by Cindy Jansen
Recently, I was talking with a lay leader about leadership development. We were discussing the impact leaders have on the health of a church and some areas where I believe we’re falling short.
Like many conversations in the church, this wasn’t a new topic. It had been discussed before, but it never seemed to gain much momentum.
Our leadership benches are thin. That is a fact. If you’ve served in a church for any length of time, you probably know exactly what I mean. (I’ve blogged about it before, too.)
Then he said something that made me pause.
“Leadership development is corporate, Cindy.”
Without thinking much about it, I replied, “It’s not corporate. It’s biblical.”
Leadership Development = Discipleship
The more I’ve reflected on that conversation, the more convinced I’ve become that we often dismiss leadership development because we’ve confused it with business management.
Yes, corporations invest heavily in developing leaders.
But they didn’t invent the idea.
Jesus did.
Before there was a corporate training department or a leadership conference, Jesus intentionally invested in twelve ordinary people. He taught them, challenged them, corrected them, coached them, sent them out to practice, debriefed their experiences, and prepared them to continue his mission after he was gone.
That’s leadership development.
You might prefer to call it discipleship. I don’t see much difference. Healthy disciples become people who influence others. That’s leadership.
The word leader doesn’t belong only to pastors, elders, council members, or ministry directors. Leadership isn’t a title. It’s influence.
- Every Sunday school teacher leads.
- Every small group facilitator leads.
- Every usher, youth volunteer, worship leader, committee chair, parent, mentor, and faithful church member influences someone.
When churches struggle with disengaged volunteers—leadership matters.
When new members lack meaningful connections—leadership matters.
When ministry teams lose focus—leadership matters.
When communication breaks down, conflict grows, or volunteers burn out—leadership matters.
All of them are influenced by the quality of leadership throughout the church.
More Like Jesus
Leadership development isn’t about creating stronger personalities or building larger organizations.
It’s about helping God’s people become more self-aware, more servant-hearted, more courageous, more humble, and more equipped to love and lead others well. Not all of us have these skills innately. We need to develop them, learn them, and apply.
The Apostle Paul understood this. He instructed Timothy, “And the things you have heard me say … entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).
Notice the pattern:
Develop people who develop people. (See another previous blog post.)
That’s how the Church has grown for thousands of years.
Perhaps it’s time we stop thinking of leadership development as something borrowed from corporate America. Instead, let’s recognize it for what it has always been: A biblical responsibility.
When we intentionally develop leaders, we aren’t becoming more corporate.
We’re becoming more like Jesus.
Want to learn more? I’d love to talk! I could talk for hours on this topic, so let’s find some time.
Cindy.jansen@faithlunleashedconsulting.com
