My current church plant is blessed with a diverse pool of talented and gifted young people, many of whom are already showing signs of leadership potential. I understand that nurturing these leaders is essential in ensuring that they reach their full potential and become effective leaders in the church. Here are three ways to empower young leaders.
Help Them Find Their Purpose
Young leaders need to be equipped with the right tools and knowledge to understand how they can best use their gifts and talents in service to God and others. Help them find their purpose and vision by providing meaningful opportunities for them to get involved in church activities, such as leading a small group or serving on a committee. This will give them practical experience in developing their leadership skills while also instilling a sense of ownership over the work they are doing.
Encourage Them To Take Risks
Risk-taking is an important part of becoming an effective leader. It’s easy for young people to get stuck in a comfort zone where they’re afraid to take risks or try something new, but this can be detrimental to their growth as leaders. Encourage young leaders in your church to step out of their comfort zone and take risks when it’s appropriate—this will help them hone their leadership skills while giving them valuable experiences that they can draw upon later down the road.
Provide Mentorship Opportunities
Mentorship is key when it comes to empowering young leaders—it helps establish trust between mentor and mentee, provides guidance, offers support when needed, and encourages growth through shared experiences. Seek out experienced leaders within your church who are willing to offer mentorship opportunities for younger members. Pastors and church leaders need to make this a part of their weekly schedule. This will give younger members an opportunity to learn from those who have gone before them while also establishing strong relationships that can last for years into the future.
It Is Our Responsibility to Equip and Release
As church leaders, it’s our responsibility to equip and empower the next generation of leaders by providing meaningful opportunities for growth and development. By helping young people find their purpose, encouraging them to take risks when appropriate, and providing mentorship opportunities, we can ensure that our churches are well-equipped with capable individuals who are ready to lead effectively now—and well into the future!
We also need to understand that the leaders we equip may or may not stay at your church. This is where we need to think Kingdom – not just the local church. We must want what God wants for the leaders we raise up. When this is our heart’s cry – God will send the potential leaders. Raise them up. Train and equip them the best you can, and then hold them with an open hand in order to release them into their divine calling.
With the average age of pastors hovering around 60 years old, equipping the younger generations takes on a whole new level of importance. The Church will need many pastors within the next few years as these pastors retire. Even if current pastors continue beyond the age of 65, we will need more ministers to keep up with population increases.
With the average age of pastors hovering around 60 years old, equipping the younger generations takes on a whole new level of importance. Click To Tweet
My prayer: May we be faithful to those whom the Lord sends to us. May we equip and release them according to His will and in His perfect timing.
