Multiplying Leaders by Jeremy Koeries
Christ-centred servant leadership is all about empowering others to fulfil their potential as a disciple of Jesus. In this post, Jeremy Koeries underlines for us the importance of the principle of multiplication within the disciple-making process.
Discipling Leaders
In Acts 6:1-7, we read of the disciples multiplying and new leaders being appointed. Multiplication is the end result of a disciple-making process. This process can be seen in the life of an individual disciple or a ministry leader, or even the church! The end result of this process is mature disciples reproducing themselves into other disciples. All disciples are called to disciple-making. All leaders are called to leadership multiplication. Leadership multiplication is about discipling leaders.
The word for “multiply” in the original Greek language of the New Testament means:
- made full, especially to maximum capacity or potential;
- the fullest measure
- to increase, multiply
This word is used in Acts 6:1, Acts 6:7 and Acts 9:31. This word (multiply) carries the idea of something that has grown, increased, become full and mature – ready to reproduce itself. Throughout Scripture, we see that God has designed creation to be fruitful, to increase and to multiply. From the beginning in Genesis 1, God intended for all creation to reproduce after its own kind – the living creatures, the plants, the trees and also the human beings. This is multiplication. In the same way, God has designed and called individual disciples, leaders and the church, to reproduce after its own kind, once they have reached spiritual maturity. Just as mature disciples will make disciples, in the same way, mature leaders will disciple new leaders.
When leaders are multiplied through disciple-making, local churches and ministries will be multiplied, resulting in either pioneering or succession. Pioneering is when a new leader is blessed and released (sent out) to start a ministry or new church. Succession is when a new leader is blessed and released to lead an existing ministry because the original leader has been sent out. This is the disciple-making movement that Jesus began and left us to continue.
Reflect on the following questions:
- Am I reproducing after my own kind by making disciples who can lead like me?
- Am I withholding authority from the leaders I disciple so that they cannot lead like me?
- Are the leaders that I am discipling making disciples of other leaders?
- Are the leaders I am discipling mature enough to lead in my place or to lead something new?
- Are the leaders that I am discipling releasing their disciples to start or lead new ministries?
Jeremy Koeries is based in Cape Town and is a leader within J-Life South Africa. J-Life Africa is a disciple-making movement that mobilizes disciple-making through local churches across Africa. We aim to help church and ministry leaders study the life and ministry of Jesus in the Gospels & Acts, to learn to make disciples like He did. See https://www.jlife.org/ for more information.
