Why Your Church Can’t Find Leaders (And What to Do About It)

Jono Long • April 9, 2025

It’s the same story in churches across the country. You ask pastors, “What’s your biggest struggle?” And more often than not, the answer is the same: leadership development. From small churches to megachurches, pastors are feeling the pressure — “I just don’t have enough leaders.”

The strange part? We live in the most content-rich leadership culture in history. Search “church leadership” on Amazon or YouTube, and you’ll be buried in books, sermons, and training videos. So what’s the disconnect?

According to leadership expert and Multiply Group founder Mac Lake, we don’t have a content problem—we have a process problem. In a recent conversation on the Pro Church Marketing Podcast, Mac dropped some serious wisdom that every pastor and ministry leader needs to hear. If your church is stuck, frustrated, or flat-out burned out from trying to raise up leaders, read on.

We Don’t Have a Content Problem—We Have a Process Problem

Mac has been in the trenches—planting churches, coaching pastors, and working alongside ministries of all sizes. One of the most shocking stats he shared? A survey conducted in both 2008 and 2018 showed the exact same thing: leadership development was still the #1 issue churches faced.

In other words, 10 years passed and nothing changed.

Why? Because churches have misunderstood what leadership development actually is.

“In America, we think, ‘If I said it, you got it.’ We think dumping information equals transformation.”
— Mac Lake

But real leadership development isn’t about downloading content into people’s heads. It’s about walking with them through a process that transforms their character, skillset, and capacity.

Common Mistakes Churches Make in Leadership Development

Here’s the hard truth: most churches are doing leadership placement, not leadership development.

Instead of building from the ground up, we’re hoping to recruit already-polished volunteers from other churches. Instead of developing a healthy leadership culture, we throw new volunteers into ministry after two weeks of shadowing and hope for the best.

Mac calls this “putting someone in the batting cage, throwing two pitches, and then sending them into a ballgame.” The result? Frustrated leaders. Bottlenecks. Burnout.

Another mistake: confusing readiness with willingness.

“We're looking for readiness, not willingness. And there’s a shortage in our pipelines because we never built a culture of leadership development yesterday.”
— Mac Lake

If we wait for perfect, fully-formed leaders to appear, we’ll be waiting forever. Instead, we need to spot potential, not polish.

What Jesus Modeled—and Why We’re Missing It

Let’s take a cue from the ultimate leadership developer: Jesus.

Mac broke down Jesus’ leadership process chronologically. For nearly 21 months, Jesus hung out with future disciples before appointing the 12. Once He did, He didn’t just dump knowledge on them. He apprenticed them intentionally—giving them both content and real-life ministry experience.

“He spent a disproportionate amount of time with a few to impact the many.”
— Mac Lake

And here’s the key: the 12 weren’t perfect. They still argued about who was the greatest. But Jesus saw potential. He saw what they could become—not just where they were.

In contrast, many modern churches are intimidated by church culture. We bend our methods to keep people happy, rather than following biblical principles. But Mac puts it plainly:

“Do you want to build your church around cultural norms or biblical principles?”

Building a Scalable Leadership Pipeline

So what’s the alternative? How do we actually build leaders?

It starts with a pipeline—a clearly defined structure that identifies where someone is, and what they need to grow to the next level. Mac outlines five key stages in the leadership pipeline:

Lead Self – personal responsibility, spiritual maturity.
Lead Others – small groups, teams, entry-level leadership.
Lead Leaders – coaching, oversight of team leaders.
Lead a Ministry/Department – directors, strategic leaders.
Lead the Church – pastors, executive staff.

At each level, there should be clear competencies, character traits, and onboarding systems. This framework not only helps identify current leaders, but allows churches to measure the “depth chart” in every ministry area—just like a football team knows its backups.

Where to Start—Even If You’re Busy and Bi-Vocational

Here’s the encouraging part: this doesn’t require massive teams, software, or budgets.

“All it takes is picking two people and walking them through a process.”
— Mac Lake

Mac recommends starting with two current leaders who you trust. Walk them through his book Leading Others, a leadership development tool built for churches. Meet every other week. Talk through the competencies. Let them try. Then, challenge them to do the same with two new people the next semester.

This developer-to-developer model mirrors Jesus’ ministry and multiplies impact faster than hiring more staff.

Real-Life Example: From Small Group to Movement

Mac shared a story about his wife—a stay-at-home grandma—who started a women’s small group. After one semester, she picked three women to meet with every other week using Leading Others. By the next semester, those women launched their own groups. And she started the process again.

Now those three women are training their own future leaders. Just like that, 12 new small group leaders are born—not by accident, but through intentional development.

And that’s the secret sauce: simple, reproducible systems that start with relationship.

Final Thoughts: Stop Looking—Start Building

If your church is struggling to find leaders, don’t be discouraged. The problem isn’t your people. It’s not even your budget. The problem is that we haven’t been discipling people to lead like Jesus.

It’s time to make a shift.

✅ Stop looking for pre-packaged leaders.
✅ Start developing the willing.
✅ Move from “doers” to “developers.”
✅ And build a leadership culture that lasts.

Whether you’re a full-time pastor or bi-vocational leader, the path forward is clear: start small, start now, and stay consistent.

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Latest Posts

How to Resolve Landing Page Issues Affecting Church Google Ad Performance

September 5, 2025

Fix landing page problems to boost Google Ad Grant results. Discover strategies for faster load times and better mobile designs to engage more visitors.

Fixing Keyword Match Type Errors in Church Google Ad Grant Accounts

By Jono Long • August 31, 2025

Learn to correct keyword match type errors in your church's Google Ad Grant campaigns for better outreach and more effective ad targeting. Keep reading!

How to Spend Your Full $10,000 Google Ad Grant

By Jono Long • August 24, 2025

Discover how to make the most of the Google Ad Grant for churches with expert guidance from Faithworks Marketing. Let's amplify your church's reach today.

AI, Side Hustles, Creative Ministry, and $10K Google Grants: What Every Pastor Needs to Know

By Jono Long • August 21, 2025

For many pastors today, ministry is both a calling and a financial challenge. As the cost of living rises and church salaries remain modest, more pastors are turning to side hustles and creative income streams to provide for their families. This trend is shaping what many believe will define the next generation of church leaders: bivocational ministry. In a recent episode of The Pro Church Marketing Podcast, host Luke Clayton sat down with Jono Long , founder of Faithworks Marketing, to discuss their parallel journeys from ministry to entrepreneurship. Together, they shared practical strategies for church marketing, candid lessons from business, and encouragement for pastors who feel caught between calling and provision. Ministry Meets Entrepreneurship Both Luke and Jono began in full-time ministry, but financial realities forced them to adapt. Jono, a youth pastor in Georgia, found himself with five kids, a wife at home, and a salary that wasn’t enough to make ends meet. Out of necessity, he turned to social media management for local businesses. What started as a $300-a-month side hustle eventually grew into Faithworks Marketing , an agency serving churches across the country. Luke’s path was similar but marked by burnout. As a communications director at a large church and school, he was responsible for everything creative—websites, graphics, video, and media. With no budget to outsource and a workload that never stopped, he eventually hit a breaking point. Stepping away cold turkey, he launched his own creative business, Increase Creative , which now helps churches with websites, branding, and podcast production. Their stories reflect a growing trend: ministry leaders are often entrepreneurs at heart, using their creativity and problem-solving skills to build businesses that support both their families and the church. Why Bivocational Ministry is the New Normal While many pastors once saw bivocational work as a backup plan, it is quickly becoming the new reality. Church salaries often fall short of providing financial stability, especially for families. Meanwhile, the American cost of living continues to rise. This creates tension for pastors who want to devote themselves fully to ministry but also need to provide for their loved ones. Luke and Jono both noted the guilt factor many pastors feel when pursuing side income, as if it means they are less committed to the church. In reality, bivocational work can be freeing. As Jono shared, when pastors are less dependent on their church paycheck, they can lead with boldness, making decisions based on conviction rather than fear of losing their job. Unlocking the Power of Google Ad Grants One of the most practical tools for churches that Jono highlighted is the Google Ad Grant , which gives qualifying nonprofits up to $10,000 per month in free advertising . Many churches don’t take advantage of it, or they try but see little success. The most common reason: their websites lack content. “Church websites often have only a few words, a mission statement, and service times,” Jono explained. “That will never work for the grant.” Practical tips for churches to maximize the grant include: Create content-rich pages : Google rewards sites with valuable answers to common questions. Leverage sermons : Transcribe and summarize sermons into blog posts to boost SEO. Target felt needs : Ads about prayer, anxiety, or salvation resonate deeply with people searching online. By building a content-driven website and strategically using the grant, churches can expand their reach far beyond Sunday morning. SEO, AI, and the Future of Church Marketing The digital landscape is changing fast. With Google’s AI Overviews now answering many search queries directly, fewer people are clicking through to websites. For churches, this makes content strategy more important than ever . “Good content still wins,” Jono said. “Whether AI-generated or human-written, Google rewards sites that provide thoughtful, helpful answers.” For churches, this means focusing on practical, biblical content that speaks to real needs in their community. Lessons from the Trenches of Business Both Luke and Jono were quick to admit their mistakes. For Luke, the biggest was hiring too fast, taking on employees before his business could sustain them. For Jono, it was diving into websites and SEO without fully understanding them, learning through trial and error. Their honesty underscores an important truth: entrepreneurship is messy. But both emphasized that failure is part of the journey, and perseverance often matters more than a perfect business plan. Creative Side Hustles for Pastors Pastors and ministry leaders often have more marketable skills than they realize. Jono shared how he started a DJ and photo booth company, hiring youth pastors and worship leaders to serve at weddings and proms. Their stage presence, comfort with sound systems, and ability to engage people made them natural fits. Luke, meanwhile, has leaned into podcast production, helping churches launch and manage their shows. Both are examples of how ministry skills—communication, leadership, problem-solving—translate into entrepreneurial ventures. From web design to coaching, from content creation to event services, pastors have opportunities to create side income streams that complement their ministry instead of distracting from it. The conversation between Luke and Jono highlights a new reality: bivocational ministry is here to stay. Pastors no longer have to choose between serving the church and providing for their families. By embracing entrepreneurship, leveraging tools like Google Ad Grants, and using their transferable skills, pastors can thrive both spiritually and financially. The message is clear: you can do ministry, build a business, and serve God faithfully—all at the same time. 🔗 Learn more about Faithworks Marketing: https://faithworksmarketing.com 🔗 Connect with Luke Clayton and explore coaching for bivocational pastors: https://jlukeclayton.com/