Leadership Journal

Julie was a quiet girl in our Bible study. Petite and soft-spoken, she shared things on her heart and expressed her love for God. One day my husband and I drew Julie (names have been changed) aside.

"I think you may have the spiritual gift of leadership," said my husband.

"Me?" Julie looked stunned.

We talked to her about why we thought she was a potential leader—how she took initiative, influenced people, and didn't seem afraid to encourage people to get more involved.

She went home in a bit of a daze. The thought of being a leader had never occurred to her.

We began giving her leadership assignments in our small group, leading worship time and Bible discussion questions. She tried leading in bite-sized chunks. Our Bible study eventually ended, but Julie led another Bible study group; then she led worship one Sunday. Now Julie leads the worship team regularly.

This would have never happened had not someone nudged her toward leadership.

This is part of our calling as leaders—to spot and cultivate other potential leaders to serve God and use the gifts given them. There's also a side benefit—we end up finding people for the many ministries that always seem to be in need of leaders!

How do we find these hidden people and encourage them to lead? Three steps are involved.

Leaders come in a wide range of giftedness, personalities, and working styles. The better we understand the different kinds of leadership, the better we are able to assess those who may have leadership potential.

Some are "natural leaders." Leadership seems to come naturally to them. Their teams flourish. They have a compelling vision of what God has called them to accomplish, and they lead effectively.

These leaders are easy to spot—they usually talk about leadership or ministry direction. The thought of impacting people gets them excited. They enjoy facing a challenge and empowering people to meet it.

Jim was such a leader. He came on as the pastor of a wilting church. Attendance was a mere handful. Morale was low, and the question of survival loomed on the horizon.

Within a year, however, Jim changed the leadership team, the church name, the mission statement, the location, and the time of the Sunday service—all things he had been told not to change within the first year of his pastorate.

But because of his leadership skills, there was little dissent. People enthusiastically supported the changes. Over time, the church began to grow. Jim, a natural leader, found it energizing to face such challenges, and people followed him willingly.

Many natural leaders feel compelled to lead. If they are not leading something, they sense that something is missing. If there is no current ministry to lead, then they will start something up!

Other people are "situational leaders." They may not have a natural inclination toward leadership, but if the need presents itself and no one else is stepping up, they will step in and lead.

One church wanted to send a group on a one-week mission trip to Mexico, ...