It's been a month since I sat in row F of Willow Creek's South Barrington, Ill. campus auditorium for the Global Leadership Summit. I have enjoyed previous Summits, but there was something special about my experience this year. There was a strong thread woven through each presenter's session about being courageous, not fearing failure, and building your team's morale.
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the God of Peace will be with you (Philippians 4:9).”
Pastor Oscar Muriu is the senior pastor for Nairobi Chapel in Kenya. Pastor Muriu focused his time at the Summit on multiplying our efforts. As shepherds in our churches, “are [we] raising up the next generation of leaders around [us]?” He spoke out of Matthew 9:37-38 in which Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” While Pastor Muriu was speaking to the greater audience of church pastors and leaders, I immediately applied this to the production ministry I am heading. How many more people could we as a church reach with modern technology if we had the “harvesters” to produce incredible services?
My ministry is not mine at all. It’s God’s work through me.
Through Pastor Muriu's message, I have realized that not only do I want to grow our church's current production team volunteer base (who doesn't want more volunteers?), but I am slowly beginning to desire that the next generation be built up. I have begun to ask myself if I am living for the future production leaders or for myself. I'll admit that it can be difficult to have that vision of teaching new leaders since I am often still viewed as a youngster myself. However, it's never too early to begin raising up new luminaries.
Our churches and our ministries will die without young leaders being brought up to take over from us one day. I have to continually remind myself that my ministry is not mine at all. It's God's work through me. How awful would it be for a ministry to dry up just because one person is no longer there? Instead, I have to keep thinking of ways to multiply myself into the next batch of leaders. Now, this isn't something that is handed over in a day, but over time. Joshua “interned” under Moses for 40 years before taking over.
Find some members on your team and invest in them. Set them apart as “harvesters,” workers, and leaders. Learning to lead is not an overnight skill that is easily acquired, it has to be cultivated. Oftentimes the younger generation is discounted or put aside because this current generation doesn't want to invest the time to raise them up. However, if we spend time with them, we can not only grow the harvesters, but build up that next set of church leaders. I sometimes think of where I would be had my mentors not been there to support, encourage, and train me at a young age.
I went into this year's Summit thinking I could learn to be a leader. I left knowing I already am one. I can stand courageous in knowing that I was called into this role, and though at times it may look like I have failed, I am still a leader. God is looking for courageous leaders to step up in their churches. Will you join me?
