The Secret Source of Unlimited Leaders
Why we need to be farmers, not recruiters
by Neil Cole | posted 8/10/2009
| Topics: | Assimilation, Growing, Multiplication, New groups, Recruiting leaders, Starting groups |
| Filters: | Coach, Director, Pastor, Start |
| Purpose: | Discipleship |
| References: |  |
| Date Added: | August 10, 2009 |
1 of 4
Perhaps the single most consistent need among Christian leaders is for people who can lead ministries. The vast majority of churches I have encountered in my travels all could use more leaders to maintain their ministries. So many churches have more children than child workers and more students than student workers. Everyone could use more musicians.
|
There are always a few churches, however, that do not have this struggle. There seems to be at least one church in every city that doesn't have the same overbearing need. They have all the leaders they need, and more.
Why is that? Why are some churches full of more leaders than they need, while the rest are all struggling in manpower poverty? I know the secret. I will share it with you now and you, too, can have more than enough leaders and resources to accomplish all the work God has called you to do.
The Problem with RecruitmentThe churches that have the most leaders do not recruit leaders at all. That is why they have enough. The churches that recruit can never find enough. Below I will share some of the reasons why.
Recruitment of leaders is the only option recognized by most churches. Most leaders who have needs in their churches for ministry immediately take to recruiting. Recruitment is when we search for a leader from the outside to fill a need on the inside. We take on a headhunter role and search for the best leaders we can find for the tasks at hand.
For most Christian leaders, there is always more ministry than leaders. That just seems to be the way it is. This approach is rampant in the Kingdom of God. It is actually epidemic. In fact, for most, it is the only way they know. Most of Christendom is set up for this method.
Recruitment is never satisfied. There are never enough leaders for all the demand. Matching the right people to the right task is a hit-and-miss proposition. Plugging in new people to work in established ministries is a challenge in the best cases. In organic terms, this approach is like grafting in leadership. It is slow, awkward, and only successful on occasion. The leader is left constantly hungry for more leaders and seemingly having to compromise quality on a regular basis.
We start with a ministry need, and then we work to find someone to match the task. This is actually backwards. We start with our eyes on our own needs and we are never really able to see anything else. It seems that once you start down the recruitment path, you find yourself in a world where you are acutely aware of all that you do not have. In this world, there are not enough leaders to fill the gaps—let alone start anything new.
Recruitment sucks! I used to think that recruitment was a strategy that only added ministry to the Kingdom and could never be a multiplying strategy. I have come to see that it is not even an addition strategy. Recruitment is actually a subtraction strategy. It doesn't add anything to the kingdom. It simply takes from it. It is a strategy that uses the kingdom for its own good rather than contributing to the kingdom.
When everyone is taking and no one is contributing, soon the pool sucks dry and we are all left with nothing. The vast majority of churches are sucking up what little resources are left in the kingdom and contributing nothing back. The results are that we are in a drought. Our pool is shrinking daily, and in the end all we have left to us is the muck at the bottom of the pond.
This explains why so many churches are dying of thirst. Quality diminishes. Needs are left unfilled. Our thirst for more resources increases. Our churches are left weakened.
share this page
Foundations of a Small-Group Leader
How to build and maintain a strong foundation for community ministry
Small-Group Member Orientation Guide
Help your new and potential group members know what to expect, and what will be expected of them.see more downloads
user reviews
Average User Rating:
Displaying 1–5 of 6 comments.
See all comments
Thomas Dixon(Registered User)
I too appreciate this insightful article. I felt informed, challenged, and encouraged as the Holy Spirit spoke and said yes, that's where you need to refocus. We have a young start-up ministry and we have resisted the recruiting that is commonplace. However, I am now reminded again that we must be continually prayerful and consistently diligent in going into "all the world and making disciples." Thanks a million!
Timothy Sharpe
This is very insightful. I've been meditating on the question: how did prophets gain power and influence? Paul is the type mentioned here - he was passionate, influential and effective doing something already, then God helped him shift to applying that energy to something aligned with his will. Wouldn't we all love to have Paul as a leader in our church? Are we willing to take on a scary type of person in order to let God transform them through you?
Janet Fritz
A powerful article! I believe the reason it is - is because the author has gone directly to the SOURCE of all power -- the Lord Jesus Christ and God's Holy Instruction book - the Bible. The answers all always there if we know how to look for them.
Julie Buter(Registered User)
This is right on. We need to stop looking for 'qualified' leaders and start waiting for 'called' leaders. God knows who this is and He's just waiting on us to accept whom be puts before our eyes. There are so many leaders out there in every church - they just don't know it yet. Or worse, they've been labeled as unworthy to lead. Let's stop labelng and start letting God do His thing. Only then will we see the full fruits of His harvest.
Cindy Griffiths
I agree, EXCELLENT article! Oh to pray the prayers that move the heart of God! He is faithful. I learned a long time ago that the Lord will not ask us to do something and then leave us without the resources to get the job done. His intention is to enable us to bring forth fruit that will remain. And as the article suggests, lying within the heart of every unsaved soul are the seeds of future leaders. Let us commit to making disciples and beseeching the Lord of the Harvest for all we need to do so.
Rate and Comment on this article: *