Understanding the 4 Common Places Bright Leaders Often Get Stuck in Their Development

by: VRcurator

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Todd Henry, founder of the Accidental Creative consultancy and author of the books Accidental Creative and Die Empty, wants us to redefine work: Work is any way in which you contribute value to the world using your available resources. Your body of work comprises the sum total of where you choose to place your limited focus, assets, time and energy.

If we redefine work as Henry suggests, then work is core to the human experience. In a recent post on his website, he adds the following: Our goal should be to give our best work every day and to not leave it inside or take it to our grave with us like so many people do. We all have a unique contribution to make to the world through our life and work, but unless we are purposeful about getting to it, others may never experience it.

There are three kinds of work that we engage in as we go about our day. They are Mapping, Making, and Meshing.

• Mapping is planning your work. It is when you strategize, conceive, think, plan, and plot your course of action. It’s the “work before the work” that helps you stay aligned.
• Making is actually doing the work. It is when you are creating the actual value you are being paid for, or doing the tasks you devised while mapping.
• Meshing is the third kind of work, and it’s often overlooked in the hustle of daily activity. It is all of the “work between the work” that actually makes you more effective when you are working. It’s comprised of things like following your curiosity, study, developing your skills, and asking deeper questions about why you are doing your work.

Depending on how diligent you are at engaging in these three kinds of work, you will occasionally fall into one of four “productivity profiles”.

To read the rest of this article, and discover your productivity profile, click here.

To read more from Todd, go here.

Check out our free SUMS book summary on Todd’s book The Accidental Creative. You can sign up to receive future release of SUMS here.

Tags: Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Leadership Engine, Staff Development, Todd Henry

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How Churches Can Improve the Development and Training of Leaders

by: Trevin Wax

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Today, I’m excited to welcome Barnabas Piper. Barnabas writes weekly for Worldmag.com, regularly reviews books for Leadership Journal, and blogs at BarnabasPiper.com. His first book, The Pastor’s Kid: Finding Your Own Faith and Identity will release in the summer of 2014 from David C. Cook. He lives in the Nashville area with his wife and two daughters.

Barnabas recently joined the Ministry Grid team at LifeWay, an online platform that helps churches in the area of leadership. Since Ministry Grid is launching in November, I thought it would be good to have Barnabas join me for a conversation in how churches can improve the development and training of leaders.

Trevin Wax: First off, Barnabas, tell us what your role is with Ministry Grid?

Barnabas Piper: I am the content marketing strategist for the Ministry Grid team. I work under Todd Adkins who is the Director of Leadership Development for Lifeway and the head of our team. My primary responsibilities are social media, the Ministry Grid blog, and developing news ways to use and share the wealth of content (video and written) we have.

Trevin Wax: In my experience, it seems like many pastors and church leaders think in terms of programs, and then they look for volunteers who can run the programs. Why is it important to train the people who serve in our churches, and how can this overcome an overly programmatic mindset for ministry?

Barnabas Piper: Programs can serve as valuable frameworks within churches, creating avenues for people to serve. But just as often they can limit a person’s effectiveness, kind of the way a menu tells what you can order at a restaurant but also limits your choices. Churches that have created a limited “menu” have essentially ruled out many people from using the unique gifts God has given them.

By emphasizing training – the development of gifts and calling to serve – churches are moving toward becoming a healthy body. Instead of having a limited number of pieces doing most of the work, it becomes a healthy whole with each person doing what God designed him or her to do.

Ministry Grid exists to help churches train every person and to do away with that limited menu of ministry options so that the whole church becomes a true body serving one another and ultimately serving Christ.

Trevin Wax: One of the aspects of Ministry Grid that encourages me is this idea of equipping people to do the work of the ministry. Too many times, we think of ministry as something the pastor does for the congregation, rather than something the pastor equips the congregation to do. What role does training play in this “equipping” function of the pastor?

Barnabas Piper: Ministry Grid is built with Ephesians 4:11-13 as the foundation. We believe God gave leaders in the church unique gifts and callings so that they could raise up, train, and equip the entire body of the church. That is when the church is healthiest – when everyone is equipped to serve and is doing so rather than standing idly by while the staff, elders, and deacons do all the heavy lifting.

Leaders should always be developing leaders rather than bearing the burden of responsibility on their own. Most leaders likely want to do this, and we are here to give them a means to do it well. The training aspect is putting the tools in the toolboxes and teaching people how to use them.

Many in the church would love to serve but don’t know how. Many aren’t sure what they’re good at. Training gives them the theological and practical resources needed to serve well and grow more.

Trevin Wax: What are the biggest obstacles to training leaders today? Time? Finances?

Barnabas Piper: If you asked pastors this question the majority would rattle off four answers in short order: time, money, lack of a system, or they just don’t know how. In preparing to launch Ministry Grid, our team consulted with hundreds of pastors, and these four obstacles came up over and over again no matter the size of the church, denomination, or demographics.

Trevin Wax: How does Ministry Grid seek to overcome some of these obstacles and assist pastors in training?

Barnabas Piper: Ministry Grid is a platform that is customizable for churches. This means we have eased the burden of creating a system by putting pieces in place that a church can rearrange to their needs without starting from scratch. It allows ministry leaders to assign training, track progress, and interact with trainees about what they’re learning. Since it is web based, users can watch the training videos any time that is convenient for them.

We have engaged hundreds of godly, skilled practitioners to give us training in areas of ministry from the parking lot to the pulpit. Each of them has proven his or ability and faithfulness and offers quality instruction in particular areas of ministry. This means individual churches and church leaders don’t need all the answers. However, if a church has training material they especially like or have developed themselves they can upload that and share or assign it through the Ministry Grid platform.

Cost is based on the average weekly attendance of the church and is an annual subscription. It comes out just a few cents per month per person in the church to make training available to all of them. Our goal is to make this accessible to churches of all sizes, and the pricing is scaled accordingly.

Trevin Wax: What’s the best way to get more information on Ministry Grid and how it might fit into your local congregation?

Barnabas Piper: Visit MinistryGrid.com. You can set up a free account that will allow you to preview the site and see a couple hundred videos for free. If you like what you see you can purchase a subscription for your church and gain access to over 1,800 videos, along with the full platform and learning management system.

Tags: Ministry Grid, Staff Development, Training, Trevin Wax, Volunteer Development

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How Do You Resolve the Tension of Enthusiasm vs. Oppression in Your Staff Position?

by: Will Mancini

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It shouldn’t come as a surprise that many naturally wired leaders and driven types rise to the helm of our churches. Each one is following the call of God in their lives and comes with a mixed bag of healthy leadership traits and “type-A” hang-ups.

That leaves you feeling the tension. Some days you are excited to be a part of something that is moving forward. Other days you may feel like you are working for a dictator who is building his own kingdom.

So what do you do when the primary unstated value of your ministry is “No growth, no glory!” How do you resolve the tension of enthusiasm vs. oppression?  You will probably never resolve it completely, but here are a few tips to help you keep sane and develop your own strengths as you lead.

#1: Cultivate your own progress orientation.  Believe it or not, you have a lot to learn from the healthy side of pr0active leadership. Remember, Jesus ran a lean-mean tight ship as the twelve-turned-seventy-two forged ahead city to city with urgency and focus. Where is God teaching you to cultivate a godly sense of urgency? Are you developing the willingness to take more initiative? How can you practice a bias for action even more?

#2: Tie all “push-back,” back to progress. It’s important to move past hasty disagreement or quick pushback. Don’t disagree out of emotion. It may be that you have better ideas. You may have key insights for sustainability and integrated efforts. You probably see the need a better system or process to define before launching the next ministry initiative.  The key is this: When you share you ideas or when you have to push-back, make sure you “connect the dots” back to progress. Don’t share your idea until you can demonstrate why it makes growth eventually better, stronger or faster. Many times I use the phrase “slow down to speed up” or “squat before you leap” to help a leader appreciate a season of “no new visible progress” in order to prepare for the next visible growth run.

#3 Play for pie even if your slice suffers. You must think big-picture as you manage your part of the organization. I was in a conversation yesterday with a leader who was struggling with a talented player who only sees his silo in the ministry. Nothing is more irritating for a leader who must steward progress for the whole organization. You will be surprised how this kind of thinking will come back to bless you. You attitude will not go unnoticed. Leaders desperately need “slice managers” who care about the pie.

#4 Create a scorecard that shows different forms of progress. There is probably something that you are passionate about that you lead pastor can’t real feel or see. The problem is not his passion. The problem is that you haven’t helped him see the progress of what you are excited about. What kind of scorecard or goal setting can you lead-up with? For example, a student pastor may take the time to show percentage growth in student camps over the last three years. Or if the student ministry is not numerically growing, you might show the growing percentage of students who are engaged in daily bible intake over the last 2 years.

#5 Let the weakness of others develop your convictions. There is no wasted experience in God’s economy, even in a culture that is unhealthy in it’s drivenness. The bottom line is that you will be in charge some day and that day is coming sooner that you think. You might not be the lead pastor, but you will have more responsibility and more people to care for. Now is the time to let those convictions stir. Don’t be afraid to name them as your personal values or your future team guidelines. In the end, having clearly stated values is the governor on how fast you pursue your vision.

What are you not willing to compromise in the character of the organization for the sake of progress?

Answering that question is the essence of  values-driven leadership.

Read more from Will here.

Tags: Staff Development, Staff Leadership Roles, Will Mancini

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Jazz Leadership Means Learning How to Improvise

by: Penelope Tobin

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I used to think that running an organization was equivalent to conducting a symphony orchestra. But I don’t think that’s quite it; it’s more like jazz. There is more improvisation.

– Warren Bennis

If you watch an orchestra, you can spot the top dog right away. He (usually) is up on the podium, removed from the others, the only one with the complete “plan” in his hands.

The jazz group, on the other hand, offers up no such easy clues.

The leader is indistinguishable. Each player takes the limelight when it’s their time to lead, and stands aside when it’s another’s. Behind the scenes, the jazz-leader is responsible for the vision and the strategy. But in performance, leadership and followership rotate.

Traditional leadership has long looked like the orchestral conductor. But we’re living within a whirlwind of change, and the authoritarian individual, working to a fixed, detailed plan from a detached position of control, isn’t equipped to deal with it.

To survive these new circumstances, we must all learn how to improvise (from the Latin “improvises”, meaning “not seen ahead of time”). We need leaders who:

• Are great improvisers

• Establish the best structures for uncertainty

• Adapt to change in real time

• Inspire others to co-create their vision of the future

We need leadership in a new groove. We need jazz-leadership.

Penelope Tobin presents the theory of jazz-leadership, drawing on her past experience as a professional jazz pianist and composer. Founder and CEO of Barrier Breakers®, the soft skills training and development consultancy, she is responsible for the award-winning process BBM®, which has been used since 2000 to design thousands of successful change programs for organizations and their leaders.

>> Download Tobin’s enlightening work on Jazz Leadership here.

Tags: Leadership Engine, Penelope Tobin, Staff Development, jazz leadership

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Seven Disciplines that Make Leadership Development Stick

by: Michael McKinney

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Leaders don’t always finish well or finish what they start. Leadership development sustainability isn’t easy. Given the fact that we all know leaders that haven’t finished well, it’s surprising how many of us have no plan in place to consciously and specifically improve our leadership abilities. Most of the time we wing it.

Leadership sustainability is about the commitment to change and growth that is consistent with shifting requirements, not just individually but for the organization as a whole. In Leadership Sustainability, authors Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood have defined seven leadership practices that instill sustainability. It begins with “recognition that what matters most is the impact of the leader’s actions on others—not just the actions themselves or the rationale behind them.” Yet that’s not something that we often feel we have time to consider. Our leadership is experienced in our actions and not our intentions.

In brief, the seven disciplines to incorporate into your leadership plan to help make your best intentions stick are:

Simplicity. Focus on what matters most. Tells stories with impact. Leadership sustainability requires that we find simplicity in the face of complexity and replace concept clutter with simple resolve. It entails prioritizing on the behaviors that matter most.

Time. Manage your calendar to reflect your priorities. Put desired behaviors into your calendar. Employees see what leaders do more than listen to what they say. Leadership sustainability shows up in who we spend time with, what issues we spend time on, where we spend our time, and how we spend our time. Recognize routines and modify as necessary.

Accountability. Take personal responsibility for doing what you say you will do and hold others accountable as well. “We see too many leadership points of view that are more rhetorical than resolve, more aspiration than action, and more hopeful than real. Leadership wish lists need to be replaced with leadership vows.” Be consistent with personal values and brand.

Resources. Leaders dedicate resources in order to support their desired changes with coaching and infrastructure. Use a coach. Get coaching and institutional support to become a better leader. “Leaders acting alone, even with great desire and good intentions, are unlikely to sustain their desired changes.”

Tracking. Move from general to specific measures. Measure what’s important and not what’s easy. Tie to consequences. Unless desired leadership behaviors and changes are operationalized, quantified, and tracked, they are nice to do, but not likely to be done.

Melioration. Leadership sustainability requires that leaders master the principles of learning: to experiment frequently, to reflect always, to become resilient, to face failure, to not be calloused to success, and to improvise continually.

Emotion. Know why you lead. Connect change with personal and organizational values. Recognize your impact on others. Celebrate success. “Some leaders work to hide their feelings and avoid becoming too personal with others. These leaders end up distancing and isolating themselves. Leaders who are emotionally vulnerable and transparent will be more likely to sustain change.”

The authors have provided videos, tools and assessments on their web site to help you to achieve leadership sustainability.

Read more from Michael here.

Tags: Leadership Development, Michael McKinney, Staff, Staff Development

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5 Questions to Help You Select Ministry Team Members

by: Thom Rainer

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Watching a leadership team come together can either be highly frustrating or highly energizing. Of course, all leaders prefer the latter. Leaders in companies, churches, and other organizations can witness their organization move to the next level if the right team comes together.

How then do you select those key persons for a leadership team? What questions do you need to direct at them? What questions do you need to ask yourself? Allow me to suggest five key questions.

1. Does the person have a strong character? Any doubt at this point should disqualify a person. His or her character is foundational to everything else. No matter how qualified a person may seem, if he or she has questionable character, problems will develop in short order.
2. Does the person have the competency and skills to do the work? This question is so obvious that it may seem silly to engage this issue. I, though, have admittedly brought people to different leadership teams without doing due diligence on their competency and skills for the job. Typically I like them personally and like their personalities. But hiring friends and fun people to do a job for which they are not qualified is a recipe for disaster.
3. Does the chemistry of the person match the team and the leadership? Many of you have undoubtedly served on teams with highly competent people. But sometimes that person acts like a self-serving jerk. Regardless of how competent and gifted he or she is, that type of toxic behavior can destroy a team.
4. Will the person align with the vision of the leadership? If you are on a leadership team and you disagree with the major direction of the leadership, get off the team. If you are a leader seeking to bring a person on the team, and you sense that he or she does not align with your vision, run from that choice immediately. A team with diverse visions is not a team at all.
5. Can you trust the person? Allow me to clarify the specific meaning of “trust” in this context. Ultimately the trust issue here is whether or not the person is looking after their own interests and preferences or the interests of the team, the leader, and the organization. If you have to wonder what the motivation is of a prospective team member, you really need to move on to the next choice.

What do you think of these five questions? What would you add? What would you change?

Read more from Thom here.

Tags: Leadership Engine, Staff, Staff Development, Thom Rainer

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Top Ten “Old School” Checklists for Church Leaders

by: Dan Reiland

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I still love to hold a book in my hands, mark it up and get it a little dog-eared. I like to hold a pen in my hand and write, that tactile experience helps my creative juices flow. And I’d rather talk to a person than book something online. That makes me a little “Old School” in some ways.

Sometimes the term Old School is used in a positive way, even endearing or desired. Like when something is considered vintage or classic. I own some really nice guitars, none are vintage but several are replicas of the old classics. That’s how strong the market is. Brand new guitars are made to look just like some of the cool guitars that came out in the 50’s and 60’s.

Sometimes the phrase Old School is used in a more derogatory way. As if to imply it is out of date, irrelevant or passé. For example, someone recently told me about a church that still ran a bus ministry commenting that it was “old school.” My reply was that if it’s working, I’m not so sure it’s old school, but maybe it is.

However you use the phrase, whether cool and endearing, or a little derogatory, I’m going to submit that there are a number of “Old School” leadership characteristics that are never out of date, irrelevant or lame. In fact, they are timeless and we’d all be wise to keep them fresh and alive in our lives.

Top Ten “Old School” Check-lists for leaders:

• Courteous

At no time is it appropriate for a leader to be rude. Misused power and authority is at least in poor taste and may at times be an indication of a leader’s character. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit and a courteous nature is deeply interwoven within kindness. Courteous doesn’t mean lacking in strength or unable to make tough decisions. It reflects more an attitude of consideration for the disposition of other human beings. That is never Old School.

• Industrious 

Most of the leaders I know are hardworking people. They are committed to the mission and take their responsibilities seriously. They treat the meaning of their paycheck with honor rather than entitlement. I will admit, however, that I have met a growing number of pastors and ministry leaders who don’t possess a strong worth ethic. They actually work far less hours and still complain that they are overworked. I think the answer is in calling, passion and being in the right seat. I don’t think Old School means working hard and others don’t. I really believe it’s about finding your sweet spot – the place God calls you to be.

• Determined

I love a leader who is determined. I don’t mean a naïve leader who can’t see or face reality, but one who looks reality square in the eye and says “I won’t give up.” I think it takes that spirit to be successful in the local church. Kevin Myers, founding pastor of 12Stone® Church planted the church in 1987. For the first seven years the church struggled. He never gave up. Yes, he came close, we all do, but he stayed true and determined, and the results of that determination speak for themselves.

• Generous

Don’t you just love being around generous people? I don’t mean just about money, like your friends who will pick up the tab in a restaurant. I mean people who have a generous nature at their core, from their time, to kind words and encouragement, to investing in you and sometimes even financially. Those leaders truly breathe life into the people they lead.

• Courageous 

Risks are part of every leader’s life. If you won’t risk you can’t lead. The art is in knowing how far to risk. How far do you push a conversation? How much debt to you acquire? Do you hire the candidate or not? There is a risk to reward ratio for every decision. When you are pushing forward, it takes courage to make the tough call. The answer is not in a textbook. It’s all about prayer, experience and wise counsel. The lack of courage results in comfort and coasting and both are death to a healthy church.

• Disciplined

I either jog or ride a stationary bike every day. I’m not fast or impressive. My typical jog is three miles and I do about five miles on the bike. It’s slow and not pretty. But, I do it every day. Don’t underestimate the power of every day. Whether it’s prayer, exercise, or saying “I love you” to your spouse, “daily” is a life changer. This same idea is true for your leadership practices. Discipline matters.

• Loving

The foundation of New Testament spiritual leadership is love. Jesus made this abundantly clear. I John 4:8 &16 says God is love. I Corinthians 13:13 says that the greatest of these (faith, hope and love) is love. The Epistles are loaded with admonitions to love. It is interesting that this is the most widely known, and least written about characteristic of our leadership. It’s simple to understand but not easy to live. Personally I think this is the core of Christian leadership and if it’s “Old School” then we’d all be wise to get a little vintage in our leadership.

• Judicious 

There is a verse in the New Testament that has made me uncomfortable as a leader. I can’t deny its presence so I seek to understand it. It’s part of the parable of the shrewd manager. Luke 16:8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” We are called to be wise, prudent, thoughtful, and sometimes shrewd. Even when shrewd seems to have an edge to it. When it’s about the Kingdom, God calls us to be judicious.

• Humble

From Genesis chapter three to James chapter four, we know the lessons of pride. God is clear on the subject. Like cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in America today, pride is the number one killer of church leaders. Pride may not rob you of your physical life, but it can essentially rob you of God’s favor in your spiritual life. Humility is the exercise and good diet for the soul of a leader.

• Truthful 

From speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) to facing the truth of reality, leaders who are trustworthy are truthful. I find that most church leaders are honest people. Really, very few are liars. But many are prone to exaggerate. From stories in sermons to the attendance of the church, let’s all be careful out there to tell it the way it really is.

Perhaps you can think of some others, but for now, which one would you want to strengthen for the next thirty days? Maybe you could make one a month a leadership devotional bible study for yourself. I encourage you to jump in, take advantage of these thoughts, and even get a little Old School if needed.

This article is used by permission from Dr. Dan Reiland’s free monthly e-newsletter, “The Pastor’s Coach,” available at INJOY.com

Tags: Dan Reiland, Leadership Engine, Staff, Staff Development

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4 Indispensable Leadership Investments

by: Jeff Meyer

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This is the golden age of “The Conference.”

It seems like there is a new conference every week.  I’m finding it hard to keep up with all of the options…huge gatherings with dynamic speakers, experts in the field sharing meaningful insights, live streaming if I can’t attend.  Digital media to download, tweets to read and write, blogs to scour, books, free and otherwise, to pour over…all of it for some golden insight that will propel me forward…

What are your favorites?

Who are your favorite speakers?

I’m pretty sure it is possible for today’s ministry leader to completely fill his/her schedule by attending the conference circuit.  It is also probable that your favorite speakers can spend their year, full-time, on the conference circuit.

With all of the conferences, video streaming, digital media, and books there is really no need to DO anything. I suppose their are ministry leaders today who actually think they are making a difference by attending conferences.  (Side comment:  perhaps that is one of the reasons why Christians today in America actually think they are making a difference by attending church.  They follow our lead.)

Don’t get me wrong, I have been a recipient of the gift of wisdom/insight by attending conferences.  Yet, there came a time in my ministry leadership that I needed the wisdom and transformation that came by executing what I already knew.  The conferences kept adding to my pool of knowledge, but assisted my internal resistance to act. Real learning for me has been caught more than taught.  I caught it by integrating the ideas into my living…struggling, succeeding, reevaluating, and trying again.

Check out Jesus’ pattern of multiplication in Luke 9 & 10.  Gathering and sending and checking-in…

So, in place of conferences, I have been learning to adopt that “gathering/sending/checking-in” pattern into my life.

Here are the 4 indispensable leadership investments that have helped me do that. Spending money and time here has brought about a great return on investment.

Collegial Friendships

The networking and immersion in thoughts and ideas largely delivered TO ME at conferences was beneficial at some level.  However, it was the mutual consideration of those ideas in my local mission context WITH the support of brothers and sisters that actually inspired me to try and encouraged me to keep going.

Focused-support (coaching)

To have someone who is devoted to my goals, to my ideas, to my effectiveness as a leader has been invaluable.  To have someone who has no agenda for me, but my agenda for me, has been empowering.  To have someone willing to hold my feet to the fire and challenge my assumptions and push me to DO what I said I would DO has been crucial.

Applying new ways of being does not happen simply through exposure to content in a classroom setting.  The learning process is accelerated when people can test new ideas in their own lives, share their successes and challenges in a circle of supportive colleagues, support and learn from others, and recommit to their goals with renewed enthusiasm and new strategies.

Coaching provides an environment in which people can reflect openly about how their thoughts and emotions keep them stuck in old patterns.  When people are clear about what they want, and what’s in the way, only then can they focus their energy on removing or reducing these obstacles.  Coaching provides more clarity, more accountability, more community.  The outcome is the reaching of goals more efficiently, with less floundering and more focus.

Clarity

While Conferences and books have given me some great ideas and stimulated my thinking and dreaming, there comes a time for execution.  And in order to execute, I needed to do the hard work of figuring out how all of the disconnected ideas fit together in my local context where my leadership was needed.

Getting clear about me; about the personal “what”, “why”, “how”, “when”, and “where” has freed me.

And, getting clear about us; about the corporate “what”, “why”, “how”, “when”, and “where” has ignited us.

Strategic Outsiders who Became Friends

I have never been afraid to ask for help.  I have never been unwilling to make an investment to surround myself with those who could bring to me/us what we needed.  And, God is timely.  Whether it was Norb Oesch or Steve Wagner from PLI, Lynn Schoener, or my teammates at Auxano, Jim Galvin, or Les Stroh, God has always placed interested participants to guide me and encourage me.  These friends have meant everything.

As you think about your journey as a ministry leader, are you open to asking for help from a strategic outsider?  Are you prepared to do the hard work of clarity?  Are you vulnerable enough to allow someone to provide focused-support?  Are you ready for deeper friendship and collegiality?

What are your indispensable leadership investments?

Read more from Jeff here.

Tags: Jeff Meyer, Leadership Engine, Staff Development

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Changing Culture in Your Church, Part 1: 5 Principles for Interdependent Leadership

by: Center for Creative Leadership

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Tags: Center for Creative Leadership, Change, Staff, Staff Development

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5 Hidden Leaders in Your Church Waiting to be Asked to Jump In

by: Rich Birch

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Chances are your church is looking for more leaders to serve within various ministries. Whether your kids ministry needs some more coaches to motivate the teams … or your small group ministry is needs some great new leaders … or maybe even your weekend services needs some support to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Churches are driven by the volunteer leaders and you need to find some new ones!

I believe that God has provided the leaders you need in your church to push the mission forward. The problem is that often leaders might be hidden within your church and you need to seek them out. Here are some types of leaders that I’ve found over the years … look closely into these types of people in your church you’re bound to find some new leaders!

• People with Followers // Potential leaders are leading people already. This Sunday after your service look around your foyer and try to notice those people who seems to be “holding court” with a circle of people. Those people are influencing and leading in your church … even if you haven’t given them a role!
• Young People // Chances are that someone trusted you when you were too young to lead something. Are you trusting young people as much as you were trusted? Find some young folks in your church … and give them a small project to lead.  When they succeed give them more!
• Moms are Leaders // Keeping the modern home on the rails takes incredible leadership. There are still “at home Moms” who are attending your church who would welcome the opportunity to lead within your church. If you were able to find some mid-week and mid-day opportunities you would unlock fantastic new capabilities as a church!
• Zoomers! // Boomers that zoom! There is a generation of leaders who have been leading for years in the marketplace and had great success but are now looking for significance. Look among the boomer generation to find some leaders who might be looking for a new way to invest their time, efforts and energy!
• Entrepreneurs Lead // There are business leaders in your church who run their own businesses and might be up for investing a few hours a week in a project at your church. These leaders are going to want something that will show results and push the kingdom forward! Look for business owners and pair them up with some projects this month!

The problem with leaders is that they want to lead!  Remember to give new leaders roles that make a difference in the life of your church and release them to change the world!

What are some other hidden leaders that you have found within your church?

Read more from Rich here.

Tags: Leadership Engine, Rich Birch, Staff Development

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