When the associate pastor, who led several small groups, resigned to take another position, the church librarian said, "Lori won't be missed as much as most pastors who leave." If the comment ended there, it would sound as though Lori's ministry wasn't very effective. Quite the opposite was true. From any subject, Lori could challenge and inspire members of her audience to make and keep a commitment.
The librarian explained. "Because Lori made it a priority to train other people, she doesn't leave such a big hole in the church program." In most every small group, someone could step in to assume the leadership.
The idea of an expendable leader began with John the Baptist. Shortly after Jesus began His ministry, the forerunner of Christ said, "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30, NIV). The dynamic preacher who announced a new dispensation willingly stepped aside to allow Christ to take center stage.
A good prayer for Christian leaders might go like this: "Lord, help me to make the greatest contribution to Your kingdom that I am capable of making." You can double your contribution by taking steps to assure that the work you are doing continues after your service ends.
Even if you expect to serve for the long-term, God can always use new leaders. "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matt. 9:37). As you pray for more leaders, ideas for developing them will come to you. Here are a few ideas to start you thinking:
Provide opportunity. Occasionally slip into the background to put others up front. Enlist a group member to lead devotions or make a report on a subject that relates to the theme under study. When someone makes an interesting comment, you might say, "That concept is worth a little more thought. Would you like to develop it further and tell us more about it next week?" Preparing a presentation moves one step beyond class participation toward a leadership role.
Encourage testimony. Invite someone to give a testimony of answered prayer, especially an experience that involved divine power in overcoming human weakness. You can look beyond your group members or even your church to find someone who can inspire others and develop leadership potential at the same time.
Communicate with other group leaders. By sharing information with each other, leaders can increase their opportunity to put people to work for God. For example, the youth group returns from a short-term mission trip. Ask the youth leader to recruit someone to share his or her experience with your group. In addition to the mutual benefit, a bond will begin to form between two generations.
Encourage training. When a Christian education seminar comes up in your area, encourage attendance by someone whose leadership skills are advancing. You might consider going together or even covering the cost from the budget.
Become a mentor. Invite someone in your group to co-teach a session. Plan the session together and offer tips but allow your colleague considerable leeway to demonstrate personal creativity.
As you pray for more workers in the spiritual harvest field and begin to recruit them, one idea will lead to another. By the time your term of service decreases, others may be ready to continue your ministry.
