Jesus said, “Teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” That promise and invitation in Matthew 28:20 has been the thread running through this series.

Now we come to another part of discipleship that is easy to miss:

Making disciples means making leaders.

Not necessarily leaders with titles. Not necessarily leaders with offices, platforms, or formal authority. But people who are learning to carry responsibility, see the larger story, act with courage, and influence others toward what is good, true, and life-giving.

When Jesus called disciples, He did not gather people around Himself so they would remain permanently dependent on Him. He loved them, taught them, corrected them, restored them, breathed His Spirit upon them, and trusted them with His mission.

He formed people who could carry His life into the world.

“And what you have heard from me through many witnesses, entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.”
2 Timothy 2:2

That is multiplication. Paul does not imagine truth stopping with Timothy. He imagines it being entrusted to faithful people, who can then carry it to others.

That is also a beautiful picture of leadership.

Leadership is not merely getting work done through people. At its best, leadership is helping people become the kind of people who can carry what matters.

In the workplace, this changes how we see those around us.

An employee is not merely a person with a job description. A manager is not merely someone who keeps things moving. A young team member is not merely “junior.” A person with quiet gifts is not merely background support. Each person may be carrying the seed of responsibility, courage, wisdom, and influence that has not yet been fully called out.

Discipleship at work means we start asking different questions.

Not only: How do I get this done?

But: Who can grow through carrying this?

Not only: How do I make sure this is done my way?

But: Who needs to understand the larger story?

Not only: How do I keep control?

But: What can I wisely entrust?

A well-known story is often told about President John F. Kennedy visiting NASA. During the visit, he is said to have met a janitor and asked him what his job was. The janitor replied, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.”

Whether every detail of that story is perfectly preserved or not, the point carries truth. The janitor understood that his work belonged to something larger than the task immediately in front of him. He was not merely cleaning a hallway. He was participating in a mission.

Good leadership helps people see the larger story their work belongs to.

That is not hype. It is not manipulation. It is not putting inspirational language over a poor culture. It is the honest work of connecting daily tasks to meaningful purpose.

In a Christian business, the larger story is not merely growth, profit, reputation, or market share. Those things may matter, but they are not ultimate. The deeper question is: how does this work participate in the love of God and neighbour? How does it serve people? How does it bring order, beauty, justice, provision, creativity, care, or healing into the world? How does it contribute to the city’s flourishing?

When people can see that, their work begins to change.

The receptionist is not just answering phones. She may be creating the first experience of welcome and dignity.

The bookkeeper is not just entering numbers. He may be protecting trust, clarity, and stewardship.

The technician is not just fixing equipment. She may be making it possible for others to do their work well.

The manager is not just supervising staff. He may be creating an environment where people become more capable, confident, and whole.

The owner is not just running a business. She may be stewarding a small ecosystem of relationships, provision, formation, and possibility.

This is where making disciples and making leaders begin to overlap.

A disciple is someone learning to live the way of Jesus. A leader is someone whose life, choices, and influence help others move toward what is good, true, and life-giving. In that sense, every disciple is being formed into a certain kind of leader, even if they never hold a title.

Leadership is not first a position.

It is influence shaped by love.

This matters because many workplaces unintentionally train people to stay small. We give tasks but not trust. We give instructions but not context. We ask for ownership, but we don’t share the mission. We want initiative but punish mistakes. We say we want leaders, but we keep all meaningful responsibility close.

Then we wonder why people do not step forward.

Discipleship moves in the opposite direction. It does not create dependency. It awakens responsibility.

This does not mean throwing people into situations they are not ready for. Jesus did not do that. He taught, walked with, corrected, explained, modelled, and sent. But He did send. He gave His disciples real responsibility before they fully understood everything.

That gives me hope.

It means people do not have to be perfect before they can be trusted with growth.

They need formation, encouragement, correction, room to practise, and leaders who can see more in them than they currently see in themselves.

I have often seen leaders carry too much because they assume it is easier to do it themselves. And often, in the short term, it is easier. But if everything depends on one person, the organization may become efficient while the people remain underdeveloped.

That is not multiplication.

It may get the task done, but it does not make disciples.

The way of Jesus invites us to think differently. Who needs to be invited closer to the mission? Who needs to be trusted with a meaningful piece of the work? Who needs to be taught, not merely corrected? Who needs context, not merely instruction? Who needs to hear, “This matters, and I believe you can grow into carrying it”?

Of course, this is risky. People may disappoint us. They may make mistakes. They may not do it exactly the way we would. But if we never entrust anything meaningful to others, we shouldn’t be surprised when they don’t mature.

Jesus entrusted His mission to people who misunderstood Him, argued with each other, fell asleep in prayer, denied Him, and ran away when things became dangerous.

And still, He formed them.

Still, He sent them.

Still, He trusted the Spirit at work in them.

That may be one of the great recoveries we need in Christian leadership: not merely better leaders at the top, but more people throughout our organizations who understand the mission, carry responsibility, and live the way of Jesus in their own sphere of influence.

Making disciples means making leaders.

Not leaders who dominate. Not leaders who need a platform. Not leaders who use people for their own success. But leaders who carry responsibility with humility, love, courage, and clarity.

Leaders who know their work belongs to a larger story.

Leaders who understand that even the smallest faithful task can participate in the purposes of God.

Leaders who can say, in their own way:

I am helping put a man on the moon.

Or better:

I am helping reveal the love of God in the place where I work.

Reflection Questions

1. Am I leading in a way that helps people grow into maturity, or in a way that keeps them dependent on me?
2. Who around me needs to understand the larger story their work belongs to?
3. Where have I been giving people tasks without giving them trust, context, or room to grow?
4. Who is ready to carry more responsibility, even if they may not do it exactly my way?
5. What would change this week if I saw discipleship at work as helping people grow into responsibility, courage, and shared mission?

From the series Working the Jesus Way, Learning to Follow Christ in Business, Leadership, and Everyday Work