STANDARDS OF LEADERSHIP
Dear Leader applicant,
Well, here you are—applying to be on Leadership! More than that, you are exploring the possibility of entering into leadership in the body of Christ. You are probably pretty excited, maybe hopeful, and even a little nervous about it all. Trust us, we definitely understand.
The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy that anyone who sets his or her heart on being an overseer (leader in the church) desires a noble task, and indeed it is so. Giving of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually in service to God through Chi Alpha leadership can be worthwhile. Leaders serve sacrificially, but the benefits and rewards of leadership begin here and continue on into eternity.
Every year the staff does many Leadership interviews, and we receive plenty of questions about what leadership with Chi Alpha really entails. We therefore took some time to write out the answers to these frequently asked questions. Please carefully read the outline below and come to your interview with any questions or concerns. We encourage you to bring up anything that you do not agree with or understand. We are SO excited to walk with you in the great adventure of Leadership!
I. The commitment of staff to Leaders
We would like to begin by sharing what Leaders can expect from us, the Chi Alpha staff. The staff devotes a significant amount of time, energy, and emotion to the training and care of our Leaders. You can expect the staff to be intentional in every interaction we have with our leadership. We believe that as we encourage and teach you, you will be better equipped to encourage and lead those around you.
The staff commits to prepare Leadership Meetings each semester. The purposes of our Leadership Meetings are to provide 1) space where leaders can share openly about their experiences, 2) information regarding any upcoming events or tasks, and 3) continual leadership development and training. Every meeting, we want you to leave encouraged and with a greater understanding and vision for your Small Group/Team.
Finally, the staff commits to provide personal discipleship for each leader. A Staff member will meet up regularly with each and every leader. This may be one-‐on-‐one or in smaller groups of two to three. The staff desires to care for each person in leadership, not just as a Leader. We want to help develop you in your personal life, as well as in your leadership experience with Chi Alpha. We care about you! We sincerely hope that this year in Leadership is one of the best experiences of your life, though at times it may be challenging. Our calling is to walk alongside you and be there for you, no matter the experience.
II. The commitment of a Leader to the Chi Alpha community
Small Group: Once you are a Leader, it is important that you show up to Small Group every week! In order to be prepared, we ask that you would regularly set aside time to carefully and thoroughly plan for your Small Group meetings. The Small Group leader should meet regularly with those in the Small Group directly under their care.
Retreats: Retreats can provide great experiences for personal communion with God, deepen relationships within Small Group, as well as unite the larger body of XA. It is essential for leaders to be present so that they can be a part of the personal growth and group bonding that goes on at each retreat.
Leadership Meeting: We will have leadership meetings called Resource throughout the semester where we will meet everyone and other times seperate the Guys and the Girls . We ask that Small Group leaders do everything possible to arrange their classes and work schedules to accommodate these meetings. In the event that a leader cannot come to the meeting, they should inform the Staff of their absence and ask their co-‐leader to take notes for them.
Fall Startup: It is expected that all Leaders participate in all Fall Startup activities and events. This includes events, follow-‐up, and Mission: ULM.
Large Group (Thursday): The staff desires that Small Group leaders make every Large Group (Thursday) a top priority. It is essential for the leadership of a community to be present when the community gathers together. Your personal commitment to Thursday nights will be important as you encourage and challenge your Small Group members to be a part of the greater community as well.
Social events: It is up to you to choose which social events to attend, based on your desire, schedule, and the needs of your Small Group. However we have found it very important for you to make every effort to attend and recruit your Small Group members for social events, especially during the beginning of the school year when students begin to create their social circles at ULM.
We are aware that there are situations and circumstances that will make it difficult for you to attend all the mandatory meetings and events. In these cases, all we ask is that you communicate with the staff beforehand, so that we can make any necessary adjustments.
III. The commitment of a Leader to God
Scripture clearly teaches that those who are leaders in the body of Christ must live their lives by a careful standard. None of us are perfect; but we are all called to reflect the Lord Jesus as others follow us (1 Timothy 3:1-‐10). Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to “not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity” is especially applicable to a Small Group leader (1 Timothy 4:12). These ethical standards are not just expected of leaders, but the staff strives to live by these as well.
Growing relationship with God: As leaders, it is important for us to keep our personal relationship with God a priority. We will endeavor to nurture lives of prayer, Bible study, confession of sin, and obedience to God.
Dating: leadership holds to the scriptural teaching that believers should not be yoked together with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14; 1 Corinthians 7:39). In other words, if we are in a dating relationship, that person should share our foundational belief in and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. Sexual purity: Whether we are in a dating relationship or not, we are called to carefully maintain our sexual purity. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:3-‐7, we are to avoid all forms of sexual immorality, including pornography, premarital sex, and casual sexual encounters. We are also called to avoid even the appearance of evil – and so we ask that, as a further witness to the ULM community, a leader’s boy/girlfriend spend the night at a location other than the leader’s ULM home.
Alcohol: As believers, we have freedom to choose, within limits, how we interact with alcohol. The limits we see in Scripture are the following – excessive drinking is prohibited (Ephesians 5:18), the drinking age laws should be obeyed (Romans 13:1-‐2), and the weaker brother must be considered more important than our own freedom (Romans 14). We also ask our leaders be extremely thoughtful about their social life at ULM (fraternity parties, bars, etc.) due to their influence in the lives of other students.
Studies: We firmly believe that God has called you to ULM to be a student. Therefore, classes, assignments, and exams should be a priority in every leader’s life, with the attitude that it is the Lord Jesus who receives glory as the calling of being a student is fulfilled (Colossians 3:23). The basic minimum GPA is 2.5.
Tithing: Following Christ’s teachings, we believe that our hearts are connected to our wallets (Matthew 6:19-‐ 24). As leaders, we should therefore begin to practice generosity and learn to worship God through the discipline of tithing 10% (Leviticus 27:30). We expect that our leaders will tithe to the body of Christ wherever they are being spiritually fed, which in most cases is Chi Alpha.
Church Attendance: While we understand that Chi Alpha will probably be your primary community in Monroe, the local church should be essential to our Christian life (Hebrews 10:34-‐35; Ephesians 4:4-‐5).
IV. XA Leadership’s Statement of Faith
1. The Purpose of God
We affirm our belief in the one eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the purpose of His will. He has been calling out from the world a people for Himself, and sending His people back into the world to be His s and His witnesses for the extension of His Kingdom, the building up of Christ’s body, and the glory of His name.
2. The Authority and Power of the Bible
We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness, and authority of both Old and New Testament writings in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice. (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:21, Isa. 55:11, Matt. 5:17-‐18)
3. The Uniqueness and Universality of Christ
We affirm that there is only one Savior and only one gospel. Jesus Christ, being Himself the only God-‐man, who gave Himself as the only ransom for sinners, is the only mediator between God and people. There is no other name by which we must be saved. All men and women are perishing because of sin, but God loves everyone, not wishing that any should perish but that all should repent. Yet those who reject Christ repudiate the joy of salvation and condemn themselves to eternal separation from God. Jesus Christ has been exalted above every other name; we long for the day when every knee shall bow to Him and every tongue shall confess Him Lord. (1 Tim. 2:5-‐6, Acts 4:12, John 3:16-‐19, 2 Pet. 3:9, Phil. 2:9-‐11)
4. The Nature of Evangelism
To evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and that as the reigning Lord, He now offers the forgiveness of sins and the liberating gifts of the Spirit to all who repent and believe. Evangelism itself is the proclamation of the historical, Biblical Christ and Savior and Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to Him personally and so be reconciled to God. The results of evangelism include obedience to Christ, incorporation into His Church and responsible service in the world. (Matt. 28:18-‐20, John 20:21, Acts 2:32-‐39, 1 Cor. 5:20)
5. The Church and Evangelism
We affirm that Christ sends His redeemed people into the world as the Father sent Him, and that this calls for a similar deep and costly penetration of the world. (Matt. 28:19-‐20, John 17:18, John 20:21, Acts 1:8, Eph. 2:10)
6. Spiritual Conflict
We believe that we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare with the principalities and powers of evil, who are seeking to overthrow the Church and frustrate its task of world evangelization. We know our need to equip ourselves with God’s armor and to fight this battle with the spiritual weapons of truth and prayer. (2 Cor. 4:3-‐4, 2 Cor. 10:3-‐5, Eph. 6:11-‐18)
7. The Power of the Holy Spirit
We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent His Spirit to bear witness to His Son, without whose witness ours is futile. Conviction of sin, faith in Christ, new birth, and Christian growth are all His work. We also believe that all the gifts of the Spirit mentioned in Scripture are available today. Worldwide evangelization will become a realistic possibility only when the Spirit renews the Church in truth and wisdom, faith, holiness, love, and power. We therefore call upon all Christians to pray for such a visitation of the sovereign Spirit of God that all His fruit may appear in all His people and that all His gifts may enrich the body of Christ. (John 16:7-‐11, Acts 1:8, Rom. 12:3-‐8, 1 Cor. 12:4-‐31, Gal. 5:22-‐23)
8. The Return of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly, in power and glory, to consummate His salvation and His judgment. (1 Thess. 4:13-18, Heb. 9:28, 2 Pet. 3:13, Rev. 21:1-5)