Most church leaders would concede that people are their greatest resource. Which raises the question, why isn’t more time devoted to training new leaders? After all, by neglecting to do this, the effectiveness and growth of ministry is curtailed. Barnabas raised up and trained up Paul who in turn raised up and trained up others. He told his protégé, Timothy, ‘Teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on.’

When you devote time to developing leaders with a caring attitude, they learn to pass the same level of care on to the people they minister to. There are proven principles that apply to leadership in any organisation, and the church is no exception. For example, Jon Gordon says: ‘Great customer service begins with being employee-focused first and customer-focused second. Too often organisations focus all their energy on the customer while ignoring the people who serve. This may work in the short run, but eventually employees become tired, burned out, negative, and resentful… Organisations who deliver the best service have a culture where employees are valued, listened to, and cared for. In turn these employees value, care for, and serve their customers… If you model great service, your people will share it. If you want your team to serve, serve them. If you want your people to care, care about them. If you want your team to love their work, love them. If you want your employees to be their best, give them your best.’

So are you training people who can train others?