Leading like Jesus (7 Steps to Raising, Releasing & Pastoring Female Leaders)
Many women in leadership have heard something like this, “I don’t know what to do with you.” Or, “I don’t know how to help you.” My own experiences would confirm this is true, but I believe God is stirring His people to adjust this narrative. Men and women are leaning in to answer the question, “How do we lead women in leadership?”
Continuing our LEADERSHIP series, let’s briefly answer these questions:
How do we raise and release leaders? How did Jesus do this?
How do we pastor (or continue to lead) leaders we have released? How did Jesus do this?
What should we expect from leaders we raise and release? What did Jesus expect from his disciples?
Together let’s discover 7 steps leading like Jesus did.
John 10:3-4 says:
“To him, the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hears his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” (NKJV)
First question:
How do we raise and release leaders as Jesus did?
“To him, the DOORKEEPER opens…” Jesus is the way (John 10:10). He opens the door to us and He opens the door for those we are leading. A relationship with Jesus is the first key (no pun intended) to raising and releasing leaders, but it also requires that we are in relationships with those we intend to lead.
“And the sheep HEAR HIS voice…” Raising leaders requires an invitation. As leaders, it’s our job to invite and welcome those who believe they are called to leadership, into leadership. Do people (the female leaders) around you hear your voice calling them to step into greater levels of authority?
“And He CALLS his own sheep BY NAME…” How we develop leaders should first be determined by what the aspiring/developing leader believes is the path they are on. So we ask questions like: What do you want to do with your life? What are your dreams? What are your passions and pain points? What is your testimony? What do you think God wants to do through you? Knowing who we are releasing by their name and by their dreams/callings can give us great insight into how to encourage, train, and equip them. Limiting women to the “pastor’s wife” experience/role as the only way to release them will limit our efforts to raise, release, and ultimately care for the saints God has called us to equip.
Let’s move into answering the second question:
How do we pastor (or continue to lead) leaders we have released?
“And LEADS them out.” Releasing leaders requires leadership. It sounds obvious, but these next few points are difficult if we don’t know the new leader by their name, dreams, and calling. We tend to shape the next leader to be just like us and to continue living out our calling, instead of shaping them to be who God has called them to be and giving them permission to go beyond and do more than what we have done in the Kingdom of God. (It’s the idea of generational momentum, I’ll touch on that again in a minute.)
“And when he BRINGS OUT his own sheep…” It is imperative that those who are released are able to lead themselves. Releasing leaders requires that the leaders know themselves. As we invest in women who want to lead, our job is to bring out the best in them, to help them grow in self-awareness, to be the woman God has called her to be, not to be the kind of leader we are/I am.
“He GOES BEFORE them…” We can get intimidated or feel extra pressure to be cautious when releasing someone to be themselves, especially when we don’t fully understand where God is taking them. We so firmly believe, “You can’t lead people where you’ve never been” that we don’t release the next generation of leaders to go beyond where we are. Reflect: How often do we coach someone to be a better version of themselves? (Even if they have the same role/function that we do, like emcee-ing, preaching/teaching, leading meetings or events, etc.) I’m not saying ignore best practices that have proven to be effective over time, what I’m saying is don’t overlook her personality and natural abilities.
“And the sheep FOLLOW him…” How do we lead leaders who are leading in spaces and completing projects that we haven’t done before? What we lead the released leader towards is a life surrendered to Christ, shaping character, accountability, and integrity. Maybe we haven’t had a side hustle, started a podcast, or written a book, but living by faith is a place we have likely been and are still. Helping the female leader understand that we are pushing her to be like Christ, who is the pioneer and perfecter of this life lived by faith, is how we continue to lead her once she has been released. (Hebrews 12:2)
“For they KNOW his voice.” In the end, raising, releasing, and pastoring leaders like Jesus requires a relationship with the leaders we intend to raise and release. If we don’t have a relationship with them, are we raising or releasing them? We certainly can’t pastor very well someone we aren’t in a relationship with.
Let’s answer the third question:
What should we expect from leaders we raise, release, and pastor?
Finally, to raise and release leaders the way Jesus did includes the idea of generational momentum. To keep it simple, what that means is expecting the next generation of leaders to go further than we have. Jesus said this to his disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do because I go to My Father.” John 14:12-14 (NKJV)
First, Jesus expected his disciples to do greater works than he did. To raise and release leaders the way Jesus did, we must have the same expectations, that they do greater works than we do. That they take the Gospel into new territories, that they have the courageous conversations that our generation overlooked, that they would reshape cultures and structures to gather the harvest that is ripe in their day. Second, Jesus expected his disciples to stay in touch. Jesus’ disciples believed in Him and Jesus believed in his disciples. The pre-requisite to raising, releasing, and pastoring is a relationship, the kind of relationship that includes breakfast on the beach with the team, prayer meetings with the team, caring for people, retreating (being refreshed as a team), talking and eating, lots and lots of eating. <<< All these things Jesus did with the disciples before and after his death, burial and resurrection.
Some practical ways to walk this out include:
Ask basic get-to-know-you kinds of questions (like those listed above)
Push women to live a life that honors Christ by pursuing what ideas are stirring in their hearts, even if you can’t help them accomplish the calling, or tasks that go with the calling
Be diligent to remove obstacles out of their way (Do they need training? Funds for mentoring, counseling, etc. Can you connect them with someone else?)
Give them opportunities to lead and give feedback by asking questions like, “How did you make this decision? Why did you approach the conversation that way? What thoughts were you thinking? What was important to you?” Consider their personality, priorities, experience, education, and gift mix here as you coach them to become the best version of themselves in that role.
Recommend them for opportunities you think they would steward well
Include them in lunch and hallway conversations
What is really exciting to me personally, is that because there are limitations on women, because there are glass ceilings, and because God is stirring the hearts of men and women who lead, I am confident, we will see meaningful breakthroughs happen in our lifetime.
What do you think? Anything you’d like to add or subtract here? Let me know in the comments below.
Cheers! -SA