September 22, 2008
Don’t Go Alone.
This morning I was sitting in Starbucks with a leader.
Despite excellent curriculum, ample funding, broad support and talented staff, the ministry he is leading is struggling to develop enough leaders. The issue was not that they were not developing any leaders, it was they were not developing enough leaders to meet their current demands, much less enough leaders to bring in the available harvest.
We discussed many different aspects of his ministry. His expertise, experience and expectations. His dedication and determination. He talked at length about history of his ministry and he clearly articulated his vision for more and better leaders more rapidly developed for the harvest. He was convinced a tangible difference could be made if only they could develop more leaders. He passionately poured out his heart. Soon he was visibly spent.
Then there was a long silence.
Followed by, “What do you think is the problem?”
“Good question,” I replied and sipped my coffee, “What do you think is the problem?”
He shrugged and swirled his cup while he looked into it as if it might hold the answer.
I asked him to tell me, one more time, how his leadership development process worked.
He did so in detail. Especially about their primary meeting times, accountability, assessment, checklists, follow-up, etc, etc, etc. Also about who was involved, how they qualified the people who participated and the time devoted to each step.
He was genuinely struggling.”Ok, let’s brainstorm some possible issues.”
I started jotting things we both mentioned on the napkin in front of us.
A list emerged. But he still seemed stuck.”So am I hearing you say is, above all else you want to multiply leaders?”
“That’s right,” he sighed.
After a long pause I asked, “Well, why do your emerging leaders come to your event and to their appointments alone?”
Another long pause.
Suddenly he looked at me with astonishment in his eyes and blurted out, “Do you mean it could be as simple as that?!”
“As simple as what?” I asked.
“As simple as developing more leaders by developing leaders as they’re developing leaders?!”
“I didn’t say that, you did.”
“I did didn’t I?” He snatched the napkin away from me and started scribbling notes to himself. Saying something about how this changes everything!
And.. I believe it does.
Until leaders are intentional about working multiplying numbers of leaders, numbers of coaches and numbers of churches the harvest will remain in the field.
But when they do, the harvesting capacity of any ministry is limitless!
Who are you bringing along so that you don’t go alone?