Nine Habits of a Pastor Who Raises Up Pastors

Talk of the importance of raising up leaders is not an altogether foreign concept among pastors. And yet, it’s all too easy for this task to seem too big, especially when there are so many other things in ministry to focus on. So, in the spirit of the faithful pastor who trained me, here are nine ways to raise up leaders to carry on the work of the ministry after you, pastor, are gone.

1. Make the Next Guy Part of Your Job Description

Maintaining sound doctrine is critical to having a faithful gospel ministry. But Paul looks beyond his ministry and tells Timothy, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). Paul wasn’t only concerned that Timothy continued to believe the right stuff but also that he teach it to others who could in turn spread the truth even further.

It’s tempting to pit fruitfulness against faithfulness and favor the latter when it comes to training men. But being faithful should mean striving after fruit. When you retire, you don’t want your church’s next chapter to sound like a tragic Old Testament narrative: “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. . . . [The sons of Samuel] did not walk in his ways” (1 Sam. 2:12; 8:3).

When you ask yourself, “Am I being faithful in ministry?” don’t just look at your life; look at the next guy who will assume your job description. What are you doing to help get him ready?

2. Be What You Want to Reproduce

Paul is the pastor he wants Timothy to be. If that weren’t the case, Paul wouldn’t have commended Timothy for following his “teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance” (2 Tim. 3:10). If you want to raise up faithful men, be someone the next guy can follow. Like middle schoolers pulling up from behind the arc after watching Steph Curry highlights or John Piper wanting to preach after hearing John Ockenga, the next guy in your church needs an inspiring example.

I want my love for Jesus and his Word to compel others to follow me. Be that for the guys who are watching you, brother pastor.

3. Push Ministry Back to the Church

And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, to build up the body of Christ. (Eph. 4:11–12)

The work of the ministry is for the saints in your church. In our zeal for good works, we can unintentionally do everything ourselves, leaving very little ministry for everyone else. Not only does this stunt the growth of all your members, but it also makes for a poor environment for future elders to grow up in.

This same scenario played itself out in my house growing up, and that’s the reason I’m not handy. Growing up, we always hired a professional to fix things around the house; no one ever put any tools in my hands. Raising up leaders requires that we put the Word in members’ hands and equip them to use it.

When someone comes to you with a concern about another member, don’t be the professional who handles everything. Give advice, but help the congregation do the work of ministry. Future leaders will rise to the occasion.

4. Look for Faithful Men

When I look out at the congregation, I try to imagine where God’s hand might be lifting up men as elders. A way to see that is by listening. Listen for who other members are relying on for spiritual help. Listen to how brothers talk about their fellow members. Are they concerned for others? Passionate about the truth? David Helm once told me, “Leaders are naturally curious.” Don’t be annoyed by the countless questions one young man might have about the Bible. Pay attention. You might have a future leader on your hands.

But don’t just listen. Look for specific fruit. Who’s around and gathering others? I recently heard the same member’s name in several baptismal testimonies. That put his name on my radar. We dedicate time in our elders meetings to talk about potential elders. We want to spend time with those guys.

5. Lower the Bar on Who You Train

The best time to train a dog is when they’re a puppy—while they’re still chewing stuff up and having accidents. While we can’t look past the qualifications of an elder (1 Tim. 3:1–7; Tit. 1:5–9), I’m afraid we sometimes raise the bar so high that we overlook guys.

I realized this on a visit to 20Schemes in Scotland. Mez McConnell argued there are as many leaders in the poorest, drug-laden schemes of Scotland as in the suburbs, but it takes more effort to find them. I went back home looking for guys who I had previously overlooked. I found men who weren’t yet elder material, but they were faithful in the small things: attendance, humility, curiosity, availability. That’s good enough for some intentional discipleship. Discipling and patience are important ingredients for raising up an elder.

6. Invite These Faithful Men to Be with You

If we’re trying to raise up faithful preachers, we have to follow what Robert Coleman calls Jesus’s master plan of evangelism. Jesus appointed twelve to “be with him” (Mark 3:14). It works the same way with your disciples. They need to be near you and see you if they’re to become like you.

Nearness won’t look the same for every pastor, but introverts and extroverts should build the “with me” principle into their schedule however possible. For example, I have one brother who meets with me for lunch on Wednesdays to talk about my sermon text. On Saturday nights, I read through my sermon and receive feedback from a group of guys. Another group provides feedback on the finished product on Sunday night. Wherever I am, I want the next guy to be with me. He needs a vision for pastoring. He also needs help getting there.

7. Lead Them Toward Pastoring

Paul reminds Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). If Timothy needed encouragement to become all that God intended, how much more does the man who hasn’t been appointed an elder yet, let alone the one who wasn’t personally discipled by the apostle Paul? The aspiration to pastor grows over time. It grows best with the help of others.

There are several ways we can shepherd a future elder. Ask questions that help him examine his life in the church: “If you’re not an elder in five years, why would that be?” Encourage his ministry as much as possible because people naturally want to do things they’re good at. Bless him with your pastoral care, and he may want to do the same for others. In fact, push ministry toward him when you have reason to think he will succeed.

8. Give Formal Training

No one ever taught me how to play the drums. But if you give me two sticks and a drum set, I could “bang away.” The trouble is that no one would want to listen.

I don’t think we should toss a young man into a pulpit with nothing more than a Bible and a “good luck.” Formal training is important for competence and confidence. I want to put the next guy in the best position to succeed. These days, that looks like a group of us attending Simeon Trust workshops, hosting my own preaching class, and potentially even offering an internship.

But it can be simpler still. For years, my plan for first-time preachers involved a weekly meeting over four weeks where we talked about how to prepare a sermon. By the time they preached on a Sunday night, they knew their sermon was faithful and useful.

9. Be Generous with Opportunities

I don’t coach my son’s basketball team in the classroom but on the hardwood. Players need to play. If we’re going to raise up more preachers, they need game-time experience.

Opportunities come in different forms. The public reading of Scripture and public prayer are places to provide meaningful feedback to someone just getting started. Our church has a Sunday evening service which we use strategically for first-time preachers. I also try to share the Sunday morning pulpit with guys needing more experience. Homeless shelters, assisted living centers, and other churches provide more opportunities. Offer as many as you can because preachers need to preach.

Conclusion

The goal of ministry isn’t simply to preach the Word faithfully without a scandal. When we give an account to the Lord for our ministry, we should want one of its fruits to be more faithful pastors who the Lord used us to help raise up.