- by Alicia Pollard –
“ Life and leadership are all about choices.
You are a MONUMENT
to the choices you have made
over the course of your life!”
Meaningful words penned by an individual with an understanding and appreciation for the role of leadership within the development of organisations and society.  
Pastor Simon Harris and Minister Denise Harris shared the same view as the writer of this citation, and thought it appropriate to use it as an incentive for the Leadership Development Seminar which they facilitated on the 1st November, 2008 at the R.L.I.C Training Centre.  The seminar accommodated members of the R.L.I.C who were, current leaders and members of various departments within the church, board members and youths with potential.  The main objective of the seminar was to train, develop and motivate leaders within the church. This training not only instructed on the traits of a good leader within the church, but on leadership qualities that are admirable in society as well. 
The seminar began at 9:00 am and opened with prayer and a formal welcome by Rev. Harris.  The participants were then encouraged to  participate in an interaction exercise in an effort to create a relaxed atmosphere  so that those present could be more susceptible to learning.  The exercise lasted for about twenty minutes and the facilitators and leaders eagerly sought the commencement of the seminar.
The Reverend launched into his address on Biblical & Contemporary Models of Evangelism.  In this address, he dealt with the Reasons for the Existence of the Church, God’s Master Plan to Reach a Lost World, Sited for Evangelism, and Factors that Militate Against Evangelism. Each of these areas highlighted the vast amount of work needed to be done in the Kingdom of God, and the efficiency with which it must be done.  It demonstrated without fail, the characteristics of a diligent leader. It is imperative that a leader possess a good reputation that precedes them, they must be ardently involved in areas that are of their discipline and shouldn’t be condescending or address those under their authority at a literary level they may not be familiar with.  Above all, it is absolutely necessary that a leader within the Kingdom of God live a life exemplary to that of Christ’s.  Your social disposition must not be of the world, whilst your evangelical disposition says Christ.  Therefore, in short, the exercise of good faith as well as strong leadership qualities just about captures the essence of Reverend Harris’ address.  This address lasted for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes and was followed by a short break. 
The second session commenced with prayer, followed by an address delivered by Pastor Denise Harris. She dealt with Servant Leadership, which entailed: Types of Leaders, The Leader’s Job, The Seven Pillars of a Leader and The Servant’s Duty. Her focus zeroed in on the specifics that have to be addressed by a leader and advice on how he/she may do so effectively.  Without a doubt many present appreciated the importance of this focus since this particular aspect of leadership many will find themselves tested and failing.
The morning session was fruitful and entertaining.  Whilst learning, opinions were shared, thoughts exchanged and jokes enjoyed (who said you couldn’t have fun learning?)
  The excitement continued into lunch and by this time everyone was in their comfort zone, ready to indulge in chatter, and to exchange views on the morning’s events; (don’t worry, no one choked and had to be slapped on the back).  Nonetheless it can’t be said that anyone was bored because people who never sat down to enjoy a good conversation got that privilege.  Those that never got past the occasional hi and bye routine got an earful and more than they catered for and those that never got a chance to personally meet others made friends all round. It was a wonderful sight to behold, God’s children enjoying themselves in His presence and all due to the need for the fulfillment of His purpose.
 You may be familiar with the cliché ‘all good things must come to an end,’ and the lunch break was no exeception.   The afternoon session also began with prayer, followed by Reverend Harris taking the helm once more and attending to the task of enlightening those present of the S.H.A.P.E. of a Leader.  This dealt with, The Greatest Resource of the Church, The Crime this Resource Often Finds Itself Committing, and How to Get Into S.H.A.P.E. The greatest resource of any church is its people and the crime they tend to commit, is the eighty-twenty rule; eighty percent of the work is done by twenty percent of the people.  As a result of this, dedicated leaders are overworked, the gifted people are ministering in areas of their weakness, and the majority of the congregation will be living in disobedience. It is because of this crime that Rev.  Harris thought it appropriate to address this matter that ails most churches and consequently the work of God.  Many of us need to be in S.H.A.P.E. (spiritual gift, heart, abilities, personality, experience), and with this weapon, as a church and an army of Christ we can be effective and successful in our endeavour to implement God’s master plan to reach a lost world.
To conclude the seminar, the Reverend led a Spiritual Gifts Workshop and distributed questionnaires with the aim of helping the leaders realize their spiritual gifts.
 The day’s proceedings were met with enthusiasm and a yearning to enhance potential.  The leaders were equipped with their newfound knowledge and were therefore ready to war against the spiritual battles they face everyday and to war against them with success!!!