The Making of a Leader

1. Leadership is a Lifelong Journey of God's Sovereign Shaping

Leadership is a lifetime of lessons.

God's long-range plan. Leadership development is not a short course but a lifelong process, meticulously tailored by God for each individual. Just as a master craftsman shapes raw material, God providentially works through every experience—good or bad, personal or environmental—to form a leader for His specific purposes. This journey is best understood through a "timeline" perspective, revealing distinct developmental phases.

Five key phases. The generalized timeline outlines six phases of a leader's development, though individual journeys are unique.

• Sovereign Foundations (Phase I): God providentially lays character traits and experiences from birth, often without the individual's conscious control.
• Inner-Life Growth (Phase II): The emerging leader learns intimacy with God, discernment, and obedience, undergoing crucial character tests.
• Ministry Maturing (Phase III): The leader experiments with spiritual gifts, gains ministry skills, and learns relational dynamics.
• Life Maturing (Phase IV): Character deepens, communion with God becomes foundational, and ministry flows from "being."
• Convergence (Phase V): God aligns gifts, experience, and role for maximized ministry effectiveness.
• Afterglow (Phase VI): A period of broad, indirect influence and recognition for a lifetime of faithfulness.

Beyond mere training. Leadership emergence encompasses all of life's processes, not just formal training. It's about God working in the leader before working through them. Recognizing these phases helps leaders understand God's past work, anticipate future development, and respond with a teachable attitude, ultimately preparing them for convergence—a time of maximum ministry productivity.

2. Foundational Character is Forged Through Integrity, Obedience, and Word Checks

Integrity is foundational for effective leadership; it must be instilled early in a leader’s character.

Character is paramount. At the heart of effective leadership lies integrity, an uncompromising adherence to moral values, revealing sincerity and honesty. God's first priority in developing a leader is to refine character, which is more crucial than giftedness or skills. This foundational work primarily occurs in the "Inner-Life Growth" phase (Phase II) through specific "checks."

Three crucial tests. God uses three primary "checks" to test and shape a leader's character:

• Integrity Checks: These tests evaluate intentions and consistency with inner convictions, often leading to an expanded sphere of influence upon successful completion (e.g., Daniel's refusal of royal food, Amy Carmichael's commitment to a simple lifestyle).
• Obedience Checks: Leaders learn to recognize, understand, and obey God's voice, even when it doesn't make logical sense (e.g., Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac, Watchman Nee's confession to his sister). Obedience is first learned, then taught.
• Word Checks: These tests assess a leader's ability to receive and apply truth from God's Word personally, building spiritual authority (e.g., Samuel's first encounter with God, Dawson Trotman's conversion through memorized Scripture).

Growth through response. A proper, godly response to these checks allows a leader to learn fundamental lessons. Failure often results in repeated lessons or, in severe cases, discipline and removal from ministry (e.g., King Saul's disobedience). These early tests are essential prerequisites, laying the groundwork for all future leadership and ensuring that ministry flows from a solid, godly character.

3. Ministry Maturing Unfolds Through Entry, Training, and Relational Learning

Faithfulness in a small responsibility is an indicator of probable faithfulness in a larger responsibility.

From receiving to giving. After foundational character is established, God transitions potential leaders into active ministry, moving them from a posture of receiving to one of giving. This "Ministry Maturing" phase (Phase III) involves four developmental stages: entry, training, relational learning, and discernment, often spanning many years and divided into early, middle, and later ministry sub-phases.

Entry and training. The early sub-phase focuses on "entry" through:

• Ministry Tasks: God-assigned tests of faithfulness and obedience in specific, accountable tasks (e.g., Michele teaching Sunday school, Barnabas's apostolic trip to Antioch). These start small and expand based on faithfulness, embodying the "little-big principle" (Luke 16:10).
• Ministry Challenges: Prompts from God (often external invitations) to accept new assignments, indicating potential for higher-level leadership if self-initiated.
  The middle sub-phase emphasizes "training" through:
• Ministry Skills: Acquisition of practical abilities (relational, group, organizational, word skills) through experience, observation, or formal/non-formal training.
• Training Experience: Affirming experiences that build confidence and indicate future usefulness.
• Giftedness Discovery: The process of identifying and confidently using spiritual gifts, often following an eight-stage pattern from initial experience to gift-cluster development.

Relational learning. As leaders mature, they enter the relational learning stage, focusing on effective interaction with people and organizational structures. This stage addresses the "authority problem," teaching submission to authority as a prerequisite for exercising it properly. Lessons are often learned through a "submission cluster" of process items, including authority insights, relational insights, ministry conflict, and leadership backlash.

4. Spiritual Authority: The Core of Godly Influence, Built on Submission

Spiritual authority is that characteristic of a God-anointed leader, developed upon an experiential power base (giftedness, character, deep experiences with God), that enables him to influence followers through persuasion, force of modeling, and moral expertise.

Beyond position or force. Spiritual authority is the primary power base for godly leadership, delegated by God and distinct from positional power. Leaders must learn submission to authority before they can properly exercise it. This crucial lesson is often learned through the "submission cluster" of process items during the "relational learning" stage of ministry maturing.

The submission cluster. Four interconnected process items teach leaders about authority:

• Authority Insights: Positive and negative lessons about submission, authority structures, authentic power bases, conflict, and exercising authority (e.g., the centurion's understanding of authority, Barnabas's graceful transition of leadership to Paul).
• Relational Insights: Learning effective ways to relate to others, often through difficult experiences, to build influence (e.g., Paul's conflict with Barnabas over Mark, teaching patience and forgiveness).
• Ministry Conflict: Conflicts, both internal and external, reveal character and teach lessons about resolution, avoidance, and creative use, serving as a powerful tool for spiritual and ministerial formation.
• Leadership Backlash: Negative reactions from followers to a leader's decisions, testing perseverance and faith, and driving the leader to deeper dependence on God for vindication (e.g., Moses facing murmuring Israelites in the wilderness).

God's defense. A key principle is that God is responsible to defend spiritual authority. Leaders who learn to submit to God, even when decisions seem wrong or unfair, will see their spiritual authority validated. This process cultivates a leader who influences through persuasion, modeling, and moral expertise, rather than coercion, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding that "ministry flows out of being."

5. God's Guidance is a Multi-Phase, Confirmed Process for Leaders

Guidance is one of the crucial elements of leadership.

An ongoing need. Guidance is not a one-time event but a continuous necessity throughout a leader's life, occurring in every developmental phase. Leaders must first learn to discern God's direction for their personal lives before they can effectively seek corporate guidance for the groups they lead. This discernment is honed through various "guidance process items."

Six key guidance items. God uses specific, often unusual, means to heighten a leader's discernment:

• Divine Contacts: God brings significant individuals into a leader's life at crucial moments to affirm potential, encourage, give direction, or open ministry doors (e.g., Barnabas for Paul, Harold Dollar for the author).
• Mentors: A special type of divine contact, offering prolonged help, guidance, and growth stimulus, often with a gift-mix that includes encouragement (e.g., Margaret Barber for Watchman Nee, John Stott sponsoring Burmese leaders).
• Double Confirmation: God reinforces His will through multiple, independent sources for crucial decisions, providing unmistakable certainty (e.g., Paul's conversion confirmed by Ananias, Gideon's fleece, Cornelius and Peter's visions).
• Negative Preparation: God uses negative experiences to free a leader from a current situation, creating an incentive to move into the next phase with revitalized interest (e.g., Israel's persecution in Egypt preparing them for the wilderness journey).
• Flesh Act: Instances where a leader presumes guidance or tries to "help God," leading to human manipulation and negative ramifications, teaching lessons about what not to do (e.g., Abraham and Sarah with Hagar, Joshua's treaty with the Gibeonites).
• Divine Affirmation: God gives special approval to a leader, renewing purpose and desire to serve, often outwardly confirming spiritual authority to followers (e.g., the Father's voice at Jesus' baptism, Samuel's prayer for rain).

Patience and balance. A common guidance problem is impatience, leading leaders to act on partial knowledge. Major decisions require "certainty guidance," often a convergence of God's voice through the Word, circumstances, inner conviction, and the body of Christ. Learning to wait on the Lord and discern His full counsel is vital for avoiding flesh acts and ensuring alignment with His purposes.

6. Deepening Maturity Arises from Isolation, Conflict, and Crises

It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

God's refining fire. God continues to deepen a leader's character throughout their ministry, not just in the early stages. This "Life Maturing" phase (Phase IV) focuses on cultivating qualities like love, compassion, and empathy, differentiating a successful leader from a mature successful leader. This deepening often comes through difficult experiences, which God uses to force reflection and greater dependence on Him.

The maturity cluster. Three common process items are central to this deepening:

• Isolation: Being set aside from normal ministry due to crises, discipline, illness, or self-choice. This forces a leader into a deeper relationship with God, teaching lessons that couldn't be learned amidst normal pressures (e.g., Watchman Nee's tuberculosis, Amy Carmichael's periods of confinement). Isolation can lead to renewed destiny, new perspectives, and inner convictions.
• Conflict: Personal or ministry-related disagreements used by God to develop faith, dependence, and insights into one's character. Conflict reveals strengths and weaknesses, pointing out areas needing modification or confirming areas of strength. It's a powerful stimulus for growth, even if painful.
• Crises: Intense pressure situations (threatened loss, inner turmoil, sickness, persecution) that test a leader and teach utter dependence on God. Crises force reflection on life's meaning and purpose, leading to a new experience of God as Source, Sustainer, and Focus of life (e.g., Paul's hardships in Asia, Jephthah's early life struggles).

Beyond mere survival. These experiences are not just trials to be endured but are God's means of rapid experiential training in spiritual and ministerial formation. Leaders who embrace a "sovereign mindset"—seeing God's hand in their circumstances—can transform these challenges into profound growth. The ultimate byproduct is a new level of spiritual authority, flowing from a deeper, experiential knowledge of God, making the leader a more effective channel of His power and comfort to others.

7. Cultivate a Dynamic Ministry Philosophy for Enduring Impact

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding.

A guiding framework. All leaders operate from a "ministry philosophy"—a set of ideas, values, and principles that guide decision-making, influence, and ministry evaluation. While this philosophy may initially be implicit, effective leaders learn to articulate it explicitly. This framework is crucial for sustained productivity over a lifetime, helping leaders navigate challenges and maintain direction.

Three dynamic elements. A robust ministry philosophy must dynamically integrate three factors:

• Biblical Leadership Values: The Bible serves as the unchanging anchor, providing fundamental guidance, ethical standards, and life goals. Lessons learned from Scripture, often through "word checks," form the core principles.
• Challenges of the Times: Leaders must adapt to changing situations and followers. Life lessons, often derived from conflict and crises, force new scrutiny of Scripture and lead to new discoveries of truth, ensuring the philosophy remains relevant.
• Unique Gifts and Personal Development: The philosophy must be tailored to the leader's specific "giftedness set" (natural abilities, acquired skills, spiritual gifts). As a leader discovers and refines their gifts, their philosophy evolves to maximize their unique contribution.

Evolutionary pattern. Ministry philosophy typically develops in three stages:

1. Osmosis: Implicitly imbibing the philosophy of a sponsoring group or environment.
2. Baby Steps: Discovering explicit philosophical assumptions through critical incidents, reflection, and addressing discrepancies in training others.
3. Maturity: Formulating and articulating a comprehensive, integrated philosophy, often with a retrospective reflection on a lifetime of learning, to pass on to others.

Practical application. For those overwhelmed by a full philosophy, start by identifying "explicit leadership values"—statements of commitment using "should," "ought to," or "must" (e.g., "A leader must seek intimacy with God," "A leader ought to have a developmental mindset"). These concrete values form the bedrock, providing a clear grid for evaluating new ideas and making decisions, ensuring a leader's influence aligns with God's purposes.

8. Finish Well: A Leader's Ultimate Challenge and Lasting Legacy

When Christ calls leaders to Christian ministry He intends to develop them to their full potential.

The leadership gap. There is a critical need for equipped leaders, especially as older generations retire and the global church grows rapidly. The ultimate challenge for every leader is to "finish well"—to continue developing, raise up new leaders, and align with God's purposes throughout their entire life. Unfortunately, research indicates that few leaders truly finish well, with many plateauing or dropping out.

Three final challenges. To address this, leaders must embrace:

1. Personal Leadership: Continuously develop to full potential, assessing spiritual gifts and abilities, and using them to capacity. Accountability to God extends to developing all potential, not just what is comfortable.
2. Rising Leadership: View leadership selection and development as a priority. Actively observe, advise, and mentor emerging leaders, recognizing early indicators like "faithfulness" and "self-starter orientation." Leaders must model a prayer life and provide challenges that stretch potential.
3. Ministry Philosophy: Develop a dynamic philosophy that honors biblical values, embraces contemporary challenges, and fits unique gifts. This framework provides direction, prevents plateauing, and ensures a lifetime of productive influence toward God's purposes.

Characteristics of finishing well. Leaders who finish well typically exhibit:

• A vibrant, personal relationship with God.
• A lifelong learning posture.
• Christlikeness in character (fruit of the Spirit).
• A life lived out in conviction, demonstrating God's promises as real.
• One or more ultimate contributions (legacies like saint, mentor, pioneer, writer).
• A growing awareness and fulfillment of their sense of destiny.

A stern warning and a hopeful call. The "sovereign mindset"—seeing God's hand in all circumstances—is crucial for finishing well. Without it, leaders are prone to common barriers like financial misuse, abuse of power, pride, sexual misconduct, family failures, and plateauing. By proactively embracing spiritual disciplines, seeking renewal, maintaining a learning posture, and engaging mentors, leaders can overcome these barriers. The goal is to hear, "Well done," and leave a legacy that inspires future generations, ensuring the harvest has discerning, purpose-driven laborers.