Leadership Development on the Back Burner

We all know that the most limited resource a church has is good, healthy leadership. Yet almost without exception when you look at what hasn't gotten accomplished for a quarter or for the year ... the objective you will see under the, "not completed" category is leadership development. We are struggling with this too and it makes me ask myself why is leadership development such a roller coaster ride. Here are a few of my observations on this topic:

• It is easier to develop programs than people. We move people into classes, etc. which can be helpful, but somewhere along the journey leaders develop other leaders. Who are you currently investing in?
  

• We treat leadership development as an event than an ongoing process. When it isn't urgent, we let it go, and then when we see a crisis up ahead, it becomes urgent again. Unfortunately when leadership development is only done when there are needs, people will feel more used than developed. We have to help us and those we are developing understand that leadership development is a spiritual issue ... for many their next and best step of spiritual growth.
  

• One person can't do it, it has to be in the culture. For any staff person or leader in your church one part of their job description / responsibilities needs to be leadership development and the process of replacing themselves. Expectations for developing others need to be clear, specific, and accountable. This is something we are addressing right now with a process called I3 Leadership.

• Leadership Development isn't a big splash kind of ministry. It is a slow process, it is a relationally intensive process, and it's returns are not usually immediate ... but long term are so much more significant. We can't let the tyranny of the urgent squeeze out the time it takes to develop others.

Our challenge this year is to develop 100 new leaders and to accomplish this it will take a team effort, a culture of development, and opportunities for investment. But we cannot afford to keep leadership development on the back burner anymore.

Leadership Development ideas that have worked for you? I would love to know.