Leadership anywhere - be it in the church; business organisation; family; polities; military or ministry, is not, and can never be in isolation. It will always operate in tandem with some few people within such organisation or institution. These people are the ones known and addressed as under-leaders.

But to us as ministers, who are under-leaders? They are the assistant pastors; heads of department in ministry; supporting ministers; associate leaders; personal assistant e. t. c. Their persons and designated portfolio in whatever level or guise are very important and should be treated as such for the smooth running of the ministry. Failure to accept this reality by many leaders have led to the ruin of their ministries. To function effectively as a leader in the church or ministry, you need credible; effective, loyal, hardworking, rational, truthful; witty, positive and productive under-leaders. Although, they might not possess all of these qualities at first when they come under your leadership ambience. But in the process of your empowering them INDIVIDUALLY and COLLECTIVELY, they will fall in line and acquire those qualities that are deficient in them, thereby making them the best and better leaders tomorrow.

Empowering your under-leaders must be your greatest desire, passion and priority if you want to be a leader of leaders. As a leader, you need under-leaders, or at least, an under- leader. I am aware of one of the errors of today's ministry leaders who are comfortable and more than satisfy just being a leader-nothing more, nothing less. To them, once you get to the top on the ladder of ministry, that is final! They see the top as the end of service in the Lord's vineyard, and crest of enjoyment; display of affluence; magnifying of titles that goes with their “top status” How wrong such ministers are. But the truth is this: the moment you are on top as a leader, that is when the real work of ministry begins. You still wonder why? Simple! Once you are on top all eyes are on you and everybody looks up to you too for direction, advice, motivation guidance, support and leadership. Inability on your part to provide all of these is nothing but a monumental failure of highest degree.

But one good way to avoid failure and have a sustained and successful leadership is by empowering your under-leaders through the process of shared leadership? That is the major problem in today's churches and it is one of the causes of breakaway, disintegration and membership loss. Except a solid progressive plan of under-leaders empowerment is sincerely embark upon, the shortage of good leaders in future will certainly continue. As much as the process of empowering under-leaders is tasking, it is nonetheless the only option in securing your leadership today and tomorrow. If you don't empower your under-leaders, your future is already in jeopardy because there will not be successors to take the job from you after your demise or incapacitation as is sometime the case.

Although, empowering under-leaders have its attendants sacrifice on the part of the leader. It is nonetheless the only option left for any good leader who which to make a lasting impact. As a leader, you must genuinely be prepared to do the following in order to effectively empower your under-leaders.

1. Expose them to What you Know: Let them know you are interested in their growth. Give, or at least recommend to them some of the books you have read, seminars you regularly attend, information you are frequently exposed to that have made you tick as a good leader. Dr. Akin - John does this often to all of us working with him. Imagine, he came back from one of his numerous ministerial trips from South Africa with a CD-Rom, which is a complete ministers library containing all sort of material for personal development. Two days after his arrival, he called all of us into his office and began to show us this enormous resource by downloading it on his PC. Can you beat that?

2. Create Opportunities for them to Excel: You can't be everywhere at the same time. Decline your presence at some programmes or outings and let your under-leaders represent you. Let them be heard too, not just seen. As you have discovered them, let others also discover them. Don't allow their gifting to decay and die within them. Expose them to occasion that will build up their moral and fortify their confidence. The more opportunities you create for them, the more burdenless you too will become.

3. Spend Time Together With them: Give each of them part of your time. Addressing them together always in the church, office or during meetings, will not empower them. Each of them has personal problem or challenges they will never throw up in the open at ministers' prayer meeting. But being personal with them will make you to know their fear, anxiety, anger, frustration e. t. c. Your time with them should be a personal question moment for you. Ask them questions about their family, finances, job, ideas, suggestion e. t. c. This is what Dr. Akin - John does often. No matter his schedules, he still create special time for all his team members in the office. That has become his usual habit.

4. Invest in Their Future: One way to invest in someone's future is to expose him to information that will change his destiny. Always sponsor them to attend seminars, conferences and workshops that will help them to be the best. By attending credible ministers' gathering and conference they will become more polish and useful in the ministry. Keep emphasizing training to them. A Chinese proverbs says, “the best legacy you can give anyone is education”. In this case, education could be academical, ministerial or vocational. I know a G. O. who fought one of his young ministers to a stand still because the young man got admission into university to study. At the end, he lost he young man and his added education which on the long run would have helped the ministry as a whole.

5. Allow them to make Mistake: A wealthy business man was interviewed and asked what he has made in life. Hear his answer, “I have made money. I have made name and reputation. I have made friends. And I have made mistakes”. So many under-leaders are rotten away in the ministry because their leaders are afraid they will make mistakes if he allows them to do what they haven't done before. As a leader, allow them to preach in your presence and correct them where necessary. Mistake is part of life. No one gets it right at first. But improvement comes as he perfects the first. The fellow who never makes a mistake takes his orders from the one who does.

6. Encourage them to ask Questions: Most times under-leaders don't ask questions from their leaders for fear of been branded a ‘rebel'. Because of that, majority of them have turned to praise singers. To ask question is part of the learning process. Don't be unapproachable for those under you. Make yourself available.


Let them ask you questions. Don't assume you already know what they want to ask you. Entertain them either the questions are good or they are nonsensical. After all, in every nonsense there must be sense. Share with them in your response to their question howthe ministry started, your survival strategy e. t. c. One of the reasons why I often enjoy going out with my leader, Dr. Akin - John whenever the opportunity arises, is the platform it provide for me to ask him questions, particularly when we are both alone. No matter what I ask him he always answers me. And through that means, I have learnt from him some profound and deepest ministerial gems.

... to be continued.

Wale OlaOluwa
Reach him at oladave123@yahoo.co.uk