Character Over Competency

The privilege of reproducing reproducers who have the potential to serve Christ long after we are gone is exhilarating.  Very few things in ministry are more rewarding than watching young leaders grow in their faith and ministry skills. As we guide them through the process of development and discipleship, we need to focus on character and competency. The obvious question is, how can we see this focus become a reality?

One aspect of this process requires practical ministry skills or competency coaching. Establishing or fine-tuning these skills will help define the type of ministry they will have for years to come. We need men and women who are effective, efficient, caring, focused, and committed.

But ministry competency is not enough. Plenty of people with a variety of ministry skills are just going through the motions. They began their ministry with a genuine burden for people but now find themselves stuck in a “rinse and repeat” cycle that is neither rewarding nor life-giving.

I am flirting with my 50^th year of the ministry: developing and discipling young leaders. In my experience, I have never seen anyone leave the ministry simply because they were incompetent. No one is the best at everything, but they can all do something. Bailing or failing in ministry is rarely a competency issue; it stems from a character deficiency.

Our character is not a product of good behavior or intentions. The development of character must begin with the Bible and biblical principles. My first step in developing young leaders involves helping them identify and understand those Biblical principles that will guide their life and ministry. This is the foundation for effective life-long service.

Once they have identified these foundational principles, I ask them to distill the Biblical values taught from these principles. Biblical principles determine direction, and values establish focus, guiding them to live an intentional life. Living their values serves as a template for accomplishing the things that matter as well as a filter for decision-making.

Principles and values lay a track on which to run their day-to-day life and ministry. This track then provides direction for defining their action steps. I use a personal growth plan tool I created several years ago, demonstrating a step-by-step process for going from principle to practice. You can follow the link to my website and download this plan for free. I call it Getting from Desire to Discipline. It highlights one of our most significant challenges. Our desire to live our values never becomes actionable because discipline is an idea but not a reality.

This personal growth plan process stems from my desire to develop and disciple young leaders who will serve as fifty-year warriors and not five-year wonders. Using this plan does not guarantee growth or longevity in ministry. However, not living by Biblical principles and values is courting frustration or potential failure. As we work together to develop and disciple future global leaders, let’s be committed to character over competency.