He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evengelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-13

I used to think leadership was about being the person out in front, about being the one with all the answers. I was so wrong. As I reflect on how I grew from the woman in the pew to a leader in ministry, I realize how blessed I was to have so many patient, loving, tenacious people assist me on that journey. All were different, and yet each left thumbprints on my identity as a leader.

A man named Charles equipped me by asking the right questions. Often the questions were, What do you need from me? How can I support you? But his style of drawing out my leadership gift came in the form of ...