What is your vision to cultivate leaders?
Every church should have a leadership development system. Even if that system is currently working, it needs to be assessed regularly to meet changing needs. Here are the basics that every leadership development system should have...

Written By Gary Reinecke

ICF Master Certified Coach, Resource Designer, Mission Strategist : InFocus
Churches that have a vision to cultivate leaders demonstrate four keys to spot, train and mobilize leaders. Here are the four areas that churches cultivate for successful leadership development:

  1. Clearly defined pathway and outcomes
  2. Specific skill assessment and training
  3. Robust coaching system
  4. Community to cultivate relationships

Clearly defined pathway with outcomes

clearly defined destination and pathway to get there

Every journey needs a map. To cultivate leaders, it is healthy for everyone to know the steps involved and for each individual to understand where they are at any given time.  Think back to your journey.  

  • Who came alongside you?
  • What steps were involved?
  • How was the invitation given?

Not sure where to start? The Effective Leadership Storyboard is a pathway that churches of all kinds typically follow. You can adapt this process or use it as a base and customize for your context.Look at the Effective Leadership Storyboard below as a pathway that churches of all kinds typically follow.

Specific skill assessment and training

Think with the end in mind: what are the key skills that you need to help leaders develop?  

  • Gather a team of leaders who think strategically.
  • Brainstorm a list of essential skills needed to lead.
  • Refine that list until you and your team come to an agreement.

Consider the Leadership Skill Builder and Leadership Effectiveness Profile as resources to assess and help leaders grow their leadership skills.

Robust coaching system

Coaching is a relationship with the purpose of cultivating leaders.  

  • What did the person who came alongside you do to support you in your development?  
  • How has this shaped your approach to developing leaders?
  • What do you actually do to cultivate leaders?

In this article, we have outlined the five best ways to develop coaches – and to grow as a coach in the process. A great place to get started is to read Christian Coaching Essentials.  One of the most critical things a Christian coach does is help people listen and respond to the Holy Spirit. You will find QR codes embedded in the book to help you go deeper into the key aspects of becoming an excellent coach.

But if your vision is to raise-up an army of coaches to walk alongside leaders, check-out the Barnabas Ministry Training Kit – CLICK HERE!

Community to cultivate relationships

This environment prioritizes leadership development for your people. Think of it as the engine for the other three above!

  • Coaching keeps leaders engaged.   
  • Skill assessment and training offer strategic focus.  
  • A pathway serves as a map to follow.  

The environment sustains leaders from one step to the next, one generation to the next. 

Photo by Kayla Duhon on Unsplash

Cover Photo by Tobias Mrzyk on Unsplash

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