Developing the Leaders Around You by John Maxwell A Pastor to Pastor Study by Josh Hunt Session #6

Introduction

I hope you will enjoy the on-going process of learning to be a better pastor through interactive peer to peer groups. I am writing a number of studies to serve you. My goal is to help Southern Baptist reach 20 million in Sunday School attendance by the year 2020 (and to offer whatever help I can to others in the process). In order to do this, we need to improve in a thousand different areas at every level of the organization. There is no one key to church growth. Through a thousand different skill improvement areas, we can become obedient to the great commission. Your participation in this study speaks well of you. Keep up the good work.

Chapters 9

OPEN

• Let's begin by sharing one strength we have as a leader.

DIG

1. This is our last session of this book. Let's review. Suppose you were asked to give a one hour session to young "preacher boys" on how to develop leaders. What would you tell them?
2. Describe your plan for developing leaders.
3. Is there anything still missing from your plan? Any questions you still have?⁽¹⁾
4. This chapter deals with our adding value to the organization and to the leaders we seek to develop. Repeat after me: "I am valuable to the leaders I seek to develop." How does it feel to say the words, "I am valuable."
5. Is it important to feel that we are valuable to the organization? Why?
6. Can feeling that we are valuable be overdone?⁽²⁾
7. Is it possible to be very confident and very humble simultaneously?⁽³⁾
8. In what ways do we add value to the organization? Let's make a list on the board.
9. Who remembers the illustration of the turtle on a fence post? How does this illustration teach about our value?
10. One of the ways we add value to the organization is to cast a vision. Must the vision come from the top?
11. Evaluate your ability to cast a vision for your people. Is this something that comes easily for you? Are you good at vision-casting? Do you like vision casting?
12. What goes into effective vision casting?
13. Another thing we do to add value to the organization is to encourage the troops and help them to believe in themselves. Why is this important?
14. How can we help people to believe in themselves?
15. Are the people you serve confident that you will support them if they try new things?
16. On page 192 John Maxwell mentions the tendency for some to be "yes-men" to their leaders. What causes this dynamic to take place?
17. How would you know if your people were "yes-men"-only telling you what you want to hear?
18. How would you help yes-men to be more honest and forthright?
19. Before we leave this chapter, let's do what we can to lend confidence to one another. I would invite you to say something encouraging to one person in this room.⁽⁴⁾ I will keep track and we will stop when everyone has heard at least two compliments from this part of the body.
    
    

Chapter 10

1. In this chapter, we will talk about reproduction which leads to multiplication. Have you seen an example where someone trained someone who trained someone who trained someone?
2. Are leaders born or made?
3. John Maxwell says he has never met a leader that did possess great relational skills. Do you agree?
4. What are some of the key components of relational skills? Let's make a list on the board.
5. Is getting along with people easy or hard?
6. Can relational skills be taught?
7. Who can tell about a person that you helped to improve their relational skills?
8. Do you improve relational skills through a sermon?
9. What are some key verses that speak to people skills?⁽⁵⁾
10. What other means do we have to improve people skills?⁽⁶⁾
11. Someone look up 2 Timothy 2:2. How many generations of leaders does this verse speak of? Let's make a diagram on the board.
12. Paul says he told Timothy some things in the presence of many witnesses. We don't know how many witnesses. Let's suppose it is four. Let's suppose each level reproduced four times. How many would we have at the end of this verse?⁽⁷⁾
13. What compelling illustration of the power of multiplication have you heard, or used in preaching?
14. What causes the multiplication process to break down?
15. Multiplication is so powerful, in theory. Why hasn't it worked?
16. Where could your church be in five years if just half of your leaders multiplied?
17. Where have you seen multiplication work effectively in your ministry?
18. Let's concentrate on this one task: developing leaders who can reproduce their groups. What does it take to make this happen? What do the group leaders in your church need from you in order to become leaders who reproduce their groups?
19. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Let's pray together that God would send out laborers and that we would be willing to serve him in developing laborers.

1. It is more important to teach the group than it is to cover the material. If these questions take up your whole allotted time, so be it.

2. Not exactly. Other, balancing truths could be neglected, but confidence cannot be overdone. It is possible to have lots of confidence and lots of humility.

3. Jesus was.

4. It would probably work well if you would be an example and do so yourself first.

5. How about, "A soft answer turns away wrath." Or, "bear with one anther in love." Or, "Do everything without complaining or arguing."

6. How about asking your teachers to teach a training course on people skills. They themselves would learn much in the process.

7.