16:15-20). But today, false apostles, who have no link with the Lord and his kingdom, are busy destroying the church with “fixed miracles”, “arranged testimonies” and “false prophecies”, which seem to lure an unprecedented number of the unsuspecting individuals to their denominations. Such pulpit bandits, with the help of the press (or Media) market the gospel of materialism and false prosperity to the people, and by so doing, deceive many into falsehood.

          But, the true church of Jesus Christ grows by the power of the Holy Spirit, and not by the deceiving words of man’s wisdom, (I Cor. 2:4). Therefore, this lecture note seeks to draw the attention of the students to the evils of “false miracles” “false testimonies and “false prophecies”, which certain preachers employ in their bid to bring people to their self-styled churches, as well as caution them (the students) against the use of such antics in church growth programmes, since they are unbiblical and counter-productive in terms of what the scripture says about church growth, etc.

          In conclusion, the course, “Elements of Church Growth”  is one of the essential courses that any devoted student of the Bible should not treat will levity, as it borders on the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, which is the supreme task of the church, (Matthew 28:19). The course is more of practical than theory. Therefore, it is advised that the student who offers the course should accord it a priority to practicalize the church growth principles which the course presents, bearing in mind that the genuine growth of the church is on the topmost list of what the Lord wants the church to achieve on earth, and so, a failure in church growth, is a failure in every aspect of the ministry.

PUBLISHED 2014