This is an article I wrote for the March 2013 issue of the Sabbath Recorder.
The Bible has
multitudes to say about leadership. From Joseph's integrity shown in
his rise in Egypt, to Moses heeding the advice of his father-in-law
to delegate, to David being fearless in following God's will before a
giant, to the wisdom of Solomon, to the organization of Nehemiah, to
the servant leadership of our Lord, and the frankness and direct
approach of Paul, we see that while God wants us to follow Him first
and foremost that He provides for us leaders who help and equip us to
get there.
Raising,
developing, and unleashing new leaders is one of the most difficult
things to do in the church today. It is the topic of many books and
conferences. Most seminaries require courses in leadership for their
students. It is most certainly a “buzz” word in Christian blogs
and magazines. Yet, through all the talk and hooplah, how many
churches are really applying this biblical principle of reproducing
leadership?
It seems, through
looking at the examples of discipleship in the Bible, that one of the
most important things that any Christian (or Christian leader) can do
is to multiply themselves. Most people in today's society strive to
do this by attempting to have themselves in multiple places at the
same time. This never works. It makes much more sense to work with
God to encourage and equip those He has gifted to help serve and lead
His church in your midst.
During the last
six years of my pastorate, the most important (and one of the most
enjoyable) things that I have been able to do is to invest the time
given to me by God in others whom God has called into leadership. It
was a privelege to have a few great mentors along my journey who
invested knowledge, wisdom, time, money, and emotions in my
development as a pastor and leader. To this day, those mentors are
still investing in my development, as well as my peers, and the
congregations I have served.
THE DIFFICULTY OF
MORE LEADERS
However, the
reality of today's church is that raising, developing, and unleashing
new leaders is one of the most difficult things to make happen. There
are a few reasons for that.
First, Satan does
not want church leaders to proclaim the Kingdom of God. So, he lies
to them and convinces leaders that they can minister by and to
themselves. He causes pride to become a stumbling block in raising a
generation of selfless, Kingdom centered leaders.
Second, there has
been too low expectations placed upon church membership. The church
has become so happy with attendance that we have rarely required much
else.
This leads to the
third reason. There has been too high expectations placed on church
leadership. Our biblical picture of church leadership from Acts 6
shows the apostles gathering help so that they don't neglect their
ministry of prayer and proclaiming the Word. The modern picture of
church leadership has us struggling to get members to serve each
other and our communities. This has not only the ministry of prayer
and proclaiming the Word neglected but also has our members expecting
the church leadership to do everything. This has created the consumer
culture of church today where churches feel the need to cater to the
perceived needs of the members and/or community (youth groups,
children's ministry, worship shows, etc.) instead of their real need,
Jesus.
WHO ARE THE LEADERS
OF A CHURCH?
When taking a look
at the passages of Scripture concerning church leadership in
Scripture, such as 1 Timothy 3, there is a clear indication of two
offices of leadership in the New Testatment church: pastor or elder
and deacon. Due to the importance of the local church as the agent of
the Kingdom of God in the present age and SDB's historical use of a
covenant membership structure and congregational polity, church
member is also a level of leadership and responsibility in the local
church.
WHY MORE LEADERS?
Developing and
discipling new and more leaders is of the utmost importance because
the advancement of the Kingdom of God is at stake. Leaders should be
raised, trained, taught, and guided to lead the mission of God not a
program of the church. Programs (no matter how good they are) were
not made to last forever. However, the Kingdom and reign of God
through our Lord Jesus Christ will last forever.
As we disciple and
train more leaders, they will learn a culture of investing in and
discipling others. The leaders that your church develops will develop
more leaders. This is how movements are born.
If creating more
local churches in more cities and countries is a priority for Seventh
Day Baptists, then there is a need for more leaders. As we desire to
advance the Kingdom of God with gospel-centered SDB “embassies”
planted all around North America and the globe, the equation is
simple: more churches = more leaders.
In the operation
of the local church, one person was never meant to shoulder the
burden of leadership. With different gifts and different experiences,
the leadership of the local church should be placed in the hands of
biblically qualified people to shepherd, guide, and administrate it
toward the mission of God. Churches that have a shared leadership
structure are poising themselves for the growth that God will bring
them.
Maybe the best
reason for developing more leaders: Jesus did. It was His example to
invest in the leaders of His church. He chose them. He dedicated His
teaching and ministry on His disciples, primarily. He did this
because He knew He would have to leave someone to carry on and lead
the mission He was entrusted. His concerted effort was found in
developing eleven men to develop more leaders.
WHERE ARE THE
LEADERS?
The leaders that
need your investment are probably worshiping next to you every week.
It is possible that they haven't even started attending your church
yet. They might be in the youth group, or college, or in the senior
citizens center.
Leaders for the
local church should not be developed because of the length of their
membership or their expertise in the marketplace but rather for their
passionate love for Jesus Christ and for His bride, the church. Take
a look to the potential that God has given them and their spiritual
trajectory.
Qualities for
potential leaders can be demonstrated in competency, character,
caring, and responsibility. Potential leaders can be taught many
things but they cannot be taught the fruits of salvation as
demonstrated through their integrity, character, and love for others.
Questions that you
should ask of yourself when looking to invest in potential leaders:
Is this person
qualified biblically (above reproach, repentant, participatory,
etc.)?
Is this person
teachable? Do they have a learning spirit? Do they strive to glorify
Jesus in everything?
Can they be
entrusted to be faithful in little tasks? Do they ask for
help/guidance when needed?
Do they willingly
serve others? Are they looking for ways to show the love of God to
others?
HOW DO WE DEVELOP
LEADERS?
Leadership is
lifelong learning. One of the greatest things that happens to a
leader when they are investing in the lives of others is that God
teaches them through those they are mentoring.
The best way to
invest and develop leaders is to let them take a look at what
leadership of Jesus' church looks like through your perspective.
Share your experiences with them. Let them participate in what you
are doing. Let them see how you handle the great successes that God
brings to your church. Let them see how you handle mistakes when you
make them.
Give those who
will be leaders the opportunity to lead and learn and make mistakes
while you are there. Let them do something. Let them fail. Let them
try again.
Allow your leaders
to learn from others besides yourself. There are so many things for
us to learn from others. Pick people whom God has gifted and you
admire and spend the time to see how God made them into who they are.
Encourage your
leaders not just with praise but also with “constructive”
feedback. Provide them with ways to evaluate and see the evidences of
God's grace in their life.
Your investment in
raising more leaders will be an investment in eternity!
