Article by Doug Terpstra | Jan. 22, 2019
A thriving ministry doesn’t happen by accident. Selection and development of the right church leader for the ministry are the first steps to making church health and the ministry successful. According to John Wimber, there are six steps that we take in the selection and development process that will help us bring the ministry to its desired result.
The first of these is “identify.” Most ministries begin because there is a problem in the church that needs to be addressed. Therefore, matching the right person with the right gift mix to bring a solution to the problem is crucial. But how do we find such church leaders? The first step in this process to find healthy balanced christian leadership, is to pray; “Lord is there someone that has the right gift mix for leadership for this ministry?” After a person comes to mind, we begin the vetting process by seeing if this person is available, faithful, and teachable.
After these factors are taken into account, the second thing we do is “recruit.” At this point, we look at their God-given design. Does the destiny that God has put within them link to the position that we are trying to fill? Can we equip them through inspiring church small groups? If we can, then we have a win/win strategy in the selection process where the person can be successful. Once this is determined, we then begin to look at what are the expectations of the position such as time, duties, etc.
The third step in this process is now to train the church leader for the desired position. In my estimation, this is where most pastors come up short. Often, they are too busy to adequately train the individual and the church leader is left to themselves to figure things out. However, by using the following three steps, one can greatly increase the success of the ministry. Leaders need ministry coaching. First, have the leader watch how you want it done. Second, do it together so the leader gets a feel for how it’s done, and you see how the leader is doing. And finally, turn the leader loose to do it for himself.
Once we have identified the leader, recruited them, and trained them in how to lead, we are ready for the “launching/deployment” phase. Every team will go through a series of successes and failures. What we do with them will be crucial as to how the team progresses. The first thing we do is plan. How is this ministry to function in the church and what will we implement to bring solutions to the problem we are trying to fix? Second, we recruit team members to help carry the plan out. We then execute the plan, followed by evaluating how the plan went in achieving the desired results. After we do these things, we can then make the necessary changes to make the ministry function at a higher level. Finally, we follow these steps again, and again, and again. By doing so, we hopefully will continue to improve the ministry so that it thrives.
The second to last of these six steps is to support the church leader and their team. To do this we will need to monitor their progress to see how they are doing. At this point we would recognize their successes and help them with any problems they might be experiencing. We must remember that people are our primary resource and we want them to thrive in the position that they are in. Not only do we want to make sure the leader is doing well, but we want to see how the team is doing under the leadership of the team leader.
Finally, it’s important to nurture your people. We should take great care in developing our people instead of just delegating them to a duty. When the church leader sees how you take an interest in them as a person, they will want to do serve you in a greater way.
By following these six steps, we will have a much greater opportunity for success in the ministry we are trying to develop.
