Vision

Changing leaders & environments for a changed world for Christ.

The Problem:
What we have discovered:
- The Church in America is not what God wants it to be
- Overworked, burned out pastors
- Dying churches
- Pastors struggling to turn the church around
- Lay people with spiritual gifts, but no idea how to help the pastor or the church
- The church not impacting today's society

A Solution:
SLI was formed to address these real problems in the church.  It exists to help dying churches and struggling pastors, in part by training spiritually-gifted lay people who have no idea how to help the pastor or the church.  Our vision is to create changed leaders, changed churches, and a changed world for Christ.  (Rom 12:1-2; II Cor 3:18; Luke 9:23; Mat 22:37-40; 28:18-20; Rev 19:7). 

Changed leaders: We envision a new breed of clergy & lay leaders grounded in scripture and spiritual disciplines and with the joy of serving in their hearts (Ps 119; Lk 8:11-15; Eph 6:10-20; I Tim 4:4-5; Heb 4:12; Jms 1:19-27).  They will be spiritual leaders, living balanced lives of influence who will impact the world for Christ (Ex 33:15-16; Mat 22:37-40; 28:18-20; I Pet 5:1-11).

Changed environments: We envision churches who are freed from the desperation of ineffectiveness (Jonah 3; John 3).  Instead, they are empowered by gift-based ministry (Rom 12; I Cor 12; Eph 4) and Spirit-led teams of clergy and laity leading together to change the church and thereafter the world.

Changed world: We envision an ever-widening circle of changed leaders and changed churches, who therefore begin to impact their communities.  Community transformation is the first step toward cultural and national transformation.

 

Mission

Discover, Develop, and Deploy passionate spiritual leaders and teams for the transformation of churches, organizations, and communities

Given the multifaceted problems the Church now faces, we believe the starting point is to reform the leadership into a Christ-likeness to a point beyond what the world knows as Servant Leadership and beyond what the church practices, which is largely Solo Leadership. The circle then widens until the whole ministry is positively affected. The historical walls of a given ministry are then breached as we build new relationships with the community to change the world for Christ.

Values

Our Values: Our primary values are

  • Developing spiritual leaders who model a Christian community that learns and leads together
  • Creating environments that foster transformation
  • Establishing processes that produce fruit