Yesterday I spent some time with Mac Lake, former leadership development pastor at Seacoast Church and now the leader of the Launch Network.
1. Don’t just build leaders; build a leadership development culture. You don’t have a culture until you see a second generation of leadership development.
2. Leadership development must be modeled at the executive level. It doesn’t mean it has to all be done at that level, but there must be voice and visibility.
3. Clearly state the expectations for leadership development in every role description.
4. Develop leaders for vision not need. 2 Timothy 2:2 illustrates that Paul was developing for future possibility not current need.
5. Develop an aligned strategy across the church. Most departments develop their own way which dramatically limits effectiveness.
6. Decentralize the process. The process must happen relationally at all times rather than just from one person in a centralized venue.
7. Use the power of 20%. Most of the time and with attendance growth of 15% per year, leadership development can “lead” growth only if 20% of the leaders are active developers.
8. Leadership development requires a clear learning path. Leaders can’t just “catch” what they need by watching. The developer must define the competencies to be learned. What are the top five competencies for each ministry? What are the top five competencies across all ministries?
