Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “Leadership development”

10 Aug 2026

Come Out With Your Hands Up!

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God–this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 NIV

Knowing the will of God is easy, but you do one thing first.  There is a prerequisite for knowing the will of God.  You must be willing to do the will of God – to obey Him completely, first. 

Often we want the opposite.  We cry out to God for guidance  and direction, asking Him to show us what to do.  But we want more clarity so we can then decide whether we want to do His will or not.  But God has a different way.

He says that we must first surrender to doing whatever He desires, then He will show us the plans He has for us.  We must be willing to obey Him completely first, then we will know the will of God – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.  We surrender to His plans much like one who surrenders to the sheriff in the Old West who says, “Come out with your hands up!”  We lay down our lives and surrender to His complete authority over us.

The God-honoring life is always a life of faith.  He says, “My righteous ones will live by faith.” (Hebrews 10:38; Habakkuk 2:4)  A life dedicated to God will be one of daily surrender and wholehearted obedience.  We are perfectly designed to fulfill this plan, but we must commit to it first.  (Ephesians 2:10)

We can have great confidence in God’s plans because He always acts according to His character.  He is love and all He does is from this foundation.  He is sovereign over all things in His creation.  He is good and all that He does is good.  This does not mean a God-honoring life will be an easy life.  Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  Trust Him with your future! 

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13 Jul 2026

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing!

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:1-4 ESV

When launching your ministry there is great excitement and zeal to begin building a generational ministry that sends skilled disciplemakers to the ends of the earth.  But as time moves forward, especially with increased numbers of people involved, the clarity of your mission can begin to fade.  Problems arise (they always do) and ‘shiny objects’ flutter in front of our eyes taking away from the laser focus we once had.  How do you  prevent mission drift and a loss of focus on the main thing?

First, you the leader must be crystal clear as to your responsibility and contribution.  You must gently say no to anything that would take you away from this contribution.  Just as the apostles did in acknowledging the importance of daily food distribution to widows, they also affirmed that their personal contribution was a  focus on prayer and the ministry of the Word of God.  They resolved the issue by delegating the solution to others without becoming embroiled in the details of the operations.

Secondly, you must continually cast vision and remind all involved with you about the mission.  As the ministry leader, you are the primary vision caster.  Saying it over and over again will embed not only the vision, but also the values which guide choices resulting in aligned behavior for the mission. 

Train yourself to communicate the mission and vision in multiple ways.  Use stories and metaphors to illustrate key values.  Model these values by your own behavior.  You are working against the natural degradation of the vision with the passing of time.  Remember the adage, “It’s hard to remember why you decided to drain the swamp when you are surrounded by alligators!”  Keep sharing the mission and vision wherever you go. 

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06 Apr 2026

God Himself Will Provide the Lamb

In Genesis 22:1-18 we read of the faith trial Abraham faced when God directed him to sacrifice his son. Abraham had waited 25 years for the fulfillment of the promise that through his offspring the entire world would be blessed, and they would multiply like the sand on the seashore or the stars in the sky.  Isaac was born at age 100 and now a few years later the young man and his father were off to make a sacrifice.  Isaac carried the wood, but no sacrificial lamb was found.

Isaac noted the lack of the sacrificial lamb and asked his father about it.  Abraham’s prophetic response was simply, “The Lord Himself will provide the lamb.”  Romans 4 tells us Abraham reasoned that even if God did allow him to plunge the knife into the neck of his son, God had the ability to raise him back to life.  What amazing faith and trust!  Of course, God stopped Abraham and as he looked up, there was a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.  It was the perfect sacrifice at the perfect time! 

Your leadership will be full of trials of faith where there is no visible means of deliverance.  The storm clouds will surround you, lightening will crackle, and the peals of thunder will rattle the walls.  You will fear all is lost.  But remember, God is never in a hurry, but always on time.  At the perfect time and in a way that brings glory and honor to Him, you will see His answer.  Stay the course.  Do not give way to fear.  Trust Him and His promises.

All who you lead will be looking to you for strength and hope.  You must point them to God who promises to deliver in times of trouble. (Psalm 50:15)  God Himself will provide the ‘lamb’ you need.  Don’t be like Israel who tested God in the desert, and  said in their unbelief, “Can God spread of table in the desert?” (Psalm 78:19).  Yes, He can!  And yes, He did!  He will do the same for you as you trust Him.  Plead the promises to Him!

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12 Jan 2026

Transitioning Leadership

The LORD replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. When direction from the LORD is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim–one of the sacred lots cast before the LORD–to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.” So Moses did as the LORD commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community. Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the LORD had commanded through Moses. Numbers 27:18-23 NLT

Note that the above commissioning of Joshua was God’s initiative and probably occurred sometime during the final year of the 40-year pilgrimage in the desert. Joshua had been Moses’ assistant for these past years in the desert, but now it was time for him to begin to assume the mantel of leadership. We can observe the following from this transition:

  1. The transition from Moses to Joshua’s leadership was a process, not a single event. Here in Numbers 27, we see that Moses was to transfer ‘some of his authority’ to Joshua so that he can lead Israel (vs. 20). The final step in this transition would happen just before Moses died (see Deuteronomy 31 and Joshua 1).
  2. There was a ceremony to mark in the eyes of all the transition of leadership and authority.
  3. The former leader, Moses, and Joshua, the new leader, made this ceremony a spiritual event as it was done in the presence of Eleazar the priest.
  4. Joshua now assumed some duties and authority from Moses as the recognized ‘leader apparent,’ becoming the sole leader with the final personal commissioning and Moses’ death (Deuteronomy 31).

Moses was a faithful servant of God, but he could not lead Israel forever. At the appropriate time, he gave his leadership away, ascended Mt. Nebo, and finished his race. Spiritual leadership is a privilege, not a right. God-honoring leaders will intentionally prepare their successor and transition their authority with forethought. They will know when to hand over their responsibilities, not over-staying their leadership contribution or clinging to their ‘right to lead.’

Remember, there is a difference between role and contribution. Leadership roles come with titles and organizational authority. They come and they go. But contribution and influence in the Kingdom is determined by God as He guides and directs us and is not limited to any title or role. Seek contribution, not titles.

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15 Dec 2025

Long-term Goals vs Short-term Needs

The phrase, “like sheep without a shepherd” is repeated twice in the Gospels.  Here are the references:  Matthew 9:36 ESV – “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd,” and Mark 6:34 ESV – “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”

The Matthew event happened before sending out the Twelve in pairs, while the second occurred after they returned from their short-term ministry trip.  Both events evoked a response from Jesus of compassion for the many people who were wandering through life without someone who cared for or protected them.  But note the different applications that followed His compassion for the crowds.

In Matthew, we know that He saw a ripe harvest of souls all around Him and the application was to pray for more laborers for the harvest.  The solution was more workers in the harvest, and the means was prayer to the Father.  Implied in this request was a willingness to personally engage in the harvest as it was immediately followed by Jesus sending them out into the lost crowds in the villages of Galilee (see Matthew 10).

In Mark, after the Twelve returned, on the premise of seeking to get some time away, they once again encountered the many people in the ‘great crowd’ who had followed their boat from the shoreline.  Upon arrival, He saw the crowd, had compassion on them, and responded by ‘teaching them many things.’  And yes, He did eventually feed them – all 5,000 of them! 

As we go about our busy lives, may the Lord make us sensitive to the many lost, wandering souls around us who are living quietly desperate lives.  They may look all ‘put together,’ but we know the truth.  They are harassed and helpless – like sheep without a shepherd.  They have no one who is watching over their souls.

May our response be one of loving care for these lost ones.  May we engage in praying for them, teaching them the truth of the Gospel, and treating them as we would want to be treated – with dignity and respect.  Let’s be careful not to lose our focus on spiritual generations of disciplemakers – for that will ultimately address the eternal needs of the great crowds.  But let’s not be so future focused that we miss the immediate opportunities He brings our way.  Not moved to action by guilt, but from a compassion for the lost. 

Jesus dealt with this same dynamic tension of completing His strategic mission with the Twelve. He was always responding to the daily clamoring crowds immediate needs, who He helped by teaching and healing.  We too must address some short term ‘crowd’ needs and still fulfill our Mission just as He did.

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17 Nov 2025

The Kingdom and Strategic Growth

In Matthew 13:1-9 we find the familiar Parable of the Sower; one of the few parables of Jesus that He explains. In the parable, the farmer sows seeds that fall onto four different types of soils – hard, resistant ground, rocky, shallow soil, weedy soil, and good ground. Jesus explains that the farmer’s intention is not just scattering seed. But his desire is that the seed eventually produces a crop – the bigger the better.

After sharing the parable, His disciples ask why He teaches in parables (this was a change from His first year of ministry). In Matthew 13:10-17 He explains why parables and then in v. 12 He states a strategic principle –  Whoever has will be given more… The Lord of the harvest seeks to honor those who respond to the message.

In the explanation that follows (Matthew 13:18-23) He explains that the fourth soil person is. “But the one who receives the seed good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it.  He produces a crop…” v 23. The farmer’s goal is realized by those seeds that produce a crop.

Later in Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus shares another parable, The Parable of the Talents. Here He introduces it (v. 14-15) by saying the kingdom is, “…like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property  to them.” The three servants were given different amounts of capital to invest while their master was away – each receiving according to his ability. The first two immediately put the money to work.

After a while the master returned, and the servants were called to an accounting review. They reported their initial capital and the results of their labor. In v. 20-22 the first two say, “You entrusted me with… I have gained…” Note the growth and the master’s approval of their efforts. Also note the third servant is chastised for not growing the initial capital. In v. 27 the master says, “…you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned, I would have received it back with interest.”

Finally, in v. 28-29 the master says, “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more and he will have an abundance.” It is a repeat of the same principle stated earlier in the explanation of why speak in parables.

Growth is a Kingdom principle and the Lord desires growth in our ministries. We labor to that end, always acknowledging the truth of 1 Corinthians 3:7 ESV, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

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14 Jul 2025

Living and Leading at a Sustainable Pace – 2

Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. 1 Corinthians 16:12 ESV

Note how in this passage Paul ‘strongly urged’ Apollos to go to Corinth to help address some pressing issues outlined in his letter to them. There was a very pressing need in Corinth. And besides this need, the Apostle Paul was also ‘pressing’ Apollos to go. Yet, despite all the pressure from different sides, Apollos refused to go at this time. He would come sometime in the future, but not now.

That decision took a lot of courage! That decision came from someone who would not be intimidated or driven by an urgent request – even though it was legitimate. Apollos knew that some others could and would go (it appears Titus carried the letter to Corinth – see 2 Corinthians 2:12-13). It just wasn’t going to be him at this time. He had his reasons.

Why do Kingdom leaders move to reaction leadership and a personal drivenness to achieve, rather than staying within their God-given boundaries and saying ‘no’ when appropriate? Here are some of the lies we believe that drive us to live and lead at an unhealthy, unsustainable pace.

o “Success in the ministry depends upon me.” We would never say this, but we often live like it!
o “True commitment equals busyness beyond the limits of normal.” You know, leaders are busy people!
o “If I don’t accept this task or opportunity, then I will be left out or considered uncommitted by others.” Their opinion of me really matters for my sense of well-being!
o “I must model a challenging pace to be a good example for those watching me.” What happens when they are not watching me?
o The Should vs Could voices in our heads – “Should” pushes guilt and “Could” opens opportunity to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
o The ‘Messiah complex’ – “Apart from me nothing will get done.” “Your job is to represent the Messiah, not be the Messiah!” Donald Barnhouse
o “These are my disciples–my people, and they need / want / deserve me, not someone else.” You’re really not that important?
o “The Good Leader Syndrome” – adopting someone else’s pace, especially your heroes or your leaders.
o Climbing the organizational ladder for more power / influence – “My performance determines my future, therefore, I will put in more hours, volunteer for all duties, and be sure to quietly remind others of my sacrifice for the cause/team.”
o Lack of moral courage – “Everyone else is doing it, so I must do it too.”
o Self-martyrdom – “I can get by on less,” “I’m the exception,” or “I’ll be back to ‘normal’ soon.”

All of these lies lead to a ‘crash and burn’ ending that is not pretty. Whether we are burning ourselves out, wrecking our marriage, ignoring our children or driving those we lead to exhaustion – all is dishonoring to God. It is not honoring to Jesus or the cause of Jesus to associate Him with our own failings. That reality should stop us in our tracks and end the folly.

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23 NLT

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02 Jun 2025

Decisions and Learning from Others

I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest — then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. Proverbs 24:30-34 NIV

Note that the author of the proverb above was making observations as he ‘walked’ through life. He was observant. He reflected on what he saw and drew some conclusions as a result.

Good leaders are teachable. A teachable attitude and learner’s heart will mean that you accept counsel from others. It can come from the direct counsel or advice of others. It can also come from making observations, reflecting on what you see, and then applying lessons learned from the observations to your life and leadership.

It was Otto von Bismarck who said, ““Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” In addition to learning from the mistakes of others you can also learn from what they did right. Do not hesitate to ask other leaders if they have experienced similar challenges to those you are currently facing and if so, what they did that was helpful or not.

If you are the senior leader, remember that the counsel from others on your leadership team can be invaluable in difficult decisions. You don’t have to figure it all out yourself! Rely upon the wisdom of your leadership team members when confronting complex issues.

And always remember that Kingdom leaders have The Counselor – the Holy Spirit within you and He will guide and direct you. Pray and ask Him for insight, wisdom, discernment, and the ability to anticipate future consequences of your decisions. The saying is true, “Today’s problems are yesterday’s solutions.” The Spirit’s counsel may come from His voice within (Isaiah 30:21) or perhaps He will direct you through the Scriptures (Psalm 119:105).

Many difficult decisions will need more time to see a way forward. But never ignore tough decisions hoping they will solve themselves. They most often get worse, not better. When the time to decide arrives you will almost always feel that you need more time or data to make a good decision. Make the decision and live with the results! And on a day when the decision is to be made, do it early in the day, otherwise it will be a ‘low hanging cloud’ over all other activities until completed.

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07 Apr 2025
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Big Shoes to Fill

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Joshua 1:1-2 ESV

How would you like to be the one chosen to lead after Moses? Talk about a challenge! Oh, my!

God clarifies His calling to Joshua by reminding him that Moses is dead! It’s time for you to lead now! So be strong and courageous and ‘put on your big boy pants’ because it’s time to occupy the land I promised you all forty years ago. Let’s get moving!

And then notice the first leadership challenge Joshua faces – they must cross the Jordan River. But there’s a problem – it’s in flood stage. I’d guess Joshua is wondering about the Lord’s timing in it all. Why now? Why not wait a little for the water level to recede and we walk across the shallows like normal. Why move out when it’s flooding? But Joshua told the people to make ready to break camp and cross over. “When you see the priests carrying the ark, follow them,” he said. And we know what happened – God stopped the flow of the river upstream and all Israel walked across the riverbed on dry ground!

The Lord knew that it would be difficult for the people to follow Joshua’s leadership having served under Moses’ guidance for 40 years. The people knew Moses talked with God personally, but what about Joshua? “The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.'” (Joshua 3:7) God was setting up Joshua’s authority to lead by using the crisis of crossing the flood staged river as a means to establish his leadership.

When Kingdom leaders assume new roles, especially if you are following a ‘rock star,’ count on the fact that God has your back. He knows that people will have a tough time transitioning their trust to you as the new leader. Thus, He will create opportunities for you to gain their trust and confidence in your leadership. But remember, this process of transferring trust to you will often come cleverly disguised as a major crisis! Don’t shrink back from it. Engage with it and watch God do what only He can do as He establishes you to lead.

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24 Feb 2025

Imitating the Faith of Others

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:11-12 ESV

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 ESV

Twice the author of Hebrews points us to the intentional imitation of others. Of course, we are to imitate Christ above all, but the imitation of other people is somewhat unique. Who and what are we to imitate when it comes to following the examples of others?

The first passage in Hebrews 6 exhorts us to become imitators of those who model faith and patience in their discipleship. Their lives are marked by the fulfillment of promises made by God to them. These people are worthy of imitation. No, they are not perfect people – no one is. But they exhibit a life that is different from other believers.

They model a lifestyle of trust in God and a rest in His sovereign timing for all things that challenges our own. They boldly demonstrate confidence in God when there is little visible to be confident in. And their confidence is rooted in the promises of God found in the Scriptures. They know that the promises are backed by the Promiser who is all powerful and always faithful to His Word, for He cannot lie.

The second passage points us to imitate those spiritual leaders who spoke the Word of God to us. We are to reflect upon their lives and the outcomes of their ways. And then, after this thoughtful reflection, we are to imitate their faith. Note that we are not told to imitate their speaking or teaching style or even their example of leadership. We are told to imitate their faith!

Kingdom leaders will often have opportunities to lead others into trials of faith. Your God-confidence will strengthen the resolve of those who follow. Your faith will be imitated by others who watch how you address each succeeding wave that buffets you. Your resolve not to compromise or shrink back, not because of your own strength, but by God’s grace and strength will be transformative to those who are imitating you.

Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. Isaiah 50:7 NIV

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