Brian Houston
Can you see the elephant
Empowering people as a leader

The capacity to empower people is one of the greatest gifts a pastor and leader can have
1. Sometimes as leaders we have to adjust our step/our path to get people work with us
• Empowering is the language of the gospel
• Our churches should be empowering environments
• In order to lead and impact for the Gospel, in every sphere of life
• When we live in an environment of empowerment, creativity thrives
• One of the greatest joys in ministry is seeing someone in ministry that you’ve had an impact on and they are empowered and moving in ministry
• To empower, you have to have a “Big Kingdom” Spirit
• Many leaders cannot see the potential in people b/c they are too big in the frame
• When as a leader it becomes about me, it limits people being empowered for ministry
• In honor, prefer one another….in the message paraphrase: practice taking second place

2. If you want to be an empowering leader, you have to have a culture of permission
• encourage leaders and staff to say yes
• you build a culture where people can thrive
• Psalm 92:13 – those who are planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in the courts of our God
• It is the will of God for people in our churches to flourish
• Can people in our churches have the opportunity to flourish and grow

3. Balance between grace and challenge/stretch
• In a culture of empowerment there has to be that balance
• Paul and Peter in the NT, if you look at their letters, they all began with grace (grace to you) but at some point they all move to challenge, stretching the audience

• People who have a heart for the house of God are the best to bring on staff
• People like that are often volunteers that will come from and grow up in your own church
• An empowering environment will often be exemplified by a heart that honors the old, promote the new, continuing to learn (some are so busy telling that they total miss the opportunity to learn from others)
• Cause, Mission, Vision – people that are empowered understand these in your church and what they are