June 15, 2023
Leadership Development
What a great month on the Leadership and the Church podcast! May 2023 episodes were focused on training up the next leaders of the church. We hope you will take a few minutes to listen in to each episode, but we’ve included some highlights below.
To weigh in on your favorite tools to developing leaders in your own ministry, leave your reply on the LATC podcast’s Instagram or Twitter accounts. We can’t wait to hear what your favorite take-away was!
Selecting and Developing the Next Leaders:
How do we select leaders?
Our host points out that his pastor likes to use the phrase “pick up a towel, not a title.” Encouraging leadership to service. So how do we know if people are interested in a platform or a service position?
Our guest’s church uses criteria from the Ideal Team Player book, they use the filter of Hungry, Humble, and Smart. Team players are usually really invested in the concept of team and not their egos. Another criteria their church uses is Character, Competence, and Chemistry. The candidates are run through a mix of groups and let the interviewee do the talking as much as possible. If by the end, you can’t see hanging out with the person for a Chief’s game, then maybe they aren’t the right fit for your team/culture. You can trick people for a time, but ultimately, their true character shines through. Ministry is inherently relational.
Excerpt from: Leadership Development – Selecting and Developing Leaders
Empowering and Releasing Leaders:
Releasing Leaders
Your ultimate goal should be to develop people so well that another church wants to hire them. But if you can keep them – if there is a seat on the bus – see if there is a lateral or upward move for them. If there isn’t any room, try not to be threated by departure.
“If God calls someone away, God will also call someone to us…Who am I to say no to that?” – Jon Pickens, College Church
Leadership Anxiety is a place we want to stay away from though. Not making decisions because of anxiety. All staff are with you for a time. You are responsible for their care, love, and stewardship while God allows them to be with you.
Excerpt from: Leadership Development – Empower and Release
Practical Steps to Developing Leaders in the Church
How much of leadership is natural, and how much can be learned?
Some things are natural, and you can make better if you apply yourself and take good care of those disciplines you’ve been gifted with. But some of it is just opportunity, in our guest’s opinion. Most people can learn how to serve people – which is the heart of leadership.
“Leadership is taking people from where they are to where God’s calling them to be.” – Dr. Estep. You can learn to do that, but you have to have a heart to do that.
Excerpt from: Leadership Development – practical steps to developing leaders
Finding the Right Traits to Develop the Next Leaders:
Developing Other Leaders
For our guest, the first five years of ministry and the mentoring he received during that time were very crucial. The discipleship, evangelism training, and studying the Word together, especially for someone who didn’t grow up in that environment, was very valuable for Curt.
When it comes to training and developing volunteers – well, really anyone – our guest believes that true leadership can see something in someone else and help develop that. He is energized by getting the right people the right seat on the bus. He believes that a lot of leadership can be developed.
Excerpt from: Finding the Right Traits to Develop the Next Leaders
Effective Leadership Developing Principles:
Passing the Baton
To develop leaders, we have to be intentional. That includes who you are going to pass the baton onto next. Ultimately, the goal is advancing the Kingdom of God; so, the more leaders we have, the more ministry we can do. “All great leaders must eventually be replaced.” – “What’s in Your Hand: Leadership Lessons from the Life of Moses,” by Dr. Eddie Estep.
Excerpt from: Effective Leadership Development Principles
Remember to join in on the conversation on Leadership and the Church’s Instagram or Twitter to let us know what principles you learned from this series.
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