Broad Brushstrokes vs Tailored Leadership Development

There has been much talk in the past few years about the rise of individualism, and much of this chatter has been pointed at the opposing end of the issue for good reason. We are seeing socially and culturally many young Christians trying to work out their personal faith and expression through the lens of a worldview that says die for yourself rather than die to yourself. However, as with most cultural advancements, we, in leadership, need to find the positives, drag out the learnings and glean and change what we must to accommodate the changes we see in young leaders coming through the ranks, looking to develop and become more Christlike.

I often think about one of Jesus’ leadership development methodologies, which comes down to numbers. He, of course, had 72 disciples that were sent out, but then he narrowed that down to the famous 12. He then spent more time with 3 and even had one favourite (if you believe John when he subtly says he was loved by Jesus the most). However, these three witnessed more, heard more, experienced more and were close enough to develop more.

In the world we live in, this might seem unfair. I mean, I was a pastor in a church for a long time; if you have 12 volunteers, put them on a 4-weekly rotating roster, right? However, this is not how Jesus did it, and I think there is a lesson there – leadership development isn’t always about broad brushstrokes of learning that are relevant to everyone. In the stories of John, Jams, and Peter, we see a direct impact on their ministry through the tailored and personal experiences that Jesus gives them. Peter references his witnessing of the transfiguration in 2 Peter 1:16-18. Experiencing this reverent moment strengthened his faith and conviction in Jesus’ divine nature, preparing him for ministry challenges and giving him certainty about Jesus’ glory, even when facing persecution and doubt. The healing of Jairus’s daughter would have been foundational for John and Peter, who later performed healings in Jesus’ name. In Acts 9, Peter prayed over Tabitha (also called Dorcas), who was resurrected, echoing the miracle he saw with Jesus and Jairus’s daughter. Seeing Jesus’ struggle and submission in the Garden of Gethsemane taught them about the cost of surrender and the power of Prayer. It would have equipped them with resilience and the skills to face the persecution they would all face as they stepped into their unique callings.

As I think about what emerging leaders need in the world we are living and ministering in, I think we need to shift from the old way of broad brushstroke learning where we sit all our followers down in a room and give them the (insert appropriate number here) things they need to know about leadership. There is still a time and place for this; of course, Jesus did this too. However, at Arrow, we invest in raising leaders who lead churches, organisations, and schools. So we are keen to single out the most promising leaders, the ones who we believe have a specific calling on their lives and curate a tailored leadership development process that prepares them for all that God is and will call them to in the future.

We see this in Jesus’ development of his disciples; there were broad brushstrokes of learning for everyone, more specific for the 72 and even more detailed for the 12, but there was a special place of tailored learning for his 3.

Who are your 3? How are you tailoring their development to meet the greater purposes of their lives and leadership in the future?

Cath Tallack

Emerging Leaders and Rise Program Director