Leadership doesn't equal certainty. True leadership sees the inevitable ambiguities of ministry, yet has the spiritual sensitivity and resolve to advance through them.
—Ben Patterson

When she said, "Now, Pastor, nobody wants you to succeed at this church more than I do," I inwardly groaned. I knew what was coming.

After a year as pastor, I had felt deeply that the church must focus on building leadership for the coming years. So at the previous board meeting I had asked, "I want to find ten men who'll meet with me for a year to study and pray, on the premise that they would go and disciple other men in the church. I want your endorsement for making this my main focus of ministry, with a goal of discipling fifty men over the next five years." They approved what came to be called Project Mustard Seed.

But now they were having second thoughts. One Sunday morning a board member pulled me aside.

"I think Project Mustard Seed is a great idea," she began, "but maybe if you waited two or three years, ...