God’s purpose for the Church is to bring many sons to glory. For the Church to reach this goal, her leaders must lead the way. The leaders of the Church must be the first partakers of the glorious plan of God in maturing His sons. Generally, He must develop the character and personality of the Lord Jesus in the Church leaders before He can form it in His people at large. Many churches have emphasized the gift and power of a leader, for above his character development. This imbalance has caused many problems in the Church, including the backsliding of many leaders. Today, however, God is bringing us back to a balance between gift and character. The Lord is not concerned with a leader’s gift and anointing only. He also cares deeply about a leader’s lifestyle and character. He desires a balance between gift and character in every one of His true leaders. Major Character Areas The Christian leader today must develop his character in these eight major areas of life in order to achieve God’s goals for him:

Spiritual life

Personal life

Home life

Social life

Educational life

Ministerial life

Marital life

Financial life

"Character, in great and little things, means carrying through what you feel able to do." Johann von Goethe