Leadership development.
If you’re still reading this, then those words didn’t completely scare you away. Maybe they’re really exciting to you. Or maybe you can’t see how they apply to you. No matter who you are, what your role in your family is, what your job or school are, you are a leader in some way.
At Eagle Brook, we talk about leadership development a lot. We talk about it in staff meetings and on the weekends. We attend conferences. And we offer classes to grow in our wisdom and in how we lead small groups, volunteer teams, students, kids, and more. Sometimes it seems like leadership development surrounds us. And yet, it is so easy to feel lost in the midst of it all, like it’s passing you by or you’re just not connecting with it. Don’t worry, as staff we feel the same things! Often, the biggest challenge when thinking about leadership development is figuring out where to begin, especially when you have a goal in mind or a new challenge to take on.
Getting Started
I often get asked, “How did you get into your role? Did you go to school for it, did you have years of experience under your belt, did someone develop you for it?” And the truth is usually surprising to people: I went to school to be a Physical Education teacher. I had never worked at another church, and I only had volunteer experience in the student ministry world. Definitely not your typical resume for a Student Pastor! What I did have, however, was God at work in my heart, giving me a passion for working with students and the volunteers who love them. God was pushing me more into that world in my volunteer roles.
Prior to this, I worked at our central offices with our mission trips and global partners, where I had a multitude of co-workers surrounding me, investing in me, and challenging me. Outside of work, family and friends were a constant source of encouragement and support. So, when I was approached to think and pray about applying for the job as Student Pastor, my instant reaction was “YES!”
And then reality set in—what I was stepping in to, the responsibility I was being handed, the volunteer base, and hundreds of students I would now be responsible to lead. Panic. Who was I to be the person leading the charge? Who in the world thought I was cut out to do this? How in the world do I not just not mess this up but lead it well?
Trust in God
The answer for me was in my faith in God, and through support from the people and experiences I mentioned before. I was able to step into this new, unknown role by leaning into God, and then those same people around me who had been encouraging me and supporting me for years. By using the skills and knowledge I gained in both my work and volunteer roles leading up to that point. By constantly searching out ways to grow myself while growing my teams.
Each of us have moments or seasons in our lives where we’re thrust into a role, a job, or a responsibility where we have to rely on God and on what He has already developed in us. I wish there was a step-by-step model for how to perfectly develop leadership skills in ourselves, but if there were, we wouldn’t get the opportunity to trust God as much. And to me, that trust is the starting point for leadership development.
From there, God has the ability to surprise us with ways He teaches us. And then it’s our responsibility to start doing the work. Read the book. Have the conversation. Listen to the podcasts. Watch the messages. Attend the conferences. Seek out people who will challenge and encourage you.
And through it all, trust that God is going to guide and direct you, your passions, your skills, and your future. Three and a half years into my role, I am still constantly searching out ways for God to guide me, challenge me, and grow me, because I know that my leaders and students deserve every little bit of hard work it takes for me to do that. Development never stops, and the beautiful thing is, neither does God!
Want to grow and develop as a leader? Attend Refuel on the morning of Feb. 24! Refuel is a gathering of small group leaders from every Eagle Brook campus, and it is an opportunity to grow in your leaderships skills. Learn more here.
