Equipping Leaders To Multiply

Leaders as Teachers

It always used to bother me when I would read in 1 Timothy 3, “Elders must be able to teach.”  While I value the gift of teaching, requiring it as a quality for this level of church leadership seemed to be so restricting.  But now after 20 + years in church leadership myself, I totally agree leaders must be teachers. 

  • Leadership is the ability to influence the thoughts, attitudes and skills of others which requires an ability to teach. 
  • Leadership means identifying and equipping future leaders which requires an ability to teach. 
  • Leadership is building a team of people and focusing them on a common mission which requires an ability to teach.

Now before you disqualify yourself as a leader please understand I’m not talking about the traditional standing in front of a classroom and dispensing information.  I’m talking about being alert to capitalize on teachable moments, avaiable to debrief successes and struggles of those you lead and being astute of those who are hungry students of leadership in your organization.  Teaching leaders will have a multitude of growing leaders in their wake.

What adjustments do you need to make to become a teaching leader?


Reader Comments

  1. GREAT stuff, Mac! I find it very interesting that wisdom and leadership go hand in hand and that wisdom is best exhibited by individuals who are knowing, embracing, and doing God’s requests. Those who teach are the ones who spend the most time in the larger story, God’s story revealed in Scripture as they are preparing to teach. Just maybe God requires leaders to be teachers because they gain wisdom by being so entrenched in God’s Words and must exhibit the doing of His requests as they live life knowing they are under the scrutiny of all who know they are leaders.

    Just some random thoughts.

  2. Good insight Rick. And the process you describes requires wisdom and ultimately leads to more wisdom – which makes a leader an even better teacher. Thanks for the commet

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