A healthy church has a growing leadership and is always growing the next generation of leaders at every level of church life.…If pastors and elders don’t do this then the church is poorer for it.

Sometimes pastor’s feel like they have to do it all, after all it;s what they’re paid for. Sometimes pastors want to do it all because no one else does it quite the way they want it done. But pastors shouldn’t do it all for their own good and for the good of the church.

The job of the pastors and elders is to lead and equip the church for works of service for the glory of God. And that ought not to just be works of service outside the church but works of service inside the church. A healthy church has a growing leadership and is always growing the next generation of leaders at every level of church life.

Potential preachers need identifying and getting alongside and training in exegeting the Bible and applying the Bible. They then need teaching and modelling how to put a sermon together, and then they need opportunities to preach with feed forward before they do and feedback after they preach. If pastors and elders don’t do this then the church is poorer for it. It’s the same with leading services, prayer meetings, and Bible studies, people need envisioning, training, and opportunities to do it and feedback on it. We have a responsibility as leaders of God’s kingdom now to prepare the leaders for tomorrow’s church—when we’re not there.

Read More