Guiding Principles for Training Leaders

There are two guiding principles that God uses in training leaders.

Firstly, upon successful completion of a ministry task the developing leader is usually given a bigger task.

Secondly, every leader that God uses in any capacity must undergo preparation in order to function in that capacity.

When I first felt that God was calling me into leadership, I thought I was going to Spurgeon’s College. That was delayed for 7 or 8 years. How I coped with that delay was more important than I realised at the time.

A Biblical parallel would be Joseph – a great model of God’s progression of a leader. Firstly, he has a dramatic prophetic revelation, which he misuses by boasting to his brothers about his own future greatness. The result is that they kick him out of the family – his arrogance has dire repercussions. In slavery he begins to get some responsibility – he runs the household and does it well but then comes under a test, a moral test. Again, he responds well.

If you are in leadership, you will come under moments of temptation. How you respond will totally affect your future ministry. If you blow it, recovery is possible – but at a cost.

Despite his good result in the moral test he ends up in prison. Here he gains credibility, he’s faithful in the tasks he is assigned. His God-given ability to interpret dreams brings him to the attention of those in authority and it looks like he’s going to get out of prison, although that doesn’t happen for about another two years.