Raising Leaders: 5 Ways to Empower Others for Ministry

Jesus was a great leader. In fact, he is a great example to teach leaders about what it means to be a great leader. One of these aspects to great leadership is empowering others for ministry.

Some leaders are great at delegating (giving tasks to others) but not empowering people (giving people responsibility to make decisions).

Empowering others takes time, is a scientific art and builds intentional relationships. With that said, here are 5 ways to empower others for ministry:

Opportunity – empowering others starts with opportunity. It can be anything from a small task to overseeing a ministry. For Jesus, giving opportunities to the disciples meant a task, responsibility, and the authority to carry out it out. For example, Jesus sent out the 72 disciples on a very thoughtful + detailed plan. In the same way, how can you + I create opportunities for others in our ministry/church?

Accountability – a good leader builds “boundaries” or accountability around opportunities. Accountability around opportunities is based on results AND character. Results around the opportunity and character is important. Jesus would repeatedly say that the lack of results in the disciples’ ministry was based on their lack of character. We see this in (scripture).

Resources – a leader CANNOT empower others for ministry if they are not resourced. Good leaders should be asking other, “how can I help you succeed in ministry,” and, “what can I do to help you succeed here?” These questions are important to help build confidence in others who want to be in ministry. Empowerment is building confidence and strength in others to see desired goals and outcomes. You cannot give opportunity to others without appropriate resources or they will be setup for failure.

Jesus resourced the disciples. I think the best example of this is Jesus ascending to heaven and giving the promised Holy Spirit to the disciples. What a great resource Jesus gave! Spirit empowerment (see Acts 1:8).

Mentorship – good opportunities include mentoring moments. In fact, good leaders will create A LOT of opportunities for others in ministry so that it becomes a mentoring moment for those to learn, grow and become better at what they do. Again, we see Jesus mentoring others. In fact, he was intentional in mentoring a few – he called them, invited them into Kingdom-causes, built real-life relationships with them and sent them.

Review – empowering others for ministry include reviews – evaluations and reflections in ministry and character – to readjust and become better. Many leaders use review and evaluation well; however, not in the context of resources or mentorship, but for opportunity and accountability. Due to this, many young leader fail because they don’t have the appropriate resources – funds, relationships, personnel – to flourish.

With that said, these are 5 practical ways to empower others for ministry.

Now What?

What are some ways you can create opportunity for others in ministry? Who are the people you want to give those opportunities to?

How do you keep those people accountable in those opportunities?

Do you give the appropriate resources to help these people succeed?

Are you (or someone else) intentionally mentoring these people to help them learn + grow in the ways God has created them?

How do you review others SO THAT they can become better + readjust to do better?