Leadership Journal

Stuart Briscoe says he didn't know what mentoring was until a few years ago. But if the church he led for 30 years is any indication, Stuart was doing it before he knew what it was. When Stuart retired in 2000, Mel Lawrenz, an associate pastor and eyewitness to Stuart's ministry for 20 years, was called as senior pastor, and Elmbrook Church in suburban Milwaukee thrives today under Mel's leadership.

Bob Russell depicts mentoring as "osmosis," but his succession plan is very intentional. Now 59, Bob shares the pulpit with Dave Stone, 18 years his junior, the associate pastor already identified by the elders as the next senior minister of the burgeoning Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, when Bob chooses to retire. And recently, the church brought on staff a third preacher, age 26, and the mentoring cycle continues.

Few pastors are this close to the selection of their successors, but all pastors face the issue of raising up leaders within the congregation, both staff and volunteer, to enable the ministry to live beyond their lifetime. Leadership editors Marshall Shelley and Eric Reed asked these pastors to describe how they work with younger leaders to labor alongside, and, if the Lord wills, after them.

Pastors tell us they struggle to find good leaders. Is there a leadership shortage, or are we looking in the wrong places?

Bob Russell: Many churches don't have strong leaders. As our church has grown, we've had a difficult time, too. We've singled out some people for leadership, but they responded, "That's an awful lot of responsibility, and I don't think I'm ready to do that."

And people have different concepts of what makes a leader: A dynamic personality? A servant's heart? Special gifts? The bar gets set higher and higher as people think a leader has to be everything.

We need to look beyond just dynamic, charismatic personalities, and be aware of individuals who have the character to inspire others to follow.

Stuart Briscoe: My two sons are leaders in their churches, both gifted and effective. One is upfront, gregarious, open-hearted, and a great communicator. The other is a behind-the-scenes, detail-oriented, reliable personality with a pastor's heart.

People tend to think of the upfront personality as the leader type, but leadership is about more than personality. Leadership is about influencing people. Everyone has that ability at some level. We're born with it. But is it identified? Is it channeled? Is it intentional?

Russell: You need different kinds of leaders in different departments. The leader in our nursery is a sergeant. Everything is in order. But a leader of a small group has to be much more relational.

Briscoe: Some people are one-talent leaders, others five, but the key is getting everybody in some position of influence and opening the doors for them to step up. It's a matter of asking, "Where is this personality most suited to lead?" Like Bob said, "In what situations?"

I don't look out at a congregation and say, "We've got ...