Developing Leaders Who Can Develop Others
A leader can complete every assignment we give them and still be unsure how to lead when the next unfamiliar situation comes along. That is worth thinking about if we are responsible for developing people. We can explain a role, provide good resources, and set expectations. We also have to help someone learn how to listen, exercise judgment, and take responsibility for the people entrusted to them.
That is part of what I am working to establish at Battlefield FCA through Leadership Launch and our ongoing Leadership Journey. I want the people we develop to become leaders who can develop others. Getting someone started well matters, and so does what happens after those first assignments are finished.
In an earlier article, This Is the Play That Could Change Everything, I shared our vision for coaches and athletes to encounter Jesus across the different environments where they play. Carrying that vision forward will require more people who are prepared to lead faithfully. It also requires us to pay attention to how we prepare them.
Begin with the people already there
Leadership Launch gives new Area Representatives and Area Directors a twelve-week foundation, with different paths for their responsibilities. Training, field conversations, spiritual formation, donor stewardship, and ministry planning are connected through regular supervisor coaching. The goal is to help someone begin with understanding and a faithful first plan, recognizing that there will still be much to learn.
One part I especially value is the Listening and Learning Report. Before a new leader finalizes a ministry plan, we ask them to get to know the people in their ministry area. What are volunteers experiencing? Where do they feel supported? Where are responsibilities unclear? Who is already leading well, and who might be ready for encouragement or training?
Those conversations should affect the plan. A volunteer who has served for years may understand a relationship or a challenge that a new staff member has not seen yet. Taking time to listen gives that person a voice and gives the new leader a better basis for deciding what to do next. It also helps us notice when the most useful next step is to strengthen something already happening.
Make responsibility clear and keep coaching
The next question is what someone is ready to own. Our Launch resources ask leaders to distinguish what they own, what they share, and what they support. That conversation matters. A person can be willing to lead and still hesitate because they do not know which decisions are theirs to make.
I want our coaching to make that clearer. When we talk through a ministry priority, we should be able to identify who will take responsibility, what help they need, and when we will come back to it. The supervisor has work to do here too. We need to provide the support we agreed to provide and give people room to think through the decisions that belong to them.
A useful question is, ‘What are you seeing, and what do you think we should do?’ Then we can explore their reasoning together. There will be times to give direct guidance, especially where safety, policy, or responsibilities are involved. There will also be times when asking another question gives someone a chance to grow that simply supplying our answer would take away.
Keep formation in the conversation
Completing Launch does not mean someone has finished developing. Our ongoing Journey is a coaching framework for formation, alignment, and stewardship. I want it to help us recognize what a leader needs in their current season rather than become a scorecard we use to compare people.
That means a coaching conversation needs room for spiritual health and the realities of a person's life. How are they spending time with the Lord? What pressures are they carrying? Are their responsibilities sustainable? Where do they need encouragement, accountability, or help? We cannot assume that a busy calendar tells us someone is healthy.
We still need clear goals and follow-through. Ministry plans help us decide what we will work on and how we will know whether we are making progress. The Journey keeps us attentive to the person carrying that work. Both belong in the conversation, and they should support each other rather than become competing lists of assignments.
Look for the next person to develop
Second Timothy 2:2 gives us a picture of faith being entrusted to people who will be able to teach others. That has practical implications for how we lead. As someone grows, we should help them notice who they can encourage, coach, and prepare for responsibility. A volunteer may need a first opportunity to lead. A newer staff member may need someone to walk alongside them.
This is work we are building into Battlefield FCA. The resources give us a shared foundation; our follow-through in relationships will determine how useful they become. I want us to keep asking whether people are gaining the understanding and support they need to carry the mission forward and help someone else do the same.
Our mission is to lead every coach and athlete into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. Developing healthy leaders is part of how we serve that mission over time. As you think about the people you lead, who is ready for a little more ownership, and what support would help them take that next step?
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