Something important to remember when considering who you will ask to serve with you in your ministry is that you want to pick people who are best suited for the task at hand. Although you may not feel like it, as the senior pastor, you act as the CEO of your ministry. As such, it is your responsibility to implement leaders that will take on the vision God has given you.
Consider the following example:
Mark has a master’s degree in history. He has studied nearly every time period. When it comes to historical topics and facts, he is like a human encyclopedia. There is no doubting his brilliance and keen attention to detail.
Now, what would you think if Mark went in for a job interview to be an accountant?
I would have to think that no matter how brilliant he is, he would not get the job. Not because he lacks intelligence or dedication, but because he is not suited for the tasks required of accountants. This same mentality applies when considering and developing leaders in your church. Even the people closest to you may not be natural-born leaders.
What is important here is to ask yourself, What sort of leadership qualities am I looking for in people?
John Maxwell provides a list of 10 qualities that one needs in order to develop the best leaders around them:
- Character: Character flaws cannot be ignored because they can eventually make a leader ineffective.
- Influence: What is the leader’s level of influence? Who influences this leader? Who does he or she influence?
- Positive attitude: One’s attitude can affect many aspects of life.
- Excellent people skills: A great leader knows how to make others feel welcome and comfortable in their own skin. He or she can also ask great, though sometimes probing questions, without coming across as being negative.
- Evident gifts: Things like spiritual gifting and the like.
- Proven track record: A proven leader will always have a proven track record.
- Confidence: It is a fact that people are attracted to other people who convey a certain degree of confidence.
- Self-discipline: When it comes to self-discipline, there are two areas to consider; how someone handles his emotions and how he uses his time in a day.
- Effective communication skills: This can look like having a genuine concern for people, the ability to focus on the responder, the ability to communicate with different kinds of people, eye contact and a warm smile.
- Discontent with the status quo: A leader who loves the status quo soon becomes a follower.
Whether you are a seasoned pastor with plenty of quality leaders or a young pastor working to establish a launch team, I challenge you to continually assess your leaders using these 10 characteristics.
First published on StartChurch.com. Used by permission.