📖 Reading: Video Transcript: Multiplying Christian Leaders

Lecture 8: Multiplying Christian Leaders

Professor Steve Elzinga

All right, we’re back.

In this lecture, I want to talk about creating Christian leaders. After all, our organization is called Christian Leaders. Ministry, at its heart, is about creating leaders. We are not just making disciples in the sense of passive followers. Notice that Jesus spent three years with 12 disciples. But what did those disciples go and do? They became leaders who made other disciples.

A disciple is someone who follows Jesus — but more than that, a disciple tries to do what Jesus did. And what did Jesus do? He made disciples. So a true disciple is one who makes disciples. If someone is following Jesus but not making disciples, then what you have is not a disciple but a dependent.

This is true in family life as well. If you are a father discipling your children, but they never learn how to live their faith and help others, you have not made disciples. You have only created dependents on you. The real test of ministry is whether the people you serve are now serving others.

That is the key. It is the key to ministry. It is the key to how you yourself became a Christian — through the influence of one person or many. Without that chain, it would not have happened. So the question is: how do you keep the chain moving forward? How do you make sure the multiplication continues?

That’s what we’re going to talk about in this session.

Step One: Get All the Men Walking with God

First, you must get your men walking with God in their personal lives, marriages, and families. This is the foundation. If a man does not have a walk with God, how can he lead his spouse into one? How can he disciple his children? If he tries to do it without a personal walk, his leadership will ring hollow.

Paul says in 1 Timothy 3:5, “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” It has to start at home.

In our church, we had a common Scripture and prayer path. Everyone read one chapter of the Bible per day. Then on Sunday, I preached from something in those chapters. The point was not just to fill Sunday with a sermon, but to inspire men to walk with God all week long. That is what you want in a men’s group too — a path they can follow daily, something they can share with their families.

Imagine every man leading his spouse and children in Scripture and prayer. When you gather as a group, you can talk about how it went — struggles, successes, and lessons learned. That is powerful. It’s like halftime in a sporting event: you gather, reflect on what worked and what didn’t, encourage one another, and then go back out ready to play the second half.

Step Two: Make Participation Easy

Ephesians 4:16 says the body of Christ builds itself up “as each part does its work.” Each man has something to contribute. Some are organized, some creative, some good at leading prayer or Bible study. Discover their gifts and give them roles. Don’t make men feel like they must fit into one mold. Create a team where everyone has a part.

Step Three: Help Men Discover Gifts and Interests

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:7, “To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” That means every man in your group has a gift. You need to help them find it.

Ask other men what gifts they see in someone. Encourage men to try different things until they discover their strengths. Pay attention also to their interests. When someone is passionate about something, their enthusiasm inspires others.

I saw this with my oldest son. He became passionate about cars. His excitement drew me in, and before long, we were rebuilding a car together — something I never thought I would do. Enthusiasm multiplies. The same is true in men’s ministry.

Step Four: Give Hands-On Opportunities

Luke 10:1 tells us that Jesus sent out the 72 disciples two by two. He didn’t just teach them; He gave them a chance to practice.

Men learn by doing. When I was 18, I signed up for a summer mission in Utah. I was shy and had never shared my faith before. But they trained us and sent us out, door to door. I didn’t want to, but I had signed up — so I did it. I learned things about myself, about evangelism, and about the Spirit’s power.

Later, when I planted a church, I made my team go out with clipboards to ask neighbors why they didn’t go to church. They resisted at first, but once they tried, they were amazed. Many said, “I never thought I could do this — but the Holy Spirit helped me.”

That’s the point: men need hands-on opportunities that force them out of their comfort zones, where they rely on the Spirit.

Even small things work:

• Ask a man to lead the Bible study next week.
• Have him pray publicly.
• Give him a leadership task in outreach.

This is the only way you create leaders instead of dependents.

Step Five: Recognize and Celebrate Achievements

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said to Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” Think about that. Peter often failed. He sank in the water. He denied Christ. He blurted out foolish things. But Jesus saw his potential and spoke encouragement.

The same principle applies today. Men need encouragement. When they try something, even imperfectly, recognize it. Celebrate progress, not just perfection. When people encouraged me after my messy first sermon, it gave me the confidence to keep going.

Encouragement tells men: “Maybe I can do this.” That belief creates momentum.

Step Six: Mentorship and Discipleship

Jesus called His disciples by saying, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). Mentorship is about inviting others to follow your example.

This requires humility and boldness. You must recognize what God has done in your life and be willing to share it with others. This isn’t pride — it’s stewardship. God gave you gifts, experiences, and lessons so you could help others grow.

Step Seven: Education

2 Peter 3:17–18 warns believers not to be carried away by cultural lies but to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.”

Our culture bombards men with false views of life, identity, and morality. Without education, they are vulnerable to confusion and compromise. Men need to understand the biblical story — creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. They need grounding in theology and worldview.

This is why education matters. Take a class together. At Christian Leaders Institute, there are courses for every stage of learning. When men learn, they gain confidence to share their faith. Knowledge leads to evangelism because men cannot help but share what excites them.

Final Challenge

If you want to multiply Christian leaders, you must:

1. Get men walking with God in their personal and family lives.
2. Make participation easy.
3. Help them discover gifts and interests.
4. Give hands-on opportunities.
5. Celebrate achievements.
6. Mentor and disciple them.
7. Provide education to ground them in truth.

But most importantly — you have to try. Don’t wait until the plan is perfect. Start somewhere, even if it’s small. Push men out of dependence into leadership. That’s how Jesus did it, and that’s how the chain continues.

See you next time.