In this issue we focus on global leadership development—younger leaders, international student leaders, women leaders from the Majority World, and leaders committed to care for God’s creation.
There is an urgency to develop younger leaders, particularly the Millennials and Generation Zers, to prepare them for leadership transition when the time comes, to keep them involved in the church, and to equip them for marketplace ministries. The authors Thilini De Visser and Joseph W. Handley show us how this could be done through modeling and mentoring in ‘From Generation to Generation: Modeling and mentoring to build the Kingdom’, drawing principles from Scripture and best practices. They conclude with some key attributes for developing and sustaining a modeling and mentoring environment.
A significant group among younger leaders are international students. ‘Each year, thousands of Christian international students either return to their home countries or move to a third country. Many long to serve God in a biblical and culturally relevant way, not just copying Western models,’ writes Phil Thomas in ‘Raising Up Godly Leaders Among International Students Around the World’. Before proposing three biblical leadership principles for developing godly leaders around the world, the author gives a critique of the many Christian leadership books available in the market and lays down the foundations for biblical leadership principles.
As ‘Christianity is currently growing the fastest in Africa, Latin America, and Asia,’ we see women from the Majority World, who ‘have always been grassroots leaders in the local context . . . now taking their place as global leaders who can mobilize diverse followers to accomplish a global vision.’ Based on this premise, Mary Ho encourages ‘Growing Global Women Leaders from the Majority World’ by discovering the ‘intrinsic strengths of women in leadership.’ However, she also challenges them to proactively cultivate cognitive, affective, and social abilities. She recommends some practical ways to develop the above global leadership competencies.
The ecological crisis is ‘impacting every corner of the world.’ If ‘Christian love requires us to respond to those affected by disasters, including the growing climate crisis’ and ‘if creation care is a gospel issue under the Lordship of Christ,’ how must we respond as Christian leaders around the world? In ‘Climate Crisis and God’s Creation: Calling Global Christian Leaders to Act’ the authors Lalbiakhlui Rokhum, Jasmine Kwong, and Dave Bookless address 5 challenges faced by the global church and encourage all, especially church leaders, to seize the opportunities to respond positively. They also provide helpful Christian resources for further and deeper learning in caring for creation.
Lausanne Global Analysis is also available in Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Korean. Please send any questions and comments about this issue to [email protected]. The next issue will be released in January 2024.