I’ve served under some amazing leaders during my time in ministry. Leaders who personally invested in me beyond what I can do in return for them, and their willingness to do so has marked and shaped my own life and leadership.

One of the elements of leadership they instilled in me is the opportunity and responsibility to develop the people around you. It’s become a personal passion of mine to help others win, watch others grow, and see those I lead realize their God-given potential.

God calls us to grow people, not just the Church. One is simply a byproduct of the other. There are plenty of ups and downs in ministry, but one thing that never has to go into a slump is the commitment to, and joy that comes from, helping others grow and succeed. Below are a few ways you can do that.

Begin by Modeling It

The personal growth of those around you will begin with your own personal growth. It’s very difficult to give what you don’t have, or to pour out of an empty cup. As you learn, grow and get filled up, you inherently have substance to pour into others.

The effects of a life of regular personal growth are inspiring and attractive. As you model disciplines that lead to growth, those you lead will naturally begin to reproduce those behaviors.

As a leader, are you growing? What are you doing to be a better pastor? Are you reading and trying to improve your skills? Are you becoming more spiritually disciplined? Are you working on your marriage or your parenting? How are you improving your health, emotions and relationships?

If you are doing those things, let your staff know about it. It’s OK to talk about these things to those you lead. In fact, they want to know. Whether you realize it or not, they are looking to you for advice on how to live their own lives — and especially on how to lead their own ministries.

One of the best ways to make sure you’re modeling personal growth to your staff is by being available. Carve out certain times of the day where your door is open, and let your staff know they can drop by to chat, if you have time, or just spend time with your while you work.

Be intentional about being around those you want to lead, and then model your own growth with them. Intentionality will also take vulnerability. Be honest about your struggles with time management or mistakes you made early on.

Studying the Word is crucial to ministry, no matter what area you oversee.

Create Times for Personal Growth

Outside of just spending time together, create space for teaching your team members directly. The most obvious time is during regular staff meetings. You might take 15 minutes each week to cover a specific area of personal growth. Bring in a leadership resource, and discuss it together. It’s amazing how this can lead to reverse mentoring as well, as you hear multiple perspectives in the room.

I also leverage individual meetings with staff for personal development. In fact, I always try to accomplish two things in every one-on-one meeting with staff. First, I want to help them reach the professional and organizational goals we’ve set together. Second, I want to help them reach the personal goals they have for their lives that have nothing to do with work. I’ve found that this builds trust and lets them know I care about them beyond what they do for me and our ministry.

Another time to focus on the personal growth of your team is during staff prayer. If you begin with a devotional, choose a fresh word that is directed toward them. Your church may have regular times of prayer and fasting, but maybe you should have one just for your staff. That way, you can directly lead them in personal spiritual growth.

Areas to Cover

Now that you’re committed to leading your staff through personal growth, what areas should you cover? Here are a few to consider:

• Leadership skills. Your team members should be growing as leaders. As they lead their own staffs, volunteers and members, they should become better at what they do.
• Biblical training. Studying the Word is crucial to ministry, no matter what area you oversee. Even if what you do doesn’t require preaching, biblical studies are central to understanding why we do what we do.
• Spiritual disciplines. Our spiritual lives can become lost in the hurry of business on a church staff. It may seem strange, but I’ve seen it over and over again. While people are leading members to a deeper spiritual walk, they often neglect their own. Don’t let that be the case with your team.
• Everything else. I call this “things they didn’t teach me in seminary.” There are things every staff member and pastor encounters that they wish they had learned in school but didn’t. So bring in experts to explain those things. Examples could include a real estate agent, a lawyer, a plant manager, an HVAC technician or even a marketing executive. Such individuals can share skills any pastor may need to pull from at one time or another.

However you plan to lead your staff into personal growth, make sure it’s personal. It’s never OK to assume your staff is growing. Get involved in their lives. Really understand where they’re coming from. And find out the best ways to help them improve.

As you grow, those closest to you should be growing too. If they’re not, begin by re-examining your own commitment. Then make sure you’re committed to the growth of your team. Finally, ask God to show you the responsibility He has placed on you as a pastor to your people. It’s one of the toughest jobs you can have, but it’s also the most rewarding.