Recently, I’ve been reflecting on something Henry Blackaby said: “The church doesn’t have a leadership problem; it has a discipleship problem.”
I’ve found myself thinking about that, especially when talking with pastors of smaller churches who are discouraged because they don’t see enough people stepping into leadership roles.
What if the question isn’t “Why aren’t more leaders emerging?” What if the better question is “How are we doing at making disciples?”
It seems throughout Scripture, God is more concerned with who we are becoming than the positions we hold. Leadership matters, and John Maxwell has taught for years that everything rises and falls on leadership. But I’ve often wondered if healthy leadership is the result of something deeper.
Could it be that leaders naturally emerge where discipleship is flourishing?
As we spend time with God, he shapes our character. He transforms us into his likeness. Before God does significant work through us, he often wants to do significant work in us.
Sometimes in ministry, we can see someone’s potential and move them into leadership. We’ve all seen situations where that doesn’t end well. It’s not because the person lacked gifting, but because the foundation underneath the gifting wasn’t fully formed yet.
That doesn’t mean the person won’t lead someday. It may simply mean God is still doing the deeper work of discipleship. Blackaby often reminded us that God is more interested in what he is doing in us than what he plans to do through us.
Maybe that’s an encouragement for pastors. We can’t manufacture leaders, but we can invest in discipleship. We can create environments where people walk closely with God and grow alongside other believers.
And perhaps, over time, we’ll discover that the leadership we were hoping for was already beginning to develop beneath the surface as God was forming mature disciples.
─Carmen Halsey-Menghini is one of IBSA’s Leadership Development Directors.