Leadership is about hard decisions. You’ve never been this way before and the people you are trying to lead haven’t been either. That’s scary. Do you have people in your life you can share the pain of leadership with to help you navigate the hard decisions?
6. Build healthy teams
You can’t do it alone. Chances are you can control a church, which is not growing. You can control people who don’t think for themselves. But if you want to grow, especially grow long-term, you’ll need to surround yourself with healthy people who build a healthy team environment – and let other people share leadership.
Have you truly empowered people around you to live out their individual passion and calling towards achieving the vision? Are you an empowering leader or a controlling one? Remember, Jesus sent the disciples out on their own. (With the Spirit of God, of course.)
7. Refuel often
I find the more we are growing and the more change is occurring, the more I have to get away and gain perspective. Renew. Recharge. Sometimes even re-engage. I can’t lead for growth if I’m drowning in the demands of the present.
How close are you running towards empty these days? Sometimes you have to step away even when it makes no sense to do so simply so you can take the next “mountain” in front of you. Protecting your soul is good stewardship in leadership and it’s a God-given (Sabbath) command.
By no means am I attempting to take God’s presence out of church growth.
Ultimately church growth, as is every aspect of spiritual growth, is from the hand of God. But two things appear clear to me in the Bible. I believe God gives us a mind to be creative and use, but I also believe there are even Biblical principles at work here. God uses His people to do His work. And God wants His church to penetrate culture with the hope of the Gospel. I simply believe He uses both of those together.
In a day of increasing darkness, we need to be smarter church leaders. We need growing churches.
I also don’t know believe this is an exclusive list, but I hope it’s is a good start. Perhaps the right way to process this post is to ask yourself a question – Which of these are we missing?
This article on church growth paradigms oriiginally appeared here, and is used by permission. Check out Ron’s leadership podcast where we discuss issues of leadership nuggets in a practical way. Plus, check out the other Lifeway Leadership Podcasts.
