How Situational Leadership Strengthens Growing Churches

In this article, we will explore how Situational Leadership, alongside an apprentice training framework, can help growing churches develop stronger, healthier leaders. As church leaders, we already know that as the church grows, leadership development can no longer rely solely on informal relationships, direct communication, or the capacity of a few senior leaders. Growth brings complexity, and complexity requires intentional leadership development. This article introduces a practical framework for recognising where leaders are in their development, understanding what kind of support they need, and helping them grow into greater responsibility, confidence, and effectiveness.

Churches that fail to intentionally develop leaders often hit an invisible ceiling. Senior leaders become bottlenecks, volunteers become overextended, and promising leaders remain underdeveloped. The great news is that the converse is also true: when churches intentionally invest in developing leaders, leadership capacity expands. This development can happen across the whole spectrum of church life—among staff teams, lay volunteers, and emerging young leaders. As people at every level are equipped to lead, responsibility is shared more effectively, confidence and competence grow, and ministry becomes healthier and more sustainable. The church becomes stronger, more resilient, and better positioned to fulfil its mission. Who wouldn’t want that?

In this article, we will explore the development of leaders, first with a model of the big-picture process (the situational growth model) and, secondly, with a practical model that can be used daily to facilitate growth (the apprenticeship model). [LINK to follow]

Introducing Situational Leadership

Situational Leadership®, developed by Paul Hersey and later refined through the work of Ken Blanchard, is one of the most practical leadership frameworks available. I discovered it nearly 20 years ago as I was working on practical ways to develop highly capable leaders whom I had responsibility for developing into greater leadership capacity. Of all the myriads of models and systems around I found this to be simple enough to scribble on a napkin (or two) and robust enough to be a genuinely useful development tool.

The central insight of Situational Leadership is simple:

Great leaders adapt their leadership style to match the development level of the person they are leading, based on the specific responsibility or skill being developed.

On the face of it, that may sound like an obvious thing to do, yet many leaders unconsciously default to a single style. Some are highly directive with everyone. Others are endlessly supportive but rarely challenge people toward growth.

The most effective development is facilitated by leaders who are adaptable and can diagnose the correct approach for each individual across a range of responsibilities and competences.

In developing churches this leadership adaptability becomes increasingly essential because people at different stages of growth require very different kinds of leadership.

For example, a first-time volunteer needs something different from a department leader. A new staff member requires something different from a seasoned one. A developing ministry leader needs something different from one who has been leading well for some time.

In my experience, our teams are better served and better developed when we can, as leaders, recognise those differences and practically incorporate the model in our leadership of others.

An Overview of Situational Leadership (SLII®)

The updated SLII® model is most easily grasped by having a look at visual representations of the model. A quick Google search will show dozens of variations on the diagram but here is one I’ve found amongst the clearest.

You will notice that there are in fact 2 linked images. Start with the bottom one which represents the development of a leader (a specific leader on a specific area as we will explore in a moment). The direction of travel is from right to left, D1 through to D4, developing to fully developed.

The upper graphic visually represents the journey – starting bottom right, up and over to bottom left. The four categories are labelled accordingly. The goal is to help someone move up and around the “track”. I particularly like this image with the up and over curve because I think it represents the difficulty level of the growth. It’s comparatively tough to move from S1 to S2 (think steep learning curve) and less so to move from S3 to S4, probably because by then the person is growing in confidence. When we start at S1 we can’t be sure that the person will be competent in the situation we are exploring.

Notice, too, the axis: Directive behaviours and Supportive behaviours. We each have a part of the matrix where we feel most at home and it’s worth pausing for a moment to just think for yourself where your natural leadership style interacts with this.

The three steps of implementation

So how do we apply this “grid” to our situation? In practical terms, the model follows three steps for each of the people you are leading to growth.

Step 1: Identify the Specific Goal

Before assessing where a person is on the grid, define the specific task, responsibility, or leadership challenge being evaluated. This step is often skipped, but it is critical. Good leaders do not ask: “How developed is this person?” Instead, they ask: “How developed is this person in relation to this specific goal?” The goal should be concrete and observable if you are to help someone grow in that area.

In church life, examples might include:

·       leading a volunteer team

·       running a Sunday service

·       managing a ministry budget

·       leading difficult pastoral conversations

·       overseeing a campus launch

·       conducting staff supervision

The more specific the goal, the more useful the model becomes.

In a season in which churches increasingly operate with multi-site structures, hybrid teams, digital ministry environments, and growing organisational complexity, this goal-specific approach matters even more. So, define the area or the goal clearly to get started well. Once you have thought that through you can now turn your attention to the team member and try and diagnose their existing competence in the area.  This can be helpfully done in partnership with the individual in a 1-2-1 or review discussion in which together you can ask for example “how are you getting on leading the team?”

Step 2: Diagnose Development Level

Once the goal is clear, assess two variables:

Competence - the skills, knowledge, experience, and demonstrated ability of the person. You might have observed them operating in a different area of responsibility or have gathered this from your previous conversations.

Commitment - How confident, motivated and engaged is the person? What level of ownership do they already have in the area you are exploring?

Together, these give an idea of the person’s development level which you can then map onto one of the four development levels on the model: D1, D2, D3, and D4.

These are not personality types or permanent labels. They describe where someone currently sits for a specific responsibility.

A senior pastor may be D4 in preaching, D3 in executive leadership, and D1 in implementing a new data system—all at the same time.

That is why this model must never be used to label people but to help diagnose developmental needs.

Let’s have a look at D1 to D4 in turn.

D1 — Enthusiastic Beginner

Low Competence | High Commitment

D1 describes someone who is new to the task.

They have little experience or skill in the area but bring enthusiasm, optimism, and willingness to learn. They are eager, confident, and usually highly motivated.

In churches experiencing growth, D1 often includes:

·       new volunteers

·       recently hired staff

·       first-time team leaders

·       emerging ministry leaders

D1 people often say:

·       “I’m excited to help.”

·       “I’m ready to learn.”

·       “Just tell me what to do.”

A common leadership mistake is assuming enthusiasm equals readiness. It does not.

D1 leaders need:

·       clear instruction

·       structure

·       expectations

·       training

·       frequent feedback

At this stage, clarity builds confidence.

D2 — Disillusioned Learner

Low Competence | Low Commitment

D2 is often the hardest stage, hence my earlier reference to the steep learning curve.

The person has moved beyond beginner enthusiasm but has not yet developed consistent competence. They now understand enough to realise the role is more difficult than expected. This often produces frustration, discouragement, overwhelm, or self-doubt.

In church life, D2 frequently appears when emerging leaders encounter:

·       difficult people

·       conflict

·       criticism

·       organisational complexity

·       emotionally demanding ministry

D2 leaders may say:

·       “This is much harder than I expected.”

·       “I’m struggling.”

·       “I’m not sure I’m good at this.”

Many churches lose potential leaders at D2 not because they lack calling or potential, but because discouragement arrives before mastery.

D2 leaders need:

·       encouragement

·       coaching

·       perspective

·       correction

·       emotional support

This is where your leadership often matters most as you juggle high direction with high support strategies.

D3 — Capable but Cautious Performer

Moderate to High Competence | Variable Commitment

By D3, competence has significantly improved. The person can usually perform well, and the challenge is no longer primarily skill.

The challenge becomes confidence, consistency, ownership, or motivation. They may hesitate, second-guess decisions, become overly self-critical, or occasionally drift toward passivity.

This stage is common in growing churches. A capable ministry leader may run their area effectively but still defer too quickly upward.

D3 leaders may say:

·       “I think this is right, but I want your input.”

·       “Can you sense-check this decision?”

·       “I’m mostly confident, but not fully.”

D3 leaders need:

·       support

·       challenge

·       reflective conversation

·       empowerment

·       growing autonomy

They need help developing ownership and moving into the most independent quadrant of the model, D4. 

D4 — Self-Regulating Achiever

High Competence | High Commitment

D4 represents mature development. These individuals consistently perform at a high level and demonstrate strong ownership, confidence, and commitment. Remember, this is in the context of the area that you are examining: they may be operating at different levels in different tasks. In the area you are processing, they are becoming reliable, resourceful, and increasingly strategic leaders in their own right. If you’ve done your part well, they will be ready to repeat the development process with members of their team.

These individuals become adept at solving problems before escalation.

In churches with congregations of 150 or more, D4 leaders often include a mix of ordained and lay leaders who exercise spiritual influence, provide oversight, and help shape the life and mission of the church. This may include:

·       clergy (e.g. Rector, Vicar, Curate)

·       churchwardens and PCC members

·       staff and ministry leads

·       small group or ministry team leaders

·       emerging lay leaders with recognised gifts and influence

·       trusted members of the congregation who carry spiritual responsibility and informal leadership

D4 leaders often say:

·       “I’ve got this.”

·       “Here’s my recommendation.”

·       “I’ll update you if needed.”

The biggest leadership mistake you can make with those at D4 is over-management. These highly capable leaders can quickly become frustrated when denied appropriate autonomy.

D4 leaders need:

·       trust

·       delegated authority

·       strategic alignment

·       accountability

·       challenge

They need room to lead.

So, in steps 1 and 2, you have identified the area for which you want to develop a leader and have done some form of assessment of where they are on the D1-D4 matrix.

Now for stage 3 in which we look to the other diagram to select and apply the different leadership styles as appropriate.

Step 3: Apply the Appropriate Leadership Style

Once the goal is clear and development level is diagnosed, the leader chooses the right leadership style.

Situational Leadership describes four styles as shown in the table below. Note how D1 maps to S1 and so on.

S3 — Supporting Low Direction | High Support The leader asks questions, listens, facilitates, collaborates, and builds confidence. Best for D3.	S2 — Coaching High Direction | High Support The leader explains, redirects, encourages, challenges, and motivates. Best for D2.
S4 — Delegating Low Direction | Low Support The leader empowers, resources, trusts, affirms, and holds accountable. Best for D4.	S1 — Directing High Direction | Low Support The leader plans, instructs, demonstrates, monitors, and gives frequent feedback. Best for D1.

Your task is not simply to lead. It is to continually adjust the level of direction and support you are giving so that the individual receives what they need to grow.

One of the ways that I have found most helpful in working with another leader to help them develop is to use the apprenticeship model of learning. There is a fuller article on this [LINK to follow] but for the moment here is a visual representation which will be familiar to many. I like this because it can be easily scribbled on a napkin or scrap of paper.

The “we talk” component is critical as it very much helps to verbalise the process. I like to use a basic set of very simple but progressive questions:

What went well?

What challenges or problems arose?

What are you going to do? (avoid trying to fix the issue for the leader)

How can I help?

Why This Matters in Growing Churches

As the church grows beyond 150, a significant organisational shift is required.

As churches expand they typically move from relational simplicity into organisational complexity. This sounds rather daunting, but it needn’t be if you are anticipating and leading the change. It also needn’t mean that people are less well supported and cared for, but rather that the source of support and care is going to transition. You can read more about this in the Breakthrough200 module.

Ministry can become harder to coordinate through informal communication alone. Teams become layered. Decision-making slows. More specialised roles emerge. Volunteer systems become larger and more difficult to sustain without intentional leadership structures.

This is where leadership bottlenecks can begin to appear, often seen when the number of available leaders seems to decrease as the church grows.

Many churches plateau at this stage because too much leadership remains concentrated around a small number of senior leaders. Key decisions still flow upward. Too many problems require pastoral intervention. Too few leaders are trusted with meaningful authority.

Over time this can create fatigue at the top and unhealthy dependency throughout the church family.

Situational Leadership offers a way forward because it helps senior leaders diagnose what emerging leaders need in order to grow. By now you will have gathered that not everyone needs the same thing.

Some leaders need clarity. Some need challenge. Some need feedback. Some need greater freedom. All leaders need encouragement and affirmation. In my experience the reality is that it is a constant adaptation across all of these key areas of support.

The key for your own leadership and the development of others is learning to recognise the right approach at any given time.

Working out Leadership Development in Church Life

In practise, leadership development in churches rarely follows a clean or predictable path. People do not develop in straight lines.

A volunteer may show extraordinary initiative in one ministry area and very little confidence in another. A staff member may lead brilliantly during stable seasons but struggle when conflict arises. A ministry leader may appear highly capable until growth creates complexity they have never managed before.

This is why leadership development cannot be reduced to programmes alone.

Courses, conferences, reading groups, and training environments all have value, but most leadership growth happens in the realities of ministry itself.

Leaders grow through experience, responsibility, challenge, feedback and failure.

For expanding churches, this means leadership development should be woven into the everyday life of ministry rather than treated as a separate event.

The most effective churches intentionally create environments where emerging leaders can take responsibility, receive regular feedback, reflect on what they are learning, and gradually increase their capacity.

Situational Leadership helps leaders know how much challenge and support to provide at each stage.

Final Thoughts

Situational Leadership matters because it reflects a simple but important truth: people grow differently, at different speeds, and need different kinds of support along the way.

This is not just good leadership practice—it is deeply theological. Church leaders are called not merely to build ministries, but to equip the saints for the work of ministry, helping people grow into all God has called them to be.

As churches grow, leadership bottlenecks can quietly limit health and mission. But when leaders intentionally develop, release, and empower others, something powerful happens: responsibility is shared, gifts are released, and the whole body grows stronger.

So, take time to reflect: where is growth being limited by leadership capacity, and who might be ready for greater responsibility?

Because when leaders grow, ministry expands—and the church becomes healthier, stronger, and more fruitful in the mission of God.

If you have found this article helpful and would value talking it through considering your own context and situation, please do get in touch.

Downloadable Resources

printable version of this article - situational leadership for growing churches.pdf

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Worksheet 1- Situational Leadership- Themes worthy of reflection.pdf

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Worksheet 2- Situational Leadership Team Discussion Guide.pdf

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