Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “leadership thinking”

01 Jun 2026

Two Are Better Than One and Three Is Even Better!

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him–a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV

Note that when the Holy Spirit launched the pioneering ministry to the Gentiles, He set apart Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for the work.  It was the Holy Spirit who created the team concept for pioneering the work.  These two men then added John Mark as their helper on the first missionary tour (Acts 13:1-5). 

Pioneering a new ministry takes much effort.  Many unexpected obstacles appear and must be dealt with.  Some tasks are operational and some are more ‘spiritual.’  But all must be done.  It’s so helpful to have several to join in helping shoulder the workload.  Don’t seek to go alone!  Two are better than one and a three-cord strand is not easily broken.  No one individual has all the gifts or abilities needed to establish a sustainable initiative.  Ask God to bring you help – men and women of like-heart and vision who are skilled in the task.

Some have concluded that the number one reason for cross-cultural missionaries returning home is conflict with other team members.  Many serve with teammates they did not select but were assigned.  Many also are seeking to expand the Kingdom in high stress environments with formidable opposition.  Any character ‘cracks’ are soon amplified under the work pressure and become ‘chasms’ due to the efforts of our adversary. 

Ideally, working as a team in a familiar environment before moving into the pressure cooker of cross-cultural stress can be of great benefit.  Note that Barnabas and Saul served together in Antioch before being sent to the Gentiles.  While this does not always guarantee a successful team experience, it can greatly help.  We see that John Mark deserted the team and before the second missionary tour even Barnabas and Saul separated.  Both took others with them and formed new teams as they went out again.

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18 May 2026

Play Hardball, Not Softball!

Jesus had provided free food to 5,000 people and attracted many with engaging parables and wonderful healings.  He knew many were superficial in their commitment to following Him and their understanding of discipleship.  Thus, He drew a very clear line in the sand on what it meant to follow Him.  The Bread of Life sermon in John 6:41-69 defined the cost of discipleship.

“Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life,” He said.  “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” He continued, referring to the physical manna God had provided for wandering Israel in the desert.  “I am the bread of life…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”  The crowd grumbled as the cost of discipleship and His claims became clear. 

Jesus follows with, “Does this offend you?”  And John records, “From that time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.” (v. 66)  Jesus defined the relationship and left it to the people to decide if they would pay the price to truly follow Him as His disciples.  Sadly, many walked away.

Note too that Jesus did not assume the Twelve would continue with Him.  He says to them, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”  Peter sums up their attitude, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life?” (v. 67-68)

Billy Graham said, “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you everything.”  Discipleship is not about joining a social club or seeking fun with your friends.  It’s choosing life over death and a total commitment to obey Jesus whatever He may ask, trusting His promise of the resurrection and eternal life.

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04 May 2026

The Foundation Determines the Superstructure!

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles…” Luke 6:12-13 ESV

Having spent a year since His baptism around Jerusalem and recruited the two sets of brothers to full-time discipleship, Jesus now creates a ‘leadership team’ called the Apostles.  The Twelve were chosen by Jesus as He looked ahead two years knowing that He would be leaving them to carry on His mission to reach the world. 

These Twelve would become the model for others who would come.  Anyone who wondered what following Jesus was like only had to look at the example of His inner circle to know what discipleship meant.  The Twelve were both catalyst and model for the disciplemaking movement.  They were the foundation on which Jesus would build. 

Within two years from their designation a ‘messengers’ (apostles), they were given the final command to ‘make disciples of all the nations’ (Matthew 28:18-20).  They would take what they knew and experienced, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, seek to conquer the world.  Local leaders commented, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”  (Acts 6:13)

As others are attracted to your disciplemaking they will evaluate the quality of your influence by the lives of those already involved.  Especially those designated as disciplemaking leaders act as a living advertisement of what discipleship means. 

In the case of the Twelve, it was undeniable that they had ‘been with Jesus’ and no other schooling experience could explain their behavior.  The first generation determines all who follow. 

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20 Apr 2026

The Launch Determines the Orbit!

When you first arrive at your new ministry location you will be greeted by excited people who welcome you, saying all sorts of nice things.  “We’ve been praying for a disciplemaking ministry here…” or “You are such an answer to prayer…” or “We’ve been telling everyone about you…”  So uplifting! So exciting!

These people mean well and perhaps you are an answer to prayer – someone’s prayer.  And in your zeal to get started quickly with ‘short term wins’ you invite these people into a core group bible study or even begin to meet with them one-to-one.  You assume that God has prepared this ‘fruitful field’ and that these initial contacts are the foundations of many future spiritual generations.  This is a very wrong assumption.

What often occurs is that these people are attracted to the latest new and exciting thing and you are it – for the moment.  But next week or next month there will be another new and exciting thing starting and they will be there to greet them and welcome them like they did for you.  That’s their strength and design.  Nothing is wrong with this, just realize that your foundational ministry people will probably not be the ones who you initially meet. 

Go slow in your commitments to others.  Get to know your new ministry environment.  Seek to know and be known.  Pray and wait for the Lord to confirm who it is that He has chosen for you to build the foundation upon.  And don’t be surprised if it is not the people who you initially connected with when you arrived at your new ministry location.  Don’t build your ministry on those who greet you at the train station! 

You only get one ministry launch!  Make it a good one!

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23 Mar 2026

Bigger Does Not Mean Better!

It can be natural for some ministry leaders to think that the more people involved in our ministry the better.  We can assume that ‘more’ is better and a sign of God’s favor and blessing on the work.  Maybe or maybe not?

The disciples assumed that the rich man was favored because he had more money that others.  They assumed that his wealth was a sign of God’s blessing on his life.  But Jesus’ summary as he walked away from an invitation to join Him was that it is hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God.  Their resources make it easy to depend upon themselves and not on God. 

The disciples were amazed by this statement, for this was counter to a basic belief regarding God’s blessing on people.  Abundance is a sign of blessing and scarcity is a sign of His disfavor.  Don’t make the same mistake and assume that bigger is better! 

The vision of investing deeply in the lives of a few requires that we ignore the temptation to build some big ministry.  Building a  big ministry is not the goal.  Big ministries require great effort to manage.  Chasing after ‘bigness’ in ministry is not our focus. 

Having many people involved in your disciplemaking ministry is not necessarily bad.  We must avoid the other extreme of small numbers being an excuse for lack of effort or laziness.  We note that Jesus had thousands who He fed on at two occasions.  But caring for the hunger of the masses was not His primary focus.  It was an occasional endeavor. 

Don’t make the pursuit of many your aim.  Your aim is to equip a few people with vision and skills to make more disciples, thus changing the world one person at a time.  Go deep with a few for the sake of the many!

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09 Mar 2026

Pray and Work for Critical Mass!  – Acts 2:42-47

 In a nuclear reaction energy needs to be added to split atoms until enough atomic particles are split to enable more atoms to split without needing more energy.  So it is in a disciplemaking ministry.  As a ministry pioneer, you will need to expend much energy to attain a critical mass of ministry.  But how do you do this and how do you know when you have it?

When starting a new ministry, you will want to lay a solid prayer foundation from which to begin to build.  Take adequate time and energy praying for ‘soil four people’ who will be the reproducers of many spiritual generations.  Recruit others to pray for God’s favor and expect divine appointments with those who He is bringing to you.  Walk the land and pray for God to bless!

Ask God to give you those who are ‘gatekeepers’ to many more relationships.  These people, like Andrew, will bring their friends because they are blessed to be a part of your ministry and want to share that blessing with others.  They are your ‘fans’ and always bringing others to meet Jesus in your ministry.

Have a short ‘elevator pitch’ answer that you can share when asked, “Who are you or What do you do?”  Make your answer short, engaging, authentic, and inviting.  You will want to meet a lot of people and have lots of practice sharing this.

Critical mass is reached when you have a consistent, sustainable number of committed people engaged with you in the ministry.  You, the leader, do not need to work so hard to invite because these people are inviting their friends.  You are able to delegate responsibilities to them, not having to do it all yourself.  You have increasing capacity to think and strategize, rather than ‘do.’

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09 Feb 2026

The Flywheel in Disciplemaking is Evangelism

But as for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5 ESV

The purpose of a flywheel is to store kinetic energy and release it to smooth out power delivery.  In a disciplemaking ministry the flywheel is evangelism – taking the gospel to the lost.  Seeing people come to faith in Christ creates great momentum in the rest of the disciplemaking process and attracts those who are practitioners rather than philosophers. 

In personal discipling, focus early with those you help on developing a heart for the lost, praying for the lost, becoming skilled in sharing their salvation story, and in sharing the gospel.  This is especially true if you are beginning to disciple someone who has a Christian background.  Focusing on evangelism will quickly separate those who want fellowship with other believers but are not interested in laboring in the harvest.

An emphasis on reaching the lost will help set a tone for others who are attracted.  They quickly see that foundational to being a disciple is engaging with lost people and helping them move towards a relationship with Christ.  Thus, they begin to get a rudimentary understanding of discipleship and that it is more than just a relationship with Jesus.  It is missional, because God is missional by nature, and it involves helping people know Christ and make Him known.

Recognize that our adversary will actively oppose any initiative towards the lost.  You are a threat to his kingdom.  If he can prevent you from coming to faith, he will diligently work to stop you from sharing it with the lost.  Don’t be surprised when you face difficulties in evangelism.  Expect it.  And do the work of an evangelist to create the flywheel momentum of evangelism in your life and in the lives of those you disciple. 

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29 Dec 2025

Launching the New Year!

2025 has ended and now we launch 2026!  As we end one and begin a new calendar year, it’s good to pause and reflect upon what was and what we hope will be.  It is through reflection that we can gain perspective and see more clearly the overarching, God-orchestrated, macro-movements of our lives.

Leaders are often too busy to stop and reflect.  We always have more things to do and people to see.  We take one item off the do-list and add three more!  Who has time to stop and think?

Today…..now is the time to stop and reflect upon who you are becoming and what you are doing!  Your personal diary, journal or devotional notebook can be of great help to you as you look back and observe themes or topics the Lord has been addressing in you.  Here are some questions to get you started in this reflection time.

Are you satisfied with your own personal spiritual walk and growth?  More importantly, is Jesus pleased with your pursuit of Him?  How’s your current pace of life?  Is it sustainable long-term?  Do you have a margin in your schedule?  Are you living and leading from an overflow?  How’s your family doing?  Are you paying the price to experience the marriage you committed to on your wedding day?  Are you investing deeply in your children and grandchildren, knowing that the years for significant influence are rapidly passing you by?

What fears are you trying to ignore related to your leadership?  Are you leading with faith and courage?  Are you more concerned about your reputation or God’s glory?  Is the vision of where you are leading to focused or foggy?  Do you have a team that is unified and empowered around a shared vision?  Are you making progress in the God-given mission that you intended to accomplish?

These and many more questions are helpful for taking stock of where you are today and where you intend to be/go tomorrow.  Use this season for reflection and refocus as you start a new year full of new hope and new beginnings.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.    Hebrews 12:1-2  NIV

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!

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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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01 Dec 2025

Greatness and the Servant Leader

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 ESV

The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:11-12 ESV

Note the context of both of these teachings about greatness in the Kingdom.

In Matthew 20 the two Zebedee brothers, James and John, made a preemptive power move involving their mother’s request to sit on Jesus’ right and left when He takes the throne of His Kingdom. Assuming this would be soon, these two positions would be numbers 2 and 3 in authority and power in the new Kingdom. This self-promotion at the expense of the other 10 apostles did not sit well. They became indignant with this ‘all for me, none for thee’ attitude of the two brothers. Not a good way to build trust with your comrades.

Jesus did not rebuke the brothers for their request. Rather, He simply said that those seats were designated for others.

The second context was in a rebuke of the Jewish religious leaders who loved the trappings of their leadership but were not applying what they taught personally. Position, title, and influence were what they desired rather than serving others.

Both lessons contain the same teaching – greatness in the Kingdom of God is found through becoming a servant. Note that Jesus does not say, “Greatness is found in serving.” Rather, greatness is found in becoming a servant. The issue is one of primary identity. Servant leaders have found their identity is being (becoming) a servant who expresses that identity as a leader who serves others. It is identity first, then the actions/behavior of serving flows from that primary identity.

So, don’t pursue greatness. Pursue becoming a servant and that humility will lead to greatness with leadership influence in the Kingdom.

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