“Your ministry will only expand as leaders are developed. You are at your best when you are developing leaders for the next generation”
It is a well known fact, that your ministry will only grow as leaders are developed, and yet the reason so many churches have a leadership deficiency today is because they did not develop a culture of leadership development yesterday. If there is one thing pastors and leaders are looking for today, more than anything, it is help in developing leaders. Recently, Lifeway Research conducted a survey with pastors in 2021, to discover what they see as their most pressing needs in their churches today. Can you guess the #1 issue that was identified by the majority of pastors? It was leadership development that came in at the top of the list with 77% identifying it as their number one issue that is concerning them. Over the past 40 years of ministry I’ve learned that wise leaders invest themselves in the things that will have the greatest influence for the longest time. The development of leaders is perhaps the most lasting investment a leader can make, having an impact well beyond one’s own life span. Leaders are at their best when they are developing other leaders and when they are identifying, developing and deploying emerging leaders.
You and I know that leaders do not fall from heaven; they are grown on earth in the context of the local church. If we are going to see a new generation of leaders in our church and ministry, we will need to be intentional and focused. I can tell you right now it will take time and effort and your schedule will have to show it. Without a sense of urgency, it will not happen.
In this article, we are going to take a high level look at a few key lessons learned over the years in developing leaders.
Developing Leaders starts with Discipleship: There is a direct relationship between discipleship and Leadership Development. If we are going to successfully develop leaders it starts with an intentional process of developing disciples; you can’t have one without the other.
What to look for in emerging leaders: While not new, I still like the acronym F.A.S.T. as a guide for identifying emerging leaders.
F – Faithful – They are faithful with their homework, being there on time, doing what they said they were going to do.
A – Available – They have the time and energy capacity to do what is needed.
S – Spirit Led – Their lives are surrendered to Jesus, there is evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, they are listening to and responding to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
T – Teachable – They are hungry and humble. Want to know the next book to read, podcast to listen to, always ready with a great question.
Keep the end in mind: Stephen Covey, in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, lists as habit two “to keep the end in mind.” In order for a person to develop, you must look at the total man. For this reason I am constantly thinking about the following areas of a person’s life and his development in each:
- Character formation – the being
- Competency training – the doing
- Cognitive training – the knowing
- Calling clarification – the what
- Chemistry issues – with whom
- Communion developed – the relationship
Every Leader has an Apprentice: If you are truly going to launch a movement of leadership development you will want to model from the top and expect all your leaders to have an apprentice. I would define an apprentice this way: An apprentice is not a co-leader or an assistant leader, but rather an apprentice is someone who is being equipped and trained to become a leader, who will be responsible for leading others. Your apprentice is your next leader.
When developing an apprentice mindset in your organization there are three areas you will want to cover with your team. How to discover potential apprentices, how to develop them and finally how to deploy them. The ideal learning environment for an apprentice is where information is received and then applied in the context of relationship. We are practicing leadership development not leader placement. It takes a relational environment for truth to become transformational.
Entrust them with Kingdom Responsibilities: In the same way one does not learn to swim by reading a book, so one does not learn to lead by reading a book, but by actually doing it. Leaders develop best when they are given significant ministry opportunities. There is no better teacher than experience.
This is where the 70/20/10 rule comes into play. When it comes to transformational leadership:
- 70% is from Experience
- 20% is from Coaching
- 10% is from the Classroom
I also believe in “The Show-How Training Model” in which the progression of involvement is:
- I do – You watch – We talk
- I do – You help – We talk
- You do – I help – We talk
- You do – I watch – We talk
- You do – Someone else watches – You talk
This brings the training full circle where they are now building into the next leader. If every leader in your organization is starting to think and act this way you truly will launch a movement of development.
Friends, in some ways it is very simple. Identify potential leaders, invest your life and time in them, and give them some responsibility and let them go. What is needed today is a new sense of urgency for doing just that. Having spent the better part of my life doing just that, I can tell you there is no greater joy, no greater sense of satisfaction, no greater investment than investing in young leaders who will carry the torch of leadership long after we are gone.
**For more information on this topic, read Steve’s full chapter on “The Urgency of Developing Leaders” in Leadership Under Fire by Dr. Don Hawkins and Dr. Saji Lukos
