Developing Leaders Who Multiply

How can we develop leaders in the church that will multiply themselves, their ministries, and ultimately their churches?

Vital to any church planting movement is the ability to multiply. One church gives birth to another who in turn gives birth to another and so on so that the original mother church becomes a grandmother church and maybe one day a great-grandmother. In order for such multiplication to occur though there must be a mindset for multiplication amongst clergy and laity.

Clergy must be willing to let go of bigger buildings and building "my kingdom come" thinking to embracing an ethic of multiplication where it becomes about building "His Kingdom." Clergy must be willing to give away things and equip others to do what they do and thereby multiply their ministry effort. Laity must be willing to reproduce groups, other lay leaders for ministry, and ultimately the faith community to which they belong. Judicatories must be willing to celebrate that which they seek by lifting up multiplying churches and multiplying leaders.

Multiplication on any level is not easy and requires sacrifice and loss. But that is the difference between leaders and non-leaders. Leaders are willing to go through the discomfort of multiplication if it means helping others to discover a life in Christ and continue growing in that life. As has been said many times, everything rises and falls on leadership- including multiplication.