One of the tasks of leaders is to raise up other leaders. No organization can rise any higher than the level of its leadership. This is true in the business world, and it is true in the church world. In this blog I have frequently written about the need for pastors to lead their churches. The primary reason approximately 100 churches in American close their doors every week is poor leadership. The principle reason over 80 percent of our churches are plateaued is poor leadership. This includes the pastors and the lay people in positions of leadership in the local church.
Trying to raise up leaders while performing all the other tasks often expected of pastors is not easy, but it is a critical component of leadership. It may well be that some of these other tasks need to be delegated to other people so the pastor can focus more of his or her attention on developing leaders in the church.
The tendency after we identify and develop leaders in our churches is to hold on to them for dear life. The last thing we want is to invest this much time in developing their leadership abilities only to see them leave for another ministry. But, sometimes this is exactly what God is calling us, and them, to do. At this point we need to recognize that we are called to Kingdom work, not just in building up our own churches.
I want to encourage you to open doors for the leaders you've helped equip for ministry. It may be God is calling them to pastor a church themselves or to serve in another church in some other ministry capacity. They need you to go before them to open the doors to give them this opportunity. This might involve sticking out your neck on their behalf, but this the price we pay to be in leadership. In a previous post I mentioned that we grow people by helping them acquire a larger vision for themselves than the one they might have. It does them no good if there is not someone who trusts in them and is willing to open doors of opportunity for them.
As the bivocational pastor of a small church I assumed that would be my ministry until retirement. When I became aware of a sense that God might be calling me to another ministry I wasn't sure what that might be. I contacted my judicatory leader who spent some time with me discussing possible ministry options. One was to go into the role he was filling. I questioned if that was possible since I had not attended seminary at the time and had only served that one small church. He insisted that it was possible.
A few months later it was announced that he was leaving for another ministry. Shortly after that announcement I was asked if I would serve as the interim in his former role which I accepted. About a year later I was called to that position full-time. There were people who were not happy with that decision. I'm sure they made their opinion very well known to the ones who selected me, but individuals opened a door of opportunity for me that I did not know was possible. I served in that role for 14 years until I took retirement. I am so grateful to Riley Walker who first told me I could serve in that position, Larry Mason who probably took more heat than I know for giving me the opportunity and our Region Board for trusting in me enough to offer me the opportunity. I will forever be grateful for these individuals who opened that door for me.
As a leader open such doors for the leaders you develop. Many of the ones you equip will remain in your church to serve, but God might have different plans for other leaders you develop. Help them fulfill those plans.
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