In his article, M. R. Conrad considers what is the missing ingredient in churches today. He scratches off the list evangelism, discipleship, and church planting. Not that those are perfectly executed, but they are on the average church’s radar. What is the missing ingredient in Western churches today? Conrad says, “The Great Commission work of the first century included one more element that is rarely a top priority for churches today–leadership training.”

I have felt that this has been missing and I have recently rang this alarm to a few of my acquaintances. I have insisted that it is well past time for churches to wait for Bible colleges to roll out their next minted pastor. The responsibility for training future leaders is the church’s. I’m thankful for the confirmation found in Conrad’s assessment as well:

The results of this omission are only just beginning to be seen. An alarming number of churches in the U.S. have no pastor. Vacancies remain open for years. Few young men consider entering the ministry, and since the pandemic, many veteran pastors have left the pulpit. According to some studies, the median age of pastors has risen from the 40s in the 1990s to nearly 60 today. In addition, the American contribution to worldwide missions is also waning as retirees vastly outnumber new recruits venturing overseas with the gospel. Some ask, “Why are the Bible colleges and seminaries failing to produce leaders?” But the source of the problem is closer to home. Training institutions assist churches by theologically training men for ministry. Churches, not seminaries, produce leaders. If leadership training is not a priority for pastors and churches at the local level, you would expect to see fewer men enrolling in seminaries. Seminaries would then begin to close due to lack of enrollment and finances. And this is exactly what we are seeing today.

The infrastructure of the church in America is crumbling because of a lack of personal responsibility. His final reminder is poignant, “The church gathers believers, not to keep them, but to send them out. If training and sending is not a priority, is a church truly fulfilling the Great Commission?”

Source: https://rootedthinking.com/2025/08/12/the-missing-ingredient-leadership-training/

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