10 Questions for Leaders: Mbonisi Malaba

The Unashamed Workman has a brilliant 10 Questions for Preachers feature. I thought I'd do something similar, but with more of a leadership slant.

First up is Mbonisi Malaba, who leads River of Life Church, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Over the past four years Mbo has become a dear friend, and I am looking forward to being with him in Zim next month.

Who is your leadership hero? Why?

(I assume you mean apart from Matt Hosier?) Bill Hybels. Why: White-hot intensity, a sky-high view of the church and a dogged determination to harness every ounce of his leadership potential for kingdom gains.

How long have you been in leadership?

Been leading a church for the last 6 years. Been in other forms of leadership from about 8 before that

What was your first leadership role?

Leading hostel bible studies in high school

How long have you been in your current role?

6 years

How long has your church been established? Did you start it?

6 years. I was in the initial planting team along with one or two others.

What has been the growth curve of your church?

Initial team of about 4 people in 2002. Our Sunday attendance grew to a peak of 200, and then plateaued to +/- 150 in early 2007.

What has been your biggest leadership challenge?

Can I give you two? I'd say my biggest leadership challenge would be my own character flaws. My second would be balancing the needs of people and the needs of the task at hand.

What has been your greatest leadership success?

In terms of life: winning the heart of my (now) wife Tash! In terms of ministry; time will tell...

How are you developing new leaders?

Currently it's all on-the-job training. I think we're going to move in the near future towards a generic leadership training track for all our church leaders, coupled with more hands-on mentoring and more task-specific leadership training for those in various roles.

How are you continuing to develop your own leadership gifts?

* I read as much as I can (I'd recommend Courageous Leadership by Hybels, The Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley and the Willow Creek Defining Moments audio journal for church leaders, next on my reading list is a bit more Andy Stanley, as well as some stuff by Marcus Buckingham)
* I hang around the best leaders I can, including leaders of churches larger or growing more rapidly than mine, and leaders in other areas of society.

(For more on Mbonisi see Terry's blog)