The Leadership Question: Breaking 200

A long time ago, John Maxwell said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” 

For years, I wanted to try to prove him wrong, and find something else that could explain healthy, growing, transformational churches. I couldn’t do it. Obviously, we need God at work and the gospel at the center, but research repeatedly has shown that leadership really matters on the human side of things. In fact, my research has ended up basically proving that Maxwell was right. Leadership is key for churches that see growth and impact. 

Because of the importance of leadership, pastors must break through purpose and personal barriers, as we saw in the first article of this series. We must align our hearts and lives with Jesus and his mission, and repent when we fall short. From there, we must also take stock of our leadership capabilities and training, seeking to grow in the places where God has called us. That’s what I want to talk about in this article. 

Many have asked (and answered) the question, “Are leaders born or made?” Some say one or the other, but the reality is that it’s both. Leaders are both born and made. Some people naturally move toward the front and lead effectively, and all leaders can also grow and develop skills in leadership. 

Breaking through the purpose and personal barriers I talked about in that first article is a part of growth and development as a leader. That growth then continues through theological and practical development. This need for theological and practical growth applies to breaking growth barriers in churches, like the 200 barrier, and it applies to everyone in church leadership.

So, let’s explore how we can grow in these areas. 

Theological Leadership Growth

Christian leadership development—and specifically church leadership development—requires theological training. I believe that theological training happens best in a structured institutional program. We have such training at Talbot School of Theology where I serve as dean, and it can also be found in many other excellent programs. Many pastors have underdeveloped in terms of their theological training. Specifically, many pastors have an underdeveloped ecclesiology and missiology—biblical frameworks for the church and mission. 

Pastors need to develop a dynamic, missional ecclesiology. Such a view of the church and mission will point a pastor toward a key principle of effective church leadership: you need to spend much more time with leaders and with the lost. Those are the engines of biblical, gospel church growth. Such an ecclesiological framework will require key shifts in how we view the church. 

We must develop a pro-growth mindset, believing that reaching people with the good news is good and important. We must shift from a “doing” approach to an “equipping” approach. We’re called to equip Christians for ministry, not just do all the ministry ourselves (Eph. 4:11-12). We must shift away from a consumer faith toward a commissioned faith. We must see the mission of the church as essential to the nature of the church. 

Then from this foundation of theological leadership growth, we can grow in practical leadership skills and practices. 

Practical Leadership Growth 

Theological development needs to partner with practical development. A friend who leads one of the largest seminaries in America told me that seminaries generally haven’t been effective in training leaders—because that’s not generally what they are designed to do. This makes sense, because most seminary professors are academics rather than leadership practitioners. I believe academics and scholarship are crucial, and I’ve invested decades of my life into both. Yet I also think that we need to develop practical, organizational and church leadership skills to lead effectively in the callings God has given us.