Equipping Leaders To Multiply

Just Add Water

Those church leaders who are seeking to get better at leadership development tend to look for a “just add water” solution. 

“Give me the right program to add to my church.” Or “Give me the right curriculum to add to my ministry.” In other words, give me something so I only have to put in minimal effort.

But the level of difficulty of leadership development isn’t the problem.  

Leadership development isn’t difficult. How hard is it to have someone read an article, observe you in action, ask some debrief questions, and then let them give it a try themselves?

The problem is leadership development is messy. And we don’t like that. 

Potential leaders come in with different backgrounds, various levels of competency, and their own set of questions. 

Their schedules don’t always line up perfectly with ours. They don’t always “get it’ the first time you tell them. You spot character issues you must address. They forget to do their homework. They ask you a question about something you already taught them!  I could go on. 

This approach to leadership development isn’t a “just add water” scenario.

So what are the ingredients for developing a leader?

  • A big dose of patience and understanding
  • An abundant helping of questions 
  • Add a lot of time
  • Several servings of failure
  • And a small pinch of sharing your expertise. 
  • Then cook til ready.

You can’t just add water and magically produce a highly competent leader. Each person is unique. Our role is to guide them toward maximizing their God-given calling as a leader.