Sharpen Your Leadership Skills this Summer
Sharpening your leadership skills is a bit like honing a knife. Even the best of knives dull with regular use. As this happens, the knife requires a bit of extra effort. The wise chef or master craftsman takes the time to refresh the edge to keep his knives razor sharp. So, too, we must pay attention to our leadership skills. Consider sharpening your leadership skills by doing one or more of the following over the summer.
Memorize More of the Word
Memorizing God’s word will restore your leadership edge and service as a pastor more than anything else you can do. Every pastor who memorizes a chapter of scripture can testify to how those verses appear frequently in his sermons and writing. I took a year to memorize the book of Philippians and have used the material in Paul’s letter innumerable times. While I don’t have the chapters down perfectly, I can quote multiple passages. When you memorize new sections of scripture, it hones your leadership skills as it gives you fresh insight into both teaching and counseling. The Spirit of God brings back to our memory the verses we memorize (John 14:26).
Read Over the Summer
Summer is the perfect time to read. There is nothing quite like grabbing a book and enjoying the sunshine. For pastors – we get paid to read! Did you hear that? Yes, part of what we do in our role is read good books, learn from those who have gone before us, and use that information to help our congregations. Look at the weeks of your summer and pick a weekly window where you can get away from the office with a book and read. Go to a local park or garden, or if it’s hot, look for a library or shopping mall – if you can find one. The investment you make by reading, like memorizing scripture, will help you hone your leadership skills by providing a depth of knowledge and maturity of thinking. God calls us to study so that we might rightly handle the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15).
Plan for a summer study break. Invite a guest preacher to take two or three sermons to allow you to read and study for your next sermon series. Do this in addition to your vacation.
Join a Preaching Group
Join a preaching group or start your own to provide a context to have other men evaluate your sermons and suggest ways for you to improve. Preaching is one of the most important aspects of a pastor’s leadership. We improve with time, but having someone look over your manuscript before you deliver the message or trade off recent message recordings with a colleague for evaluation can accelerate your improvement. God calls pastors to “be ready” to preach in season and out (2 Timothy 4:2). Practice and critique can help prepare you for the work ahead.
Practice Service and Hospitality
Summer’s long days and pleasant temperatures provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen your pastoral relationship with the members of your church. Wise leaders know that leadership in the church is built on a foundation of relationship and service. Strengthening connections with the key leaders of your church can ensure it can endure a conflict, move beyond a disagreement, and weather the everyday storms of church life. Hospitality builds the relational bridge we often need to carry truth and to help us weather a relational storm.
Every summer, my wife and I host several picnics for key ministry team leaders. Over the years, those summer gatherings built up a wealth of memories we look back on. We use those summer gatherings to demonstrate our service toward the people we work with in ministry. Folks are accustomed to serving the pastor. There is something good about a pastor flipping burgers and playing lawn games that helps people to relate. Perhaps that is why Paul commands us to “pursue hospitality” (Romans 12:13). We like to plan out the time so that it feels organized but allows plenty of time for leisurely conversation.
Look for opportunities to draw out your church members by asking for ways you could be more effective as a leader. People see our strengths, and they see our weaknesses. The humble pastor is not afraid to ask for observations and looks to grow. Humility in our leadership is the best quality we can demonstrate and gives us the credibility to say, “Follow me as I follow Jesus”(1 Corinthians 11:1).
Invest in Your Family
Take a week or two off for a vacation with family. Wise pastors know that ministry takes a toll on a family. Scheduling a family vacation provides the opportunity to build memories, have unhurried time to talk, and enjoy a bit of fun.
Our families, especially our marriages, serve as a litmus test of the effectiveness of our leadership. If a pastor can’t manage his household, then he shouldn’t be leading in the church (1 Timothy 3:5). Get away with your wife for an overnight through the summer. Take time to enjoy dinner out, spend time in prayer, and draw out your wife for ways to improve your leadership at home.
You might look at this list and say, “I don’t have time for all that!” And you would be correct – most pastors don’t have the time to do all of the above. Yet it is important to remember that the summer season will pass quickly, and it is too easy not to stop to sharpen your skills. A carpenter who fails to sharpen his tools doesn’t produce quality craftsmanship. Pastors who fail to hone their leadership skills can tend to lead on yesterday’s efforts, dull over time, and become far less effective leaders.
©2024 Marty Machowski. Used with permission.
About The Author

Marty Machowski
Marty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pa. He is the author of the book, Darkest Night Brightest Day.