Leadership Multiplication: A Legacy Beyond Your Tenure
Building a great church is typically the aim of most pastors. But imagine if the actual measure of successful leadership isn’t the church you build, but the leaders you leave behind. Leadership multiplication can play a crucial role in ensuring the impact of the church extends beyond your tenure.
Rethinking Legacy
A healthy church isn't necessarily the one with the largest attendance or the largest building, but rather a church that continues to thrive long after the founding pastor has departed. Moreover, the healthiest churches embed a pipeline of leaders ready to take the helm, ensuring continuity.
Leadership Bottlenecks
A widespread, yet silent issue in many churches today is the formation of leadership bottlenecks. When a pastor does all the preaching, leading, and decision-making, the church struggles to grow beyond the capacity of that one individual. This kind of lone-ranger approach is not a marker of excellence, rather it's symptomatic of insecurity. The more fruitful path lies in engaging others—multiplication always trumps addition.
Building a Lasting Legacy
The bedrock of long-term church health is fostering new, vibrant leaders. However, this often involves slow, messy and risky endeavors! Yet, despite potential pitfalls, there are some practical steps to help build a robust leadership pool:
- Call It Out: Spot potential. Have those 'ICNU' (I see in you) conversations. who on your team exhibits leadership qualities?
- Share the Stage: Delegate. Pass significant responsibilities on to others. It can start with sharing the preaching schedule, but it should spread to other areas of ministry too.
- Open Your Circle: Let them into your inner decision-making process. Don't just delegate tasks, help develop understanding and skills.
In working towards a legacy of leadership multiplication, remember the ultimate goal isn’t building a church, it’s fostering a pipeline of capable leaders ready to carry the torch beyond your tenure. So, the big question really becomes: Could your legacy be the leaders left behind to continue your work?
To delve deeper into this topic, tune into the latest episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. For direct assistance or further discussions, email podcast@chemistrystaffing.com—let's work together to build a succession plan that ensures the healthy future of your church.
