As a pastor, I recently started reading "The Leader's Greatest Return," a book by Dr. John C. Maxwell. I want to share some insights from my notes with other pastors and leaders. One of the main takeaways I had was the importance and difficulty of developing leaders. Dr. Maxwell compared it to herding cats, which is why many pastors tend to attract and lead followers instead of developing leaders. However, leaders need opportunities to lead alongside other leaders, or they will seek those opportunities elsewhere.

Training leaders not only improves their own lives, but also the lives of those they touch. It's a lifetime process that requires discernment, wisdom, insight, and time. Dr. Maxwell said, "Everything rises and falls on leadership," and I believe this applies to churches as well. When a church stops growing and developing leaders, it stops growing. Jesus' command was to make disciples, those that will be disciples and will teach others. That is a leader's command to produce others that lead others.

The best way to grow a church is to develop leaders. The strength of an organization is a direct result of the strength of its leaders. Weak leaders equal weak organizations, while strong leaders equal strong organizations. Leadership makes the determination.

If you want to grow, start with developing those closest to you. They determine the level of success of your team. The law of the lid from “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” is called the Law of the Lid. It says leadership ability determines a person's level of effectiveness. Meaning how well you lead determines how well you succeed, both individually and within a group.

A group of average leaders can't build an above-average church. The potential leaders on a team are either an asset or a liability. "No executive has ever suffered because subordinates were strong and effective," said Peter Drucker. Dr. Maxwell says, "People too often overvalue their dream and undervalue their team." Your team will determine the reality of your dream. "A big dream with a bad team is a nightmare," warned Dr. Maxwell.

Everyone wins when leaders develop other good leaders. Your greatest ROI is attracting, developing, and multiplying leaders. You will pour into some that will walk away from you. Others will have potential and can't see it in themselves and never grow to be who they could be. But the benefits of developing leaders far outweigh the risks. It is a job that never ends, but it is also one that never stops rewarding.

Thank you for reading to the Black Church Leadership podcast blog with Apostle Martin Wilson. For more information on our upcoming  audio episodes and to join our community of Black church leaders, visit our website at www.theblackchurchleadership.com. Don't forget to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform for more inspiring conversations and insights on leadership in the Black church.