The more I spend time with local churches, and the worship leaders in those churches, the more I see a common pattern: There are many leaders who lead worship but don’t lead people.
They sing songs with sincerity and energy, but they don’t help people do the same.
They spend time improving their craft, but they don’t disciple others to do what they do.
They’re focused on a career, but not on where the church will be in 15 years.
So I’m asking the question: What does it take to be a reproducing leader?
It’s the kind of skill that goes beyond talent and experience. You have to have a certain comfortability with the background. As a reproducing leader, you aren’t always out front but strengthening hearts behind the scenes.
Before we go any further, are you OK with that?
The reason I ask is because it’s devastating. Devastating to pride.
- “If he’s leading more, the church may like him more.”
- “If she takes over the scheduling, I won’t get recognition for it.”
- “If I give up that task, I won’t be needed anymore.”
- “If he steps up, I will be out of a job.”
But if we’re honest, reproduction is exactly what churches need. Churches don’t need the short life span of a superstar, celebrity leader. They need a leader who will prepare them for 30 years from now—a leader that builds an infrastructure to outlast themselves.
It’s actually a difficult place for a leader to come to. Because the truth is, you can’t be so concerned with your own career and how you’re going to be used by God. You have eyes on the people around you. You have eyes on the church and how they’re responding in worship. You have a pastoral heart to see people encounter God.
Essentially, you should do nothing alone. Always investing, always pushing forward, always encouraging.
So whether you’re leading this way or not, it’s important to explore. Trust me, it’s not for everybody. Everybody cannot be great at this, but who’s to say you won’t be?
5 Qualities of a Reproducing Leader
Here are a few things you can apply:
1. A Heart for the Kingdom – Don’t confuse ministry with career. Local church ministry is all about laying your life down for the Kingdom. If that doesn’t excite you or if you’re not willing to do that, you’re in the wrong role. A Kingdom-centered life says, “God, whatever glorifies Your name and builds Your church, let me do that.” A Kingdom heart is content with the background. Why? Because the end goal isn’t about a reward or recognition. It’s about the glory of the Son of God.
2. A Pastoral Sensitivity – Many people look on others and give up at first sight. Someone with pastoral vision sees into the future. They see promise. They see potential. They see an individual as someone to steward for the glory of God. If you’re going to reproduce people, they can’t just be volunteers to check off your to-do list. Pray for them, listen to them, be present with them. A pastor sees those on the fringes. They may not be the most talented or have the most gear, but a pastor sees what they could be.
3. A Heart for the House – If you don’t have a heart for the house, you’ll only work to serve your own agenda. You’ll only improve yourself and advance your career. You won’t have a paradigm for raising others up to serve the needs of a local community. Reproducing leaders are champions of a pastor’s vision. It’s a beautiful balance of taking initiative and leading with vision, but being sure to stay committed to the mission of the house.
4. A Confident Competency – If you’re going to raise up other leaders, you have to be good at what you do. Of course, you don’t have to be the best in the world. You don’t have to be the most talented. You don’t even need to have the most experience. But you need to be ever improving, ever learning, ever growing as an individual if you’re going to expect that from the people you are developing. This is a common challenge for those who are growing older—they lose their effectiveness not because of their age, but because they stop learning and listening to the next generation.
5. A Generous Voice – If anyone is going to grow, they need feedback. And that’s what’s most important about a leader. They need to be high on encouragement and high on feedback. Your words are your greatest influence. My pastor would always talk to us about withdrawals and deposits. We all know what happens when our withdrawals are more frequent than our deposits. We run out of money. Think of that relationally. Every encouragement, phone call, kind word is a deposit into someone. That earns you the trust you need to make withdrawals of honest feedback and hard asks. Be generous in your encouragement.
Now is the time to become the leader you know you can be.
Now is the time to give others a chance.
Now is the time to invest.
Are you ready?
This article originally appeared here.
