Recruiting Leaders

Jesus told a story about a farmer who scattered a lot of seed in a lot places. He apparently had no expectation that all of his seed would take root and grow. It turns out that some of the seed landed in bad soil, some on rocky soil and some even ended up on a well-worn path. Certainly no seed could be expected to thrive in these settings. And in fact, it does not. However, some of the seed does have some success in each of these less than ideal soils.

The point that Jesus is trying to make is very simple. Spread your seed all over. Drop it wherever you can. The more seed you scatter, the more that will take root. And the more seed that takes root, the more that will flourish and ultimately bear fruit.

This philosophy is also true in recruiting leaders. Recruit leaders from everywhere. There is nowhere (NOWHERE) that you should not be recruiting, or at least thinking about recruiting. I am always on the lookout for someone who can assist me in my work. I am constantly encouraging people to get training, to spend time in study, to try new things so I can see their leadership potential.

Jesus also said that we should be praying for more workers. As far as I am concerned, this is a clear admonition to leader recruitment. There is enough work to do for everyone. In fact, there is too much work. We need help!

So, that quiet teen-ager is a potential leader. The single mother with no job is a potential leader. The elderly man in poor health, he is a potential leader. (Remember that Moses was 80 years old when God called him.)

All of this means that every conversation I have is a job interview. Every place that I go is a job search. I am always looking for leaders. Once in a very great while, someone will come to me and volunteer. That is by far the exception to the rule. Almost always the most effective leaders have to be sought out and encouraged from the very beginning.

The leaders are there. The work will get done. Part of my job is to find and prepare the people who will do the work.