Part II: Steward the People — Why the Right Relationships Deserve Your Best Time

In my last post, we explored the first stewardship investment every church leader must make: Steward the Vision. We talked about how vision isn’t just a statement — it’s a trust from God, and how clarity is one of the greatest gifts a leader can give their church.

But vision alone won’t move the mission forward. Vision needs carriers — people who believe it, own it, and run with it. That brings us to the second stewardship investment: Steward the People.

The Leadership Reality

As leaders, we all have limits. We cannot meaningfully invest in everyone in our church or on our team. But we can — and must — intentionally invest in the right people.

Here’s a principle I’ve seen over and over again:
A 15-minute check-in with a leader today prevents a three-hour blowup next month.

The problem? Our time often gets pulled toward the loudest voices, the most urgent situations, or the people who ask for it most. That may feel caring in the moment, but over time, it leaves our highest-impact relationships undernourished.

Why This Matters

• People are the carriers of vision — and the wrong investment pattern slows or even stalls your mission.

• High-capacity leaders rarely wave their hands for your attention, but they always benefit from your encouragement, guidance, and care.

• Consistent access to you builds trust, sharpens their leadership, and multiplies their ministry.

When we neglect these leaders because they “seem fine,” we risk losing them to burnout, frustration, or even other opportunities.

Common Pitfalls

1. The Squeaky Wheel Syndrome – Giving most of your time to whoever is loudest or most persistent.

2. Coaching the Struggling, Ignoring the Strong – Spending all your development energy on those with deficiencies while your rockstars run on empty.

3. No Multiplication Mindset – Forgetting that the goal isn’t just to care for people, but to equip them to care for others. When leaders fail to multiply themselves, the mission stalls at the limits of their own capacity. This can also reveal another problem: some leaders unintentionally create a dependence on themselves — often out of a genuine desire to help, or because they feel most valuable when they’re needed. But that can be pride rushing in. Healthy leadership resists the pull to be indispensable and instead empowers others to lead and serve.

How to Steward People Well

1. Block Your Best Yes - Schedule intentional, recurring time with your key leaders and protect it. If it’s not on the calendar, it probably won’t happen.

2. Be Efficient and Present - Not every meeting needs an hour. If a conversation only needs 20 minutes, don’t stretch it. Stewardship includes respecting both your time and theirs.

3. Delegate the Right Way - Often, there are capable leaders in your church who can step in to meet a need just as well — sometimes better — than you can. Empower them.

4. Guard Against the Drop-Everything Culture - When you say “yes” every time, people learn you’ll drop everything for them, and that pattern spreads. There are moments to drop everything — but they should be the exception, not the rule. If the rule has become “always,” it’s time for adjustments.

A Stewardship Perspective

Stewarding people doesn’t mean giving equal time to everyone; it means investing your best energy where it multiplies. Jesus loved the crowds, but He invested most deeply in the twelve — and within them, in Peter, James, and John.

If you want your vision to grow beyond your direct reach, you must prioritize relationships that will multiply it.

Reflection Question

Who are the people in my church that multiply my investment — and am I giving them consistent access?

Conclusion

Vision without people to carry it is just an idea. But when you steward both vision and people, your ministry has momentum. Next week, we’ll talk about the third stewardship investment: Steward the Systems — how healthy processes can protect your mission and make ministry sustainable for the long haul.