Sustainable? Hardly. It’s like everyone trying to buy their fruit at the store but no one is doing the farming. Too many consumers and not enough producers. We all want fruit, but Jesus wants us to bear fruit, not just buy it.

So what do we do? We can’t just add one more program to our existing structure. Instead we need to rethink our way of being and doing. Healthy leaders invest themselves in the things that will cause the greatest influence for the longest time. The development of other leaders is perhaps the most lasting investment a leader can make. Such a focus can leave an influence well beyond our own life span.

Begin at the beginning. Current means are not sufficient to even maintain existing ministries—let alone grow new ones. Everybody talks about developing leaders... it’s time to start doing it! Start with a seed. God has provided the soil. We can help with the farming tools.

Download vs. Development

In earlier leadership thinking, people would learn for a few days by attending a seminar or event of some kind. When the material was downloaded, the people were considered trained. But Effective Leadership is a developmental process, like going on a journey and working on various areas as you go. It’s tailored and relational, starting with wherever the individual already is. From there, they walk through a guided process—with a coach walking alongside.