Are you an Empowering Leader?

 The real test of my leadership is how well I empower others. Over the last nearly two decades in ministry I have come to realize that most of us as leaders naturally fall into two categories… Tight Fisted Leaders and Over-Delegators. 

Tight fisted leaders could be classified as the leader who holds on too tightly to everything. They never really empower those under or around them. Often times this is driven by insecurity, sometimes it’s just because of the way we are wired. Have you ever found yourself saying things like… “I can just do it better” “It will be quicker for me to do it than to train someone how to” “If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself” … if these sound familiar to you, you might be a bit tight fisted in how you lead. The danger in leading this way, regardless of the motivation is that you will struggle to keep quality leaders around you and one day your ministry or organization will outlive you. 

Over-Delegators are the leaders who literally will give away everything. Often times the heart is right, but the method isn’t. And unfortunately leading this way will ultimately put people in positions or give people roles they’re not ready for. This can be very dangerous for your ministry, church, or organization. And often times will demoralize a potential leader. If you find yourself in one of these buckets the good news is, we can all get better as leaders by getting a little more intentional. 

What if our approach looked more like this…

 Opportunity-Coach-Oppurtunity-Coach-Opportunity-Coach-Opportunity

I am a visual learner so think of this process like a staircase. You give smaller opportunities, you coach them, give a little more, then coach them.  The process is definitely more of an investment, but the return is far greater. Let’s be intentional in how we empower those around us because the future of the church is at stake. 

Matt Moore

Pastor & Author of Intentional Youth Ministry