A Priority to Leadership Development

As a church planter, there are thousands of things you can do. I’m convinced one of the most important things you can do is develop leaders for the church. In order to do that, though, you need to make it a priority. If you don’t, as I know from experience, there are too many other things that will demand and take your time and attention.

When you plant a church, leadership development is one of those things that falls into what business consultants would call not urgent, but important on your time management matrix or to do list. You can increase attendance without developing leaders. Leadership development doesn’t provide you much instant affirmation. Leadership development stories aren’t anywhere near as exciting as stories of conversion or counseling breakthroughs. Developing leaders won’t get you re-tweeted a whole lot.

Yet leaders won’t be developed on their own. As the church planter, you are the only one that can develop these leaders. It’s part of your job. If you can’t develop leaders, you shouldn’t plant a church.

When you plant a church, you plant an organization with a temporary leadership structure—you (and possibly an oversight board). Your job as a planter is to develop the elders necessary to lead the church. Once that happens and the elders are in place, the church is no longer a plant. It’s a church. You are no longer a church planter. You are a pastor. Until that time, leadership development—specifically elder development—should be one of your top priorities.

If you don’t have time for it, you need to cut things out until you do have time for it. Make it a priority. Then, develop a plan.

A Plan for Leadership Development

There are many reasons church planters don’t developing elders as soon as they should. One of the biggest hindrances is the lack of a plan.

To develop a plan for developing elders, you need to begin with the end in mind. That is, you need to answer this question: What kind of men do I want as elders in this church?

To answer that question, you need to think about three things:

1. Requirements from Scripture (For example, what do 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 say?)

2. Requirements from your Denomination or Network (For example, what does it mean to be an elder in a Presbyterian, Baptist, or an Acts 29 church?)

3. Requirements from your context and church (For example, what does it mean to be an elder at my church, at this time, this stage, this size, in this part of this specific city?)

Once you’ve answered those questions, you know what kind of man you want to serve as an elder in your church. Work backwards from there to create a plan that will you develop the right men into the leaders Jesus has called them to be.

Your plan will need to help these men understand the knowledge that’s vital, develop the skills necessary, and show forth the character required to serve as an elder in your specific church. Part of what that means is that some parts of your plans can come from other churches. Other parts need to be unique to you, your church, and your vision.

Put the time required into developing this plan. Don’t just photocopy another pastor’s plan. Think about the men needed to lead your specific church. Work from there to create a plan to develop those kinds of men.

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