Some Developing Leaders

In a previous lesson, we looked at the Five Phases of a Church Planting Team. In that lesson, we contended that you want to reach the ‘shared ministry’ phase before you are ready for a public launch.

In short, you are looking to draw one or two others alongside you who have the potential and appetite to grow into leadership, who can share some of the ownership for the plant and throw some love and energy at getting the plant off the ground. 

One of the key qualities that you are looking for in these developing leaders is teachability. You want to be able to mould your key leaders according to your philosophy of ministry and the particular vibe of what you are trying to do in your church plant.  In practice, it is often (though not always) much easier to bring through younger people who haven’t led much than more experienced leaders who have already developed a set view on ‘how things should be done’. 

One of the most attractive things about a church plant is the opportunities that it provides. Leadership is much less locked up and bottle-necked in a church plant than in an established church, and you can leverage this as you ask young leaders with potential to join you. Be careful not to promise a particular role too early on, but offering opportunities (and then making sure you do in fact give them space to use and develop their gifts) can be a very compelling offer indeed, and these leaders will add a lot of depth and capacity to your planting team.