“What is the key to empowering next-generation leaders, and not seeing them eventually run off and do their own thing?”
I have been asked many versions of the above question countless times.
My answer is always something like this: before we empower leaders, we have to establish exactly what we are empowering them to do. In other words, we have to be crystal clear about our mission, vision, and values. If we are not clear about what we are building or where we are going—when we empower leaders, they will run full speed ahead in the wrong direction.
But, when we are clear about where we are going and what we are building, we can confidently empower next-gen leaders, knowing they know what to do and where to go.
A couple of years ago I had a breakfast conversation with my friend Mel Mullen about what kind of churches we are trying to lead. We both expressed that we don’t fit in the standard “Charismatic” or “Pentecostal” box.
If we are not traditional Charismatic or Pentecostal churches, then what are we? In response to Mel’s question about what kind of churches Every Nation is planting, here’s what I said:
“We want to plant churches (and campus ministries) in every nation that are Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, and socially responsible, and we want to do it in a way that is culturally relevant.”
In my next few reluctant leader blogs, I want to explain what I mean by each of these 4 ideas:
1. Christ-centered
2. Spirit-empowered
3. Socially Responsible
4. Culturally Relevant
(This is a slightly edited repost of a blog from February 1, 2008.)
