SPYING NEW LEADERS
Angela Yee

Julie (names have been changed) was a quiet girl in our Bible study. One day my husband and I drew Julie aside. We talked to her about why we thought she was a potential leader—how she took initiative, influenced people, and didn’t seem afraid to encourage people to get more involved.

She went home in a bit of a daze. The thought of being a leader had never occurred to her.

We began giving her leadership assignments in our small group to lead worship time and Bible discussion questions. Our Bible study eventually ended, but Julie led another Bible study group; then she led worship one Sunday. Now Julie leads the worship team regularly.

This would have never happened had someone not nudged her toward leadership.

This is part of our calling as leaders—to spot and cultivate other potential leaders to serve God and use the gifts he’s given them. How do we find these hidden people and encourage them to lead?

  1. Seeing

    2. Leaders come with a wide range of gifts, personalities, and working styles. Some are “natural leaders.” Their teams flourish. They have a compelling vision of what God has called them to accomplish, and they lead effectively. These leaders are easy to spot.

    Other people are “situational leaders.” They may not have a natural inclination toward leadership, but if the need arises and no one else is stepping up, they will step in and lead. Situational leaders do an excellent job of overseeing an area of ministry for a limited time. But if they are in ongoing leadership positions, they begin to feel frustration and burnout.

    Still others are “undeveloped leaders.” Most leaders aren’t born with automatic leadership skills; they discover their leadership gifts over time. They are often unaware of their leadership potential. But even those who aren’t natural leaders may find themselves enjoying a leadership position if they’re leading out of another spiritual gift they have.

    Understanding the different kinds of leadership helps us know how to spot potential leaders and match them with ministries where they can develop.

  2. Searching

    3. The next step is actively seeking out leaders—starting with prayer. Look for:

    • People already actively leading in ministry
    • People who are leaders at their workplace but aren’t serving at the church
    • People with a passion for their ministry (naturally motivated and enthusiastic)
    • People with a servant heart (situational leaders arise because of their willingness to serve)
    • People who take initiative

    Also ask friends for referrals of potential leaders.

  3. Setting

    4. Placing leaders into leadership should be just as intentional a process as searching them out. Prepare your leaders to be successful. Give them the tools, training, resources, and encouragement they need.

    Communicate the vision of the ministry. Review accountability and decision authority. Establish regular meetings with new leaders—but let them determine the frequency based on their own preferences. Give them short-term goals for quick confidence building, plus longer-term goals and vision for their ministry.

    Finding and developing leaders is a challenging task. But for our ministries to be more effective, it’s a task that we all must intentionally pursue.

Angela Yee is director of serving ministries at Fremont (California) Evangelical Free Church, and is the author of The Christian Conference Planner.

Copyright Angela Yee, 2004. Excerpted from Leadership.