I wrote this article in a coffee shop. The aroma of dark roast tickled my fancy about leadership in churches. It reminded me of all the times over coffee I asked people to be a leader in the church.

But, developing leaders in the church takes more than a conversation over coffee. The development of new leaders in a church requires a great deal of patience and time.

This is because we seldom grow our own leaders in the church anymore. Our children and youth seldom stay around to take over the leadership. Our nomadic society leads to our children offering their leadership in other settings.

This puts pressure on us to develop new leaders out of other people‘s children and youth.

And this is not easy because leadership is contextual. A good leader in one setting fails miserably in another. The style of a congregation is unique and the ability to make things happen is related to the unique ways in which each congregation functions.

Therefore, leadership is learned in a given context. This means that we must develop an apprenticeship in leadership in our congregations. Mentors must be trained to call and nurture other leaders for the future.

Now, because each context is different, I can't guarantee anything that is said will work in your setting. But, I can offer some clues that I have picked up from my years in ministry.

Here are some ingredients needed to grow leadership:

• Time New people in the church need someone to spend time with them. One church I know requires that each committee chair get a co-chair whose sole purpose in that year is to learn how to lead the committee. They will then take over the committee the next year.
• Politics Leadership requires "followership" Followership is facilitated by the building of relationships. We are more likely to follow someone we know and trust than a stranger who is asking us to give something of our life to work in the church. The politics of learning how people function is important for a new leader.
• Delight It will be very difficult for a person to sustain interest in leading in a church if there is no delight in the followers. If the church seems to live in fear and dread of what is coming, leaders will not want to be around. Delighting in our life together and in the offerings of those who seek to lead is important in developing a culture of leadership.
• Diversity A church needs to nurture at least two kinds of leaders: the creative spirit and the stabilizing spirit. Some have vision and energy for new ideas. Others love to organize and manage the details of creation. Both are important for a vital congregation.
• Stories Leaders need to know the character of the congregation to improve the chance for good decisions. The character of a people is in the stories of the community-both good and bad. Don‘t be afraid to tell a person all the stories of the congregation.
• Praise We all desire affirmation for what we do. We desire to have what we do noticed. When we are nurturing leaders in the congregation, we will get more of them to step forward if we praise them for good work.
• Honesty For one to grow in leadership, honest feedback is required. Gentle but clear critique can be helpful for a new leader to discover more effective ways of leading.

Leadership is an art. It can be learned with patient nurture on the part of the community. We learn by walking with others who teach as they go.

Dan Mosley is the Herald B. Monroe Professor of Practical Parish Ministry at Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis. He teaches classes on preaching and leadership.