Three Key Questions for Leadership Development

steve

by Steve Cordle

A couple of years ago I had the chance to sit down with Jimmy Siebert, pastor of Antioch Church in Waco, Texas. I had been so impressed with the quality of the leaders at Antioch, I asked him how he went about developing leaders. His answer revolved around three questions he asked people (leader or not) when interacting with them:

1) How is your devotional life?

We all know this is essential not only for leadership, but life! But when was the last time someone looked you in the eye and asked you how your time with Jesus was going? When was the last time you asked the question of a leader you work with?
Thus is not a yes/no questions, but what’s happening. “Share with me something the Lord said recently…” When the person has been meeting with Jesus regularly, their answer will encourage and bless you! When they haven’t, you have a chance to encourage them in this direction.

2) Who are you discipling?

This question sets the expectation that everyone should be discipling someone else. It may be that the person has never thought about doing so. Then you have the chance to encourage them to pray for God to show them who they can come along side of, and how to go about setting up that relationship.

3) Who are you seeking to lead to Christ and how is it going?

Repeatedly asking this question keeps the evangelistic temperature of the church growing. It’s also a great way to be blessed when you hear them share their efforts!

Thanks for the three questions, Jimmy!

Steve Cordle

6 thoughts on “Three Key Questions for Leadership Development

  • Mt Briothers:

    I know that it’s not acceptable in this country to be critical. We must be either positive or quietly in agreement with authorities in the church or outside the church. Results are evident: church was higjacked by politics & the Devil’s economy instead of vise versa.

    Leadership & multiplication can be developed through action only. That’s how Jesus Christ did it. Action is love expressed through:
    -care
    -help
    -sensetivity
    -diligence
    -doing business with people we trust & like prefered in the Christian Community

    with the final mesage of the Great Commission to Build the Kingdom of God on Earth.

    There was no Church in the Former Soviet Union (which was built on communities) Yet in my 32 years of living there I had never met single mother, divorce person, diabetic, overweight person, allergetic, depressed, strssed out, … Yet we did not know Christ & freedoms of choice. I sincerely belive that Ameican Church is at the chross-roads where we can combine the advantages of both systems better then any other Church in history of humanity & better then any religion today on this earth.

  • I believe these three questions point toward very crucial issues that are often neglected … but they do so in a way that is very gentle yet without watering down the expectation.

    After twenty years of ministry I began to ask myself about whether I had actually made disciples. My first answer was to point to the “crowds” that had been in my churches, but when the challenge was naming specific names, I had to admit there were very few who had gone on to become disciple makers, the end result of the process. In terms of results, I had “influenced” many but “discipled” only a few. That was a turning point.

    So, while the three questions are enough, I’d add a fourth for my own benefit: Who are your disciples discipling and how are they doing?

  • I can’t wait to spend time at Antioch in two weeks. I’ll be staying with a family from the church because I wanted to catch some of that fire you’re talking about, Steve. Thanks for this excellent report.

  • There are, at least, three contrastive (Latin-based) English terms that describe the practice of leaders raising up others.

    1) Replacing = I step down and you take my place.
    2) Reproducing = I empower you, and you start doing the same as I.
    3) Multiplying = I empower you, and we both empower others, in turn.

    The raising up of new leaders (guides, shephderds, elders) must keep apace with the formation of new cells.

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