{"id":12363,"date":"2014-08-21T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2014-08-21T12:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=12363"},"modified":"2026-06-17T09:43:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T13:43:27","slug":"identify-future-church-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/identify-future-church-leaders.htm","title":{"rendered":"Developing Future Church Leaders: The Identification Process"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"We
\nTo develop future church leaders, we obviously need to know who has leadership potential. This post’s title purposely uses the phrase \u201cidentification process\u201d because that’s what we’re to do. We identify those whom God desires to be in leadership. We shouldn’t be the ones determining who gets to be a leader and who doesn’t. God is the Potter (Rom. 9:20-21; Isa. 64:8)<\/span>, the One with the rights to form us for how He intends to use us.<\/p>\n

Identifying Those with Heart Qualities to be a Leader, Not Merely Leadership Skill Potential<\/h2>\n

As seen in the example of Samuel anointing a king for Israel, God’s choice isn’t always whom we might choose. We tend to look at the external qualifications but God has different criteria.<\/p>\n

But the LORD said to Samuel, \u201cDo not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.\u00a0The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (1 Sam. 16:7)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Leadership skills can be developed and honed but the heart is something quite different. People can externally look the part but the heart might not be right. Only God sees the heart and He weighs the motives of the heart (Prov. 16:2)<\/span>.<\/p>\n

God’s wisdom far exceeds our ability to choose who should be leaders. Look at the twelve disciples Jesus chose — many unlearned fishermen.<\/p>\n

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Cor. 1:26-29)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Identifying Those God has Empowered to be Leaders, Not Merely Those with Natural Leadership Abilities<\/h2>\n

God designed the Body of Christ to operate within the sphere of spiritual gifting. Spiritual gifts are God’s special divine empowerment<\/a> for us to do ministry in His strength, not our own. God, through His Spirit, is the One who assigns our gifts (1 Cor. 12:4)<\/span> so our task then is to identify those whom He has gifted for leadership.<\/p>\n

Some people have personalities<\/a> that lend themselves toward leadership, what we often hear referred to a naturally born leaders. Since God created our inmost being and knit us together in our mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13)<\/span>, we can only conclude that our personalities would have some part in how we serve. Yet, God would not have supernaturally gifted people to serve in certain ways if our natural abilities were enough.<\/p>\n

Whether leading by gifting or personality, all must come under the control of the Spirit. We must be yielded to and pulling on God’s power, not our own, if we are going to bear spiritual fruit through our ministry efforts (Jn. 15:1-5)<\/span>. Hence, a person’s walk with God is critical to being an effective leader.<\/p>\n

Identifying Those Whom God Has Chosen, not Merely Filling Positions<\/h2>\n

Just because a person appears to have a yielded heart that loves the Lord and has leadership gifting still doesn’t mean he\/she is the person of God’s choosing for a particular leadership position. God’s choice of the prophet Jeremiah\u00a0to be His spokesperson in that particular time and place provides us with a good example. God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5)<\/span>. In God’s omniscience and sovereignty, He knew who Jeremiah would be and that he was the right person for that specific mission.<\/p>\n

But, how will we know those whom God has chosen? In addition to observing who fits within the first two points mentioned above, we must spend much time in prayer. Consider Jesus’ example in His selection of the twelve whom He would develop into future leaders of His Church.<\/p>\n

… Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles … (Lk. 6:12-13)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To develop future church leaders, we obviously need to know who has leadership potential. This post’s title purposely uses the phrase \u201cidentification process\u201d because that’s what we’re to do. We identify those whom God desires to be in leadership. We shouldn’t be the ones determining who gets to be a leader and who doesn’t. God is . . . Continue reading Developing Future Church Leaders: The Identification Process<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t