We are living in a season where God is raising a new breed of apostolic leaders and ministers. Here below you will find 15 characteristics and in part 2 another 15.
- They are focused on their mission. They can’t be bought with money or bribed by opportunities to deter from their assignment.
- They are concerned with quality, not quantity. They could care less how many people attend their church, how many churches they have under their care or how many leaders look to them for covering. Their desire is to see those they are in relationship with become everything God called them to be.
- Their pursuit is to see God’s Kingdom expanded, not to build their own kingdom. They don’t work to build their own reputation. They just want to see the name of Jesus become famous.
- They have the heart of the Father. They truly want to see their children far surpass them in their spiritual accomplishments and will do whatever it takes to see that happen.
- They zero in on their jurisdiction, the territory into which they’ve been sent and the people, leaders and churches they have been assigned to assist. They refuse to steal people from other leaders because they respect other leaders and their assignments and jurisdictions. They take seriously those God has given them to develop and oversee and don’t neglect their responsibility for the sake of personal gain.
- They don’t just talk, they take action. They’re not about impressing others or flattering them. They only speak the truth and they live what they preach.
- They are full of grace and truth just like Jesus. They have a strong Word ministry and fully function in the gifts of the Spirit. Their aim isn’t to be a professional orator but to walk in the demonstration of the Spirit. And part of that demonstration is ministering the Word with a spirit of wisdom and revelation that destroys strongholds and sets the captives free.
- They are very humble and teachable, continuing to learn and develop godly character from the Lord and other leaders. They have a servant’s heart and refuse to be idolized by others.
- They have a divine hatred for the spirit of the world, that which tempts them with the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. They refuse to allow carnality to co-exist with the gifts and calling of God. And they don’t tolerate these things in leaders they are developing and oversee. They protect the divine investment from the Lord in those they serve.
- They aren’t controlling or demanding. They function in leadership from the perspective of godly influence, not selfish control. They don’t leverage their title or position to take advantage of people for financial gain or other selfish endeavors.
- They live as a counterculture in the territory they are sent to. They function in their ministry as an embassy of heaven to extend the culture of heaven in their territory. They refuse to conform to the culture they live in. They build their church and other ministries they oversee to increasingly mirror heaven’s culture, exposing the inadequacies of earthly culture and leading people into greater freedom in God’s presence.
- They firmly believe and function in apostolic teamwork. They refuse to be a one-man show when they have a revelation of church as the family of God. They activate everyone around them to be who God says they are to be and involves them in the ongoing transformative ministry of Christ in the church and territory.
- They maintain the priority of character over giftedness. This is evidenced in their personal life as well as the qualifications of leaders in their church and under their care they promote. And when necessary they aren’t afraid to set people down who lose this priority and to restore them in a godly fashion.
- Although their pursuit is to seek God for divine revelation and then to obey what God says, they aren’t afraid to try new things, learning through trial-and-error. And they make adjustments along the way, discovering how their unique gift set, education, experience and perspective along with their leadership team and the demographic of people they are sent to combine to create a wise approach to building a Kingdom embassy. They use creativity to reach the unreached and divine strategy to engage in aggressive discipleship and leadership development. They also encourage leaders to think outside the box in terms of their own development and ministry.
- Wisdom is a higher priority over revelation or new information. They don’t elevate themselves because of the revelation they access but glorify God through the wisdom they live by. They don’t seek to impress others with their latest revelation but they seek to empower others through divine wisdom they’ve obtained.
Guestwriter’s Bio
Bo Salisbury ministers in the US and around the world, strengthening churches and encouraging leaders to break through every limitation that hinders the advancement of God’s Kingdom in the earth. He has a passion for reform and unity in the body of Christ, and his ministry is characterized by apostolic teaching with signs and wonders following.
In addition to speaking, Bo is an author, songwriter/producer and leads Kingdom Culture Exchange, a leadership network consisting of a diverse group of 5-fold leaders around the world. He also leads a school of ministry for leaders: Kingdom Culture Institute. He lives in Uniontown, Ohio. For more info go to www.kingdomcultureexange.com