Striking the Balance Between Guidance and Independence for Emerging Leaders
As my dad, a successful businessman in his own right, grew closer and closer to retirement, I remember asking him a question one day about his approach to succession planning:
"Dad, knowing all that you know about running your own business, what is one thing you struggle with in developing the next generation of leaders?"
Although I don't recall his answer verbatim, I will never forget the sentiment. He basically told me a story (as he was apt to do) about how early on, he and his colleagues were too young and too confident to "know what they didn't know" and therefore made a slew of mistakes that they learned from. It was these mistakes—and the learning that came after—that made the business successful. This principle is vital for any effective church leadership pipeline.
He said that part of the difficulty now with his "senior staff" was that they were guarding the upcoming generation too much and not letting them make mistakes. Though there were good reasons for that guardedness—the stakes were higher... he still feared the long-term impact of not allowing younger leaders the freedom to make mistakes and develop true resilience in their leadership journey.
The Risks of Overprotection in Ministry Mentorship
My father lamented that by not creating environments for mentees to "fail safely," they were simply learning to run a “system,” but not lead. This is a critical insight for mentors training new leaders. In his words:
"We learn more from what we have done wrong than what we did right."
This lesson is not unique to the business world. This delicate balance between guidance and independence is a challenge that all mentors, especially those in pastoral ministry, face.
The Steward Model: A Framework for Biblical Leadership
How much do we guide, and how much do we tell? Perhaps the answer comes in viewing our role as mentors through the lens of biblical stewardship.
Scott Rodin suggests in The Steward Leader: “Steward leaders empower their people, give away authority, value and involve others, seek the best in and from their people, and constantly lift others up. They seek no glory for themselves, but find great joy in seeing others prosper.”
The stewardship model differs from traditional mentoring approaches in that it focuses on empowering mentees to take ownership of their own growth and development. This is key for raising up church leaders who are empowered, not dependent.
Letting Go of Power for Sustainable Ministry Leadership
In my experience, the main reason we don't want others to fail is not concern for them but concern for ourselves. We are afraid that the failure of others will make us look bad; we are afraid of losing our "power and glory".
So what if we shifted our leadership strategies? What if we saw our job as leaders to steward the abilities of others, to let them succeed and fail? This shift is crucial for preventing pastoral burnout and fostering a healthy church culture. We can steward their giftings by creating space for them to learn and lead.
If we adopted a stewardship mindset, we would find the freedom to guide others when we can, and let them fail in independence. In fact, it’s very likely that if you are reading this and are a successful leader, then you had someone do that for you.
Your Next Step in Developing Church Leaders
Take a moment to reflect... How have you benefited from having the space to learn, grow, and even fail? How can you apply the stewardship model in your own discipleship and leadership relationships?
By embracing the role of a steward leader... we can empower the next generation of leaders to reach their full potential and make a lasting impact on the world for the sake of the Gospel.
But knowing where to start can be the biggest challenge.
1. Diagnose Your Discipleship Strategy
Effective leadership development grows from a healthy discipleship culture. But where are the gaps in your current process? Before you can empower new leaders, you need a clear picture of your church's strengths and weaknesses.
Take our free 3-minute "Discipleship Strategy Assessment" to diagnose your church's discipleship gap and receive a personalized recommendation to move forward.
2. Build a Foundation for the Next Generation
The principles of stewardship and mentorship begin long before someone is on staff. Raising up future leaders starts by providing today's students with a solid foundation. Rooted Essentials is designed to do just that.
Equip your students with a firm spiritual foundation and prepare them to become the leaders you'll need tomorrow.
