Jesus’ Way of Developing Leaders
I’ve always loved the Gospel of Mark because of the action oriented narrative. You’ll remember that Mark’s gospel begins with a one-year gap (Mark 1:13-14) between His baptism and the 18-month ministry in Galilee. This first year of Jesus’ public ministry is only recorded in John 1-4.
Below is a short outline of some key leader development passages as found in Mark. While this is not an exhaustive list, it does serve as a reminder of how to be more intentional about developing those leaders we have influence with.
Mark 1:14-18 – Jesus was on the move and He recruited others to join Him in the movement; note that He recruited busy, industrious people
Mark 1:35 – Jesus was a pacesetter/model, especially in spending time with His Father
Mark 1:36-39 – Jesus had a plan for His ministry; He took the risk of disappointing those He was leading by saying ‘no’ to their desires for Him
Mark 3:14 – the emerging leaders were “with Him” first and then sent out
Mark 3:16-17 – having nicknames indicates He knew His disciples well; there was a deep, personal relationship with Him
Mark 4:10,34 – He gave special training and development to a few; He told them “why and what”
Mark 4:35 – Jesus took the initiative and led out by example
Mark 6:6-9 – Jesus modeled faith and expected it of His disciples; living by faith was to be a lifestyle
Mark 6:30-31 – He modeled for them the importance of taking time for reflective evaluation and relaxation
Mark 8:31 – He sought to keep His disciples informed about upcoming events
Mark 9:14-16 – Jesus protected His disciples from threats; note how He takes the argument with the teachers of the law onto Himself
Mark 10:28-31 – Jesus was an encourager; He affirmed good behavior
Mark 11:1-3 – He emphasized forethought, scenario planning, and training before sending them out on assignments
Mark 14:10 – Jesus too had one of His leaders who did not do well; not all failures are reflections on the leader and their ability to train others
Reflect on these passages. Open the bible with those you are developing. Look carefully at the model of Jesus and how He developed leaders. Remember to, “Lead from the Scriptures and into the Scriptures!”
Developing Kingdom Leaders - Tom Yeakley 