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Empowering Leadership: How a Leadership Development Culture Builds Better Leaders Faster
A major problem in the local church today is lack of leadership. Simply put, we have more needs than we have leaders to meet those needs. So, how do we train better leaders faster?
The truth is, very few churches really have a well-thought-out leadership development plan. Growth requires continually adding healthy new leaders, who carry the church culture forward and embody its core values. Everyone knows it, but how do we achieve it?
In Empowering Leadership author and leadership consultant Michael Fletcher says leaders like this can't simply be bought, nor can they be hired from someone else's leadership assembly line. Developing leaders at every level, to create an environment that attracts potential leaders, and to build better leaders faster, an organization needs more than a pipeline. It needs a culture that develops leaders organically.
Finding the right kind of leaders to guide your church on a path of continual growth comes out of keeping the right focus, and that focus is not just on the leaders. In fact, as Fletcher says,
It isn't about the leader. It never was about the leader. It will never be about the leader. It will always and only be about Jesus and his people.
It's about the people. True leadership development includes the often messy, but necessary, interaction of life upon life. So hiring pastors and key staff roles from within the church is the very best policy—people who "breathe" the culture of the church and who have helped create the culture you want to maintain.
If your church or organization needs a good leadership development structure, then you're holding the right book. Empowering Leadership details Michael's greatest insights on how to build better leaders faster by creating a leadership development culture in your church or organization—naturally, organically, continually.
Empower your church or organization through great leadership. This book will show you how!
The truth is, very few churches really have a well-thought-out leadership development plan. Growth requires continually adding healthy new leaders, who carry the church culture forward and embody its core values. Everyone knows it, but how do we achieve it?
In Empowering Leadership author and leadership consultant Michael Fletcher says leaders like this can't simply be bought, nor can they be hired from someone else's leadership assembly line. Developing leaders at every level, to create an environment that attracts potential leaders, and to build better leaders faster, an organization needs more than a pipeline. It needs a culture that develops leaders organically.
Finding the right kind of leaders to guide your church on a path of continual growth comes out of keeping the right focus, and that focus is not just on the leaders. In fact, as Fletcher says,
It isn't about the leader. It never was about the leader. It will never be about the leader. It will always and only be about Jesus and his people.
It's about the people. True leadership development includes the often messy, but necessary, interaction of life upon life. So hiring pastors and key staff roles from within the church is the very best policy—people who "breathe" the culture of the church and who have helped create the culture you want to maintain.
If your church or organization needs a good leadership development structure, then you're holding the right book. Empowering Leadership details Michael's greatest insights on how to build better leaders faster by creating a leadership development culture in your church or organization—naturally, organically, continually.
Empower your church or organization through great leadership. This book will show you how!
257 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 23, 2018
57 people are currently reading
173 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 26, 2020
I think it’s a Must read book for every church leader. A lot of good insights and clear steps. My top book this year.
November 6, 2025
I really appreciate his focus on building people. Transformational Leadership Theory is clearly behind the curtain of his philosophy of leadership. I did feel like a lot of the structure he was advocating for was overly mechanical. For a book focused on “empowerment,” I think more focus on the Holy Spirit’s role in developing leaders, and the importance of spiritual discernment in building people, would have been helpful. A lot of the recruiting aspects of the book seemed no different than a common business model. But I do appreciate his overall goal of focusing on a culture of leadership development.
May 29, 2024
Great concepts that I totally believe the local church should embrace. I am blessed to be working at a place where this is largely the culture already.
February 19, 2018
Empowering Leadership is a book on building leadership pipelines within your church. A great read for any church leader who struggles with a continual shortage of “volunteers” and leaders. Tells the story of building a leadership development culture at Manna Church.
February 26, 2020
Really not a fan. Pretty basic, common principles.
He does get a "thumbs' up" for giving credit to Chick Fil-A for their SERVE material that he uses.
I have some specific disagreements .. I don't think pastors are really "coaches" who "aren't players -- they don't take the field" .. I don't see that as a biblical understanding of being called to pastoring. (this could just be old-fashioned, or cultural)
He seems fixated on people who dress well and are people of position and power as "obvious natural leaders", yet Paul often makes the point that God did NOT call many of those who are great or wise in the world's eyes ...
A big "ick" is the Amway-styled recruitment conversations he has, "I have 4 spots and am talking to 7people. The first to respond are in" .. that's a good tool for competition in a business, I suppose.
And- yes this is a "leadership" book, but to be so disparaging of the actual "doers" these people will be expected to lead (and yes --LEAD, not "do") is disheartening.
On the plus side, the "shoulder-tapping" or being deliberate in always looking for people to invite along, is helpful.
Of course, according to the reviews, many people loved or appreciated this book, so ymmv.
He does get a "thumbs' up" for giving credit to Chick Fil-A for their SERVE material that he uses.
I have some specific disagreements .. I don't think pastors are really "coaches" who "aren't players -- they don't take the field" .. I don't see that as a biblical understanding of being called to pastoring. (this could just be old-fashioned, or cultural)
He seems fixated on people who dress well and are people of position and power as "obvious natural leaders", yet Paul often makes the point that God did NOT call many of those who are great or wise in the world's eyes ...
A big "ick" is the Amway-styled recruitment conversations he has, "I have 4 spots and am talking to 7people. The first to respond are in" .. that's a good tool for competition in a business, I suppose.
And- yes this is a "leadership" book, but to be so disparaging of the actual "doers" these people will be expected to lead (and yes --LEAD, not "do") is disheartening.
On the plus side, the "shoulder-tapping" or being deliberate in always looking for people to invite along, is helpful.
Of course, according to the reviews, many people loved or appreciated this book, so ymmv.
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January 29, 2020Really practical book for church leaders on developing a culture that doesn’t constantly fill gaps with volunteers but equips leaders.
Still, at the end, I’m not sure I understand how he is actually equipping them. It seemed mainly, even after all the pushback against volunteer recruitment, to be mainly about volunteer recruitment.
He does include all the material of what they actually cover in their “Growth Track”. I really appreciate being able to look at the concrete documents, what is actually said.
I will definitely return to some of the ideas and practices in this book to better lead our church.
Still, at the end, I’m not sure I understand how he is actually equipping them. It seemed mainly, even after all the pushback against volunteer recruitment, to be mainly about volunteer recruitment.
He does include all the material of what they actually cover in their “Growth Track”. I really appreciate being able to look at the concrete documents, what is actually said.
I will definitely return to some of the ideas and practices in this book to better lead our church.
April 29, 2023
Surprisingly well written. I bought this in the business section of a bookstore and wasn’t expecting this to be about churches. Despite that, the author makes some excellent points that can be transferred into business such as emphasizing specific, personal connections over mass recruitment drives. I was pleasantly surprised 🙂
October 26, 2018
A bit redundant, but I appreciated the perspective of his unique church and I hope to see this cultural-shift in leadership reflected in my own. It's definitely worth the read and filled with "take aways;" I found myself annotating and underlining quite a bit throughout.
December 31, 2018
Helpful and current book on Leadership Development. I particularly liked the Leadership definition taken from Chick-Fil-A with the acronym SERVE.
See the Future
Engage and Develop others
Reinvent Continually
Value Relationships and results
Embody the values
See the Future
Engage and Develop others
Reinvent Continually
Value Relationships and results
Embody the values
November 18, 2018
Basic reflection on leadership concepts
July 17, 2020
Phenomenal book, going to have massive impact on my church leadership. Love the focus on drawing out the best in people.
April 3, 2021
Very practical book on how to understand your church's culture and how to make steps to change it to make it celebrate and focus on leadership development.
September 27, 2022
Nice books
September 23, 2023
(4/5) very good book for anyone in church leadership / ministry leadership!
May 27, 2024
It’s an okay read. Basic info that somewhat makes you think about what you may already know. The biggest takeaway I got was shoulder tapping instead of encouraging in general.
March 5, 2025
A MUDY for anyone leading others in ministry!!!
June 11, 2025
Wonderful book on developing leaders and being a leader.
February 22, 2022
There are many things which I found useful to know about leadership and volunteer-search, such as shoulder tapping, people-building mindset, leadership definition based on SERVE acronym, what a culture is made of in any organisation, how important it is and what to pay attention to… I also liked the theological insights into all of the principles, however some of the ideas seemed too repetitive to make a point and kind of self-contradicting. As, ,,If you hold a leadership position and no one is following you, you aren’t a leader” (which is repeated soo many times), but then the author also write this ,,Everyone is called to influence the lives of others, and that is leadership. Everyone is called to serve, and that is leadership. Everyone has a calling from God, and when they begin to use their gifts and talents (Ephesians 4), that is leadership” and then the book explains how everyone can be a leader and should identify oneself as one.
Anyway, it’s a good book to read if you’re in a leadership position or if you want to build leaders around you. Some of the principles I believe work in any kind of area where you want to build people up, not only in church.
Anyway, it’s a good book to read if you’re in a leadership position or if you want to build leaders around you. Some of the principles I believe work in any kind of area where you want to build people up, not only in church.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2025
Does a good job of providing practical applications. For example: changing your volunteer teams into SERVE teams. This helps people have a greater sense of belonging and will hopefully allow organizations to see people as valuable assets rather than resources to be used or exploited.
January 19, 2023
9.5/10
very very inspiring. shows a completely different approach to volunteering and doing ministry in the church. it’s not about the number of people who sign up to open doors on a sunday morning, it’s about how many people are mentored into becoming a leader. in whatever capacity - by being a homeschooling mother, a ceo or a busy student, etc.
ministry is not a one size fits all. serving is about quality not quantity.
very very inspiring. shows a completely different approach to volunteering and doing ministry in the church. it’s not about the number of people who sign up to open doors on a sunday morning, it’s about how many people are mentored into becoming a leader. in whatever capacity - by being a homeschooling mother, a ceo or a busy student, etc.
ministry is not a one size fits all. serving is about quality not quantity.
May 9, 2025
Pastor Michael Fletcher does a wonderful job, leveraging his deep experience as the founding pastor of Manna Church, teaching how important leadership development is to the health and effectiveness of a church. Readers are taught not only the importance of leadership, but are given many different leadership strategies all backed up by biblical foundations. The book concludes with the Manna Growth Track materials. Highly recommended!
July 28, 2025
I read the book before and I loved it. It was fantastic this time around too now that I’m at a different church and a completely new context. What I find challenging now is translating it to a small rural church context. But Fletcher gives such great practical advice for culture building and leadership development within a church. I definitely appreciate his perspective.
January 30, 2018
Fantastic insight for fresh leaders!
This book is fill of direction and insight on how to develop leaders and not recruit volunteers. If this is something you and your church are wanting to grow in this book is a must read!
This book is fill of direction and insight on how to develop leaders and not recruit volunteers. If this is something you and your church are wanting to grow in this book is a must read!
February 14, 2018
Empowering Leadership: How a Leadership Development Culture Builds Better Leaders Faster
If you have more needs than leaders in your church then this book is for you. Michael Fletcher shares step by step how they build leaders at Manna Church.
http://amzn.to/2EtqbfK
If you have more needs than leaders in your church then this book is for you. Michael Fletcher shares step by step how they build leaders at Manna Church.
http://amzn.to/2EtqbfK
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews