Maybe you’ve heard an angler tell you that “The tug is the drug.” I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t! But…the feeling is real for those who fish – there is no other sensation like casting out a line and feeling a voracious underwater predator hit your lure! Especially when it feels like there’s a tank of a fish on the other end! Whether you’ve had a great day of fishing or a poor one, the tug is the drug that keeps anglers waking up early and hitting the water for another day of fishing.
What is it that keeps ministry leaders and church members coming back for another Sunday? What’s the tug? We can unintentionally get our hearts set on the wrong measurables. The common hijackers are budgets, buildings, and behinds – we might feel good about growing our facilities, increasing the crowd, and seeing the church offering grow. Those are definitely worth measuring in the right season and in the right way, but they aren’t the pillars or foundation of growth. Let’s take a look at one pillar.
The book of 1 Samuel chronicles David’s rise to power as king over Israel. It’s a 15-year journey from the time of his anointing until he finally takes the throne, and most of that time he’s on the run from King Saul. In 1 Samuel 22, while David flees from Saul, God sends him 400 men to boost his security squad. It sounds like David might finally get an advantage over Saul. But as we read, we find out these are 400 men who are distressed, discontent, and in debt. They aren’t exactly elite. God sent David men who needed leadership, and the story tells us that David became their commander. David doesn’t reject the men in need, rather he raises them up, and when David eventually becomes king over Israel, he has a faithful and mighty group of loyal warriors. One group is called ‘the Thirty’ and they are led by ‘the Three’ – Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah. You can read about them in 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11.
God can do anything, but He start David out with thirty mighty men and three amazing chiefs over them. Instead, He gave David 400 men who had been kicked around by life, and David coached them up and gave them the opportunity to succeed. This is a powerful and necessary example for leaders today. If you want leaders…you need to learn to coach them up. You can pray for some, hope for some, search for some…but God’s expectation (and Jesus’ example) is that we disciple Christians into leadership.
When I began preaching at Community, we were blessed with a mature congregation that had seasoned elders, a retired missionary, and a lot of committed families. I really felt like I could take the preaching role without any fear of success landing on my shoulders alone. Over time life brings changes, and some of those seasoned saints moved away to be closer to their grandkids, while others passed away and went to be with the Lord after a long and fruitful life. Pretty soon you start to see that the number of mentors is shrinking around you, while the people who do surround you are needing personal investment, mentoring, and opportunities for growth.
Developing leaders around us ensures that future generations will have mentors, too. Shellye Archembeau’s article “Leaders Creating Leaders” promotes the most productive leadership development technique: a mentoring relationship that takes advantage of opportunities for unique, personal attention. If leaders don’t coach and disciple future leaders up personally, no one else will. Leadership guru Tom Peters says it this way, “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.” It’s not bad to create followers, but you might just end up with a Moses situation where you are surrounded by needs instead of helpers. Moses got stuck in the mode of a “doer,” and Jethro challenged him to become a “developer.” With his leadership team multiplied, Moses could focus on the spiritual life and health of the nation.
My two fishing sidekicks are excellent anglers and we fish together often. They make me better, even if there is some friendly competition between us, because our cooperation is greater than our competition. It’s a great day of fishing when everyone goes home satisfied! As leaders we are charting a course towards intentionally developing new leaders. Leaders must sacrifice the attitude of competition and strive for healthy cooperation.
Back to our question – what tug is the drug for ministry leaders? One tug has to be taking joy in helping others grow and find their unique contribution to God’s kingdom. David did this for the 400 men who showed up in distress.
Where do leaders come from?
You can hope that some show up. Maybe they’ve grown into a successful professional role in their job. Or maybe another church raised them up into leadership. The most effective and productive strategy is to grow your own. The article “Leadership Development Across the Lifespan” is an excellent analysis of how people at every age can take on leadership roles, especially children. Parents have a unique opportunity to equip their children for leadership success, both in personal development of skills and talents and also in group engagement through activities like team sports and musical band. Church leaders have a unique opportunity in the identity formation of youth and young adults to forge emerging leaders.
What kinds of people and churches create and equip leaders?
The greatest factor is when current leaders take joy in sharing the leadership load. There is serious power when the tug on a leader’s heart is to see other people grow in faith and become equipped to serve in their own unique way. Nothing communicates to others like your excited faith! On the other hand, when leaders are suspicious and defensive about holding on to power, leadership succession never really happens in a planned and positive way. Instead, leaders hang on until it’s too late for a smooth and exciting transition. When the tug is power and control, the end results aren’t good. When a leader’s personal vision is to collect responsibility instead of share it, the seed meant for planting and multiplying remains in the silo.
Relationships are another factor in growing disciples into leaders. When a church leadership team makes consistent, successful efforts to build friendships within the congregation, it sets an example and creates an environment of trust and conversation where leadership development can naturally occur. Any leadership training program that operates without these two factors present is going to have mixed results.
How can churches support leaders and leadership development?
Open conversation about leadership development and succession is healthy in the church. The joy that leaders have in multiplying their team is a joy that should be communicated and shared across the whole church. Emerging leaders need support, which a congregation can demonstrate with flexibility and encouragement, especially as individuals take on roles and responsibilities that are new. May our cooperation be greater than our competition!
Leadership pathway #3 – God tugs on a leader’s heart to disciple more and not just do more. This creates more disciples and multiplies your ministry potential.
The Tug on Your Heart: Hopefully there are some aspects of your church that you love! Is your church doing well on building relationships and extending friendships beyond the church walls? Is your leadership team seeking opportunities for disciples of all ages to “level-up” in their involvement and responsibility? Is the tug of your church more about what you get? Or what you give?