Remember how moms, for years, have been saying, “You are the company you keep”? I get their point, but I think, while that has some merit, there is a missional impulse that calls us to invest in and help influence gospel change in others—rather than just be the object of their influence. The problem is, too often, as church planters, pastors and leaders, we think of our responsibility to influence and change others in almost exclusively corporate terms. In other words, “How do I influence the church?” I would push back and encourage you to think about multiplication through a personal, rather than corporate, lens.
In other words, “How can I influence one person to be a disciple?” In fact, I think disciple making is most effective when one disciple helps disciple another, who helps disciple another, and so on. It’s arguable that this never happens in a large group format. Disciples aren’t made in crowds; they’re made in community.
So what does that have to do with the kind of people we, as leaders, hang out with? If we are going to personally make disciples, then we need a strategy for making those disciples. And if we are going to have a strategy for making disciples, it probably ought to look like Jesus’ strategy. When I look at Jesus’ life and ministry, I notice that he persistently spent his time with two often-overlapping groups of people; those with leadership potential and the marginalized. He didn’t necessarily pick people who were in significant leadership positions; he chose men and women who had the potential to be strong leaders and he invested his time with them. What’s more, his ministry was marked by a commitment to marginalized people. This is why I love the gospel of Luke so much. No other gospel consistently displays Jesus’ intimate love for people who were segmented on the fringes of culture—and marginalized by cultural norms of their day.
With that in mind, I think every leader who wants to lead like Jesus has an obligation to invest in people who fit in both of those categories.
Those With Leadership Potential
Luke 11:31-32, “Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
