If your church (or organization) is not where you want it to be, then I humbly ask you to explore this question:
Do you have five people in your church who can lead?
What does it take to build a church? First, a calling from the Lord, then the correct doctrine, lots of prayer, organization, hard work, sacrifice, and world-size buckets of patience and self-control. It requires the spirit of God within us to guide the way. Yes, all of these, but there’s something else that is often missed: key leaders.
Apostle Paul writing to Timothy, a young pastor, about effective leadership puts it this way: “and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” (II Timothy 2:2 ESV)
To build a church, you need key people who not only love the Lord deeply, but who also love you and are sold on the vision of winning people to Christ. These individuals are mature in their faith and they are lifers, disciples who will bleed for the cause. While you do not need many leaders, you do need a few, without which a ministry cannot grow. Why? Because you cannot do it all.
So, do you have five people in your church who can lead?
Stop now if you can, or at the end of this article, and write down the names of those who might be candidates. Men or women, young or old. These leaders have been through battles of faith and ministry and have now decided to fight alongside you.
If you don’t have five, start praying and working toward it. Make this your one goal for 2024. Make it your goal for the next 3-5 years because it takes years to develop these relationships, which are forged in fire.
I recall our vibrant church in Lebanon. It was during the Lebanese Civil War that our church started, in the early seventies before I was born. Our church was strong because the Lord blessed it with a few strong leaders to carry the congregation to maturity. This handful of leaders modeled the way; they loved, they served, and they prayed. There were only a few of them, along with their families. Strong people bring their families. My dad was one of these leaders. He and two other men were rocks in our church alongside our senior pastor. A total of four men carried the church.
Recently, we marked the 20-year passing of my dad, Habib Saade. My dad loved the Lord. He was an elder in our Beirut, Karantina church for most of his adult life. The last eight years of his life, my dad was the pastor of a small church in Fort Worth, Texas, after we emigrated to the USA. If you are a pastor reading this, I know the love you have for the Lord. I know the tears, hard work, and long hours. I saw my parents go through it, and I see it in the pastors I have worked with over the years as a church leader.
Are you praying for a more vibrant church? Then answer this question for me: Who are the five leaders in your church that can carry the heavy load with you?
Find them like Jesus found His disciples, men He knew, who would leave everything, give all, even die for the cause, literally. Then start the journey to serve together. How? Here is a snapshot.
Love them and walk with them for years in a thoughtful, intentional, methodic way, just as Jesus walked with His disciples, not only to be their teacher, but also their friend. Give them your heart and your undivided attention. Give them regular one-on-one time. Give them your ear and your mind. Think with them. Value them. Include them. Check on them. Love on them. Be open with them. Fight with them and for them. Pray with them. Learn with them. Bring them along with you. Invite them on the journey. Go together.
How to develop leaders? Think of Jesus walking the cities with his key leaders, the 12. It’s a slow process, not one of instant gratification.
Maybe no one wants to come alongside you. Maybe no one believes in you. Maybe you don’t believe in yourself. That’s where the work has to start. Then, start with those five (or three, or eight) and see your ministry explode with growth.
How can I support you more as a Christian leader and entrepreneur?
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