Intentional Leader Development And Church Growth

October 2006

Two years ago I was asked to consult with a church that had experienced phenomenal growth. Over a six month period Sunday school attendance increased by over 400%. This “blessing” created an immediate need for facilities, materials and financial resources that had not been planned for. But greater than the need for these things was the need for leaders.

The quick-fix for facilities was a scheduling challenge. Conducting Sunday school twice in the morning allowed an immediate doubling of physical capacity. Reallocation and use prioritization of existing space provided an additional capacity boost. Together these two actions seemed to provide the initial solution to the problem.

The need for additional training materials and learning resources, although significant, proved to be easily overcome. Additional copies of existing student guides were purchased and delivered to Sunday school teachers. This action met the need for providing learning resources for the large numbers of new Sunday school attendees.

A budget committee meeting was called to work out the reallocation of existing funds to meet the unexpected materials cost increase. Without much fanfare program leaders were consulted and notified of changes to their budget allocations. Not all were happy; however, they were grateful for the cause of these necessary changes.

Everything considered it appeared as if the problem created by a 400% increase in Sunday school attendance was well in hand. However, the underlying problem of how to quickly increase leader capacity was only beginning to surface.

Although located in an area experiencing tremendous growth, church leaders had not anticipated the 400% increase in attendance. Mobilizing the long-range planning committee to discuss a new building program was an easy task. Coordinating the efforts of the budget & finance, long-range planning, and building committees was not too daunting, but asking an immediate doubling of the time commitment of leaders already experiencing the tension of over-commitment proved to be the greatest challenge.

The absolute bottom line restrictor to church growth is a lack of trained leaders.

Some churches depend upon harvesting leaders from the “growth” experienced. However this strategy can prove disastrous as little is known about most “new” leaders and the culture from which they came. The best course of action is to intentionally train and raise up leaders.

Training and deploying new leaders alongside existing leaders provides opportunity for relational and coaching skills development. This intentional approach also facilitates generational cross-fertilization; the passing-on, if you will, of life lessons learned.  Something everyone could benefit more from. Additionally, intentional leader development empowers existing leadership to be pro-active and in alignment with God’s agenda for His church.

There are many strategies and ideas for “growing” new leaders available today. As you purpose today to begin the task of intentional leader development please allow us at KNCSB to come alongside and assist you. God bless you today as you ask God to show you who it is that He desires you to begin investing your life in.

I hope to see you at the KNCSB annual meeting 16-17 October, 2006 in Salina, KS and perhaps share a few moments together.

BOOK RESOURCE: Choose the Life by Bill Hull. An excellent work helping us all come to grips with evangelism, discipleship and leader development. It can be found in most bookstores and online using a google search.

WEB RESOURCE:  NextLevel Leadership Development at the North American Mission Board website.

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