Examine the background of the original 12 disciples of Jesus and you’ll discover they were not the best of the best.    The group contained hot heads, a tax collector, a thief, several fishermen, and one who wanted to overthrow the government. They didn’t have formal training. They didn’t go to rabbinical school. They had not previously studied under a master teacher. But, Jesus saw their potential and developed them into a band that changed the world.

There are several ways churches can develop their leadership team.

  1. Create a culture of learning in your staff. Read books together. Go to conferences together. Listen to podcasts and discuss. Each week study a chapter in a book and discuss the implications for your church and ministry. Teach your staff and members the theology and strategy for developing attenders to become like Jesus. Teach your leaders the DNA of your church. Are your leaders better today because you invested in their training?
  2. Give them time off to visit other churches and ministries. Find other churches that are doing well at first impressions, the CLASS system, or empowering volunteers.  Send your people to learn from them. Sometimes one new idea can make a huge impact in your church’s ministry.  In what areas does your church need to improve?  Where could they go and learn from others who are doing it well?
  3. Send them to conferences. At a recent Purpose Driven Church conference, several churches brought car loads of leaders and members. Rock Brook Church in Belton, Missouri, brought 17 of its paid and volunteer staff to the conference. Over half of those who attended the conference had never been before. These churches were helping their leaders become even better leaders. However, don’t just send them to conferences and not implement what they have learned. Ask everyone to develop a 90-day plan to implement 1-3 things they learned at the conference.  Ask them to teach what they learned to others in the church.
  4. Help them get a degree. Saddleback Church provides scholarships for their staff to go to a college or seminary. Rockbridgeis a perfect solution for churches that want to develop leaders. Because we are 100% online, students don’t have to leave their ministry field in order to get training. Rockbridge is the only seminary built on the five purposes of the church.

Leaders who value others in their organization, set aside time and money to develop them. What is your plan for developing your ministry team?