Email 
Bookmark 
Print Equipping Others to Lead
by Laura Chamberlain
One of the great responsibilities - and privileges - of being a leader is to develop the people around you, to help those that have the potential to become leaders themselves.
A leader simply has to be committed to equipping others. Why?
- It is the only way to keep growing. Those closest to me are going to determine the level of my success.
- It is lasting. There is no success without a successor.
- It is biblical. In Ephesians 4, Paul talks about us having been given spiritual gifts "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
Equipping others is hard work, and it never stops. And it can be discouraging, because people are bound to fail and disappoint you. You need commitment to see you through.
You need to develop a personal relationship with potential leaders.
- Get to know them as whole people. Do fun things together, visit their homes, get to know their families, understand their jobs and other responsibilities.
- Listen. Listen to their life story. Be interested in who they are and what they believe. Discover their strengths and weaknesses. Much of what you want to know will be revealed by asking the right questions.
- Discover their heart. What is their passion in life, in ministry? What is the one thing that they just love to do?
Some of these tools can help you understand your potential leaders better.
- A personality profile (such as the one in Florence Littauer's book, Personality Plus)
- A spiritual gifts inventory (several are available in the Christian marketplace.)
- Team programs such as Willow Creek's "Networking" allow people to understand their personality and giftedness better so that ministry placement is in their area of passion and interest rather than determined solely by need.
Share your dream and vision with your potential leaders.
Casting your vision may not always be as easy as it sounds. Followers and/or potential leaders come from different frames of reference, and may not fully comprehend what your vision entails, especially the first go-around. It may take several repetitions in different settings and a variety of words for you to communicate your vision and actually be understood.
You need to ask for their commitment.
Commitment is not an automatic process and should never be assumed. At some point, commitment must be solicited.
One thing that will help make commitment more tangible is presenting a job description or outline of responsibilities. Your job as a leader might be more of a carte blanche position, but don't expect your potential leaders to go along with that. Most likely, they won't want to commit to anything that hasn't been described to them, and secondly, they will experience less confusion later on if responsibilities are laid out ahead of time.
You need to disciple your potential leaders.
Our best example of discipleship is that of Jesus and the 12 disciples. Jesus lived with these men, taught them, prayed with them, and interacted with them personally. He not only mentored them for ministry, He also taught them spiritual truth at the same time.
Most often, you will need to develop trust and relationship with your potential leaders before you will see eagerness for spiritual discipleship. Some people may be willing to be discipled right away, but that is likely because they recognized a need in their lives previously and have just been waiting for the opportunity.
When I disciple people, I like to use the book, One to One Discipling. It is flexible, adaptable and allows for multiplication - meaning the disciple who goes through it can easily pass it on to another. One to One Discipling helps me assess and encourage spiritual growth. It also provides accountability to the disciple, and allows me to get to know them as a person in a much deeper way.
You need to specifically equip your leaders for ministry.
How did Jesus equip people for ministry?
1. He modeled - He did it (Mark 1, 2).
2. He mentored - He did it and they were with Him (Mark 3:13-15).
3. He monitored - They did it and He was with them (Mark 6:7-13).
4. He motivated - They did it and He was in the background encouraging them (Mark 16:15-18).
5. He multiplied - They did it (Acts 1:6-7; 2 Timothy 2:2).
As you follow Jesus' model, give your leaders the tools and experiences to help them grow. Some things that may be helpful are books and tapes (perhaps you could set up a lending library); seminars; video series; teaching series (i.e., a series you prepare for them), and on-the-job training.
As you are training your new leaders, stay with them until they sense some success. Be available to offer support and answer questions.
Help them to select someone for them to train, so that they are learning from the start that equipping others is a vital part of leadership.
Place a high priority on their ministry and on them as a person.
- Pray for them. Make it a commitment and be sure to follow through. A prayer journal can help.
- Affirm them. Esteem them. Speak highly of them to others.
- Encourage them. Instill hope.
- Appreciate them. Thank them. Recognize their accomplishments.
- Motivate them.
What is success in ministry leadership? Is it leading the largest church? The women's organization with greatest numbers?
I believe you are successful as a leader when you leave an area a better place than when you found it. To do that best, you must leave behind people who are well equipped. "The final test of a leader," says Walter Lippmann,"is that he leaves behind him in other[s] the conviction and the will to carry on."
~ Laura Chamberlain is a trained physiotherapist with an extensive teaching background. She is a writer and speaker, and has been a university lecturer. She is also a certified prenatal instructor and works part-time as a physician's assistant for her husband, an obstetrician /gynecologist. Click here to e-mail Laura.
