Equipping and Empowering Biblical Leaders at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Abstract

This project sought to develop a leadership development pipeline at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to provide clear pathways for concretely and effectively leading attenders from first-time visitor all the way to Great Commission character, competency, and calling. Chapter 1 describes the ministry context of Bridgeway Church and establishes the project’s goals. Chapter 2 provides a biblical and theological understanding of the appropriate character, motives, and agenda of biblical leadership, as well as the imperative need to develop and equip biblical leaders. Chapter 3 explores: (1) how extra-biblical development principles and practices can inform—through common- grace wisdom—the construction of a local church’s leadership development pipeline, and (2) how a biblical theology of leadership development nuances, pushes back against, and even debunks certain aspects of secular leadership theory. Chapter 4 describes how the project was carried out, and chapter 5 evaluates the project’s purpose, goals, strengths, and weaknesses. The goal of this project is to assist local church leaders in restoring leadership development to the local church and restoring the gospel to leadership development.