Churches that multiply live out Ephesians 4:11–13 and believe that every member is a minister.
This is because leadership development is not just about teaching people leadership principles, or giving church members a place to serve. Leadership development is about helping every member discover their God giving calling, grow in their skills, and develop their competencies so that they can continue to grow in their kingdom impact.
For example, while some churches may just be glad to find nursery workers to fill an empty spot, churches that multiply place each nursery worker on a development path, where that volunteer is not only serving, but also growing in their character and competencies.
In Multiplication Today, Movements Tomorrow: Practices, Barriers, and an Ecosystem, Ed Stetzer and I outline the practices of churches that multiply based on our State of Church Planting Research with NewChurches.com and LifeWay Research.
According to our research, churches that focus on leadership development are not only being biblically faithful in living out Ephesians 4:11–13, but they are fruitfully experiencing more commitments to Christ, reaching financial self-sufficiency faster, and more than likely multiplying within their first five years of existence.
In addition, our research on leadership development revealed the following:
So don’t wait until you get larger or more complex to focus on developing leaders. Make this a part of your DNA and culture from day one.