In chapter 2 of "Good to Great," author Jim Collins elaborates on the attributes of a Level 5 Leader in a section titled "A Compelling Modesty." We liked the title so much because it also is an apt description of the Acts 6/7 Leader.

In interviewing people in breakout churches about their leaders and other pastors, we heard words like modest, humble, quiet, others-centered, deflects accolades, and open to criticism. In fact, the combined characteristics of the breakout leaders formed the pattern we call "Acts 6/7 Leadership." In the last Church Health Today, we looked at the first three stages of Acts 6/7 leadership, join me as we look at the remaining three.

Acts 4: The Passionate Leader

When John Ewart joined my consulting team, the Rainer Group, in 2001, one of his key roles was to provide an assessment of leadership issues in the churches with which we worked. After a year, he began to articulate an issue that I have observed over my 20 years of consultation: Leaders of healthy churches have an obvious passion for their ministries. The passion is evident in their preaching, their conversations, and their numerous leadership roles.

This passion is not a personality trait. We see it in both quiet leaders and gregarious leaders. They exude an obvious energy and love for the work and ministry God has called them to do.

Ewart says it well: "Passion is hard to define, but I know it when I see it."

Acts 4 relates how Peter and John were arrested and then, upon their release, were ordered by the Jewish religious council not to speak or teach about Jesus.

But the two men responded, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20 NASB).

The passion for these apostles' ministry is evident to us today even as their opponents acknowledged 2,000 years ago: "Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13 NASB).

Perhaps the last words the writer Luke uses in that verse describe passion best: "they began to recognize them as having been with Jesus."

Acts 5: The Bold Leader

The bold leader is willing to take incredible steps of faith, to make tough calls that few other leaders will make. The bold leader knows the mission and purpose of the church and is willing to take whatever steps are necessary to keep the church focused and on track.

Many of the highly visible pastors of churches today are Acts 5 leaders. They have led their churches to relocate, to undertake massive stewardship campaigns, to begin intensive ministries in the community, and to feel a discomfort with the status quo. They are determined and focused. And they are willing to pay the price when they perceive a certain course is best for the church.

Peter exemplifies this type of leadership in Acts 5 with his bold confrontation of Ananias and Sapphira. The couple threatened to derail the church from its forward movement with their deceitfulness over the sale of some property (Acts 5:1-11). God's judgment - the death penalty -may seem harsh to some people today, but the fact is that the church was able to move forward after this issue was resolved (Acts 5:12-16).

Acts 6/7: The Legacy Leader

Acts 6/7 leaders are hard to find. They have all the attributes of the previous stages plus more. These leaders, such as the Twelve mentioned in Acts 6:1-7, are quick to give ministry to others and let them take the credit for their work. Indeed, they desire to deflect recognition to others. They are quick to praise others and equally quick to accept responsibility for anything that may go wrong.

But Acts 6/7 leaders, like Stephen, are not merely concerned about the church during their lifetime; they seek to make decisions that will benefit the church after they are gone. This kind of leader is rare. We found very few within the thousands of churches we researched.

Today's Leaders

What is the status of leadership in the church today? We looked at 427 churches where we have consulted or done fairly extensive research. We then looked at the leadership and made a determination of their level of leadership according to the Acts 6/7 progression. We were surprised at the results.

Fewer than 1 percent of the senior pastors we studied have attained this level of leadership. Yet we believe that this type of leadership is needed for the long-term health of churches. Eight out of 10 of the approximately 400,000 churches in the United States are declining or have plateaued. Acts 6/7 leadership is desperately needed. Is there any hope for the American church?

I would not have led this research project, nor would I have written the book or these articles unless I believed there was hope. It is my passion to communicate to church leaders the characteristics of breakout churches and their leaders. My motive is not merely descriptive but also prescriptive.

Join us next time, as we will look at some surprising characteristics of Acts 6/7 Leaders. Until then, Dr. Rainer's book "Breakout Churches" is available from Church Central.

Thom S. Rainer, Ph.D., is president of Church Central Associates LLC and founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Considered one of the leading experts on the church today, he is the author or co-author of 16 books on the church and has written articles or reviews for more than 30 publications. Dr. Rainer has also served as a pastor and interim pastor in 10 churches and has consulted with more than 300 churches, denominational entities and religious organizations.