Leadership Pipeline
"Christ himself gave… pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…"
Follow Him.
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
Called & chosen.
"…called his disciples and chose from them twelve…"
Every leader must first be a disciple, but not every disciple is called to leadership. Advancement is not the goal for all; faithfulness is.
From doers to developers
"Culture is not defined by what we believe; it is defined by what we consistently practice."
Develop people, not just programs
Invest in the growth, training, and development of the people you oversee — measured by the number of leaders you equip and empower.
Delegate responsibility, not just tasks
Give ownership — teaching, modeling, delegating, and coaching so others grow in competence and confidence.
Create leadership opportunities
Identify potential leaders and give them room to learn, serve, decide, solve problems, and gain ministry experience.
Coach more than you control
Resist solving every problem yourself. Ask questions, give guidance, and let your people grow through the process.
Build leadership pipelines
Always know who you're currently developing — and the steps you're taking to prepare them for more responsibility.
Equipping over executing. Delegation over control. Multiplication over personal productivity. Long-term growth over short-term wins.
Five levels of leadership
Each level develops the one below it. Choose a level to see the role, requirements, and process.
Volunteer
Team Leader
Coordinator
Director / Central Director
Campus Pastor / Executive Team
Lead Pastor
Complete Leadership Pipeline Manual
The full framework, competencies, and process — in one place.
Volunteers
Volunteers serve on all ministry teams, including Small Group Facilitators.
Volunteers lead themselves and facilitate environments that encourage growth in others.
Volunteers are the pool of candidates from which we identify and develop future leaders at New Day.
Four steps to get in the game
To begin serving, individuals visit the "Join the Dream Team" banner in the Church Center App. There they can learn about each ministry team, explore serving opportunities, take the Spiritual Gifts Assessment, and express interest.
Before serving, an individual must:
- Attend the Discover Class
- Sign the Volunteer Agreement
- Be saved
The Spiritual Gifts Assessment helps individuals learn their giftings and pairs their results with serving opportunities; results are added to their Planning Center profile. Available through the Discover Class, the Church Center App, and departmental promotion.
Schedule a meeting with the individual to:
- Hear their salvation story (salvation is a requirement to serve)
- Share the details and expectations of serving within the department
- Discuss their serving preferences and desired frequency
Digital Onboarding Tool →
Team Leader
A servant-hearted leader who cares for, develops, and encourages volunteers, fosters a healthy team culture, and helps the team execute with excellence.
Roles included at this level
- Water baptized
- Active participation in a minimum of two small groups
- Serving consistently on a team for at least six months
- Demonstrates regular financial giving
Should consistently demonstrate:
- A godly reputation
- Willingness and eagerness to serve
- Proven faithfulness
- Submission to authority
- A teachable spirit
Core Responsibilities
Leads huddles, cares for and prays for volunteers, and invests in the small percentage who are ready and willing — start with one person. (Small Groups: trains and invests in facilitators.)
Key Skills
Clear communication, quick responsiveness, identifies and calls out leadership potential.
Time Commitment
3–5 hours per week (varies by department)
Values
Carry culture, plus-one experience, developer of volunteers
Weekly Time Application
- 50% Preparing for and leading Sunday huddles
- 25% Checking in on volunteers & overseeing a Sunday experience
- 25% Developing & onboarding new team leaders and volunteers
- Schedule them to lead multiple huddles
- Provide feedback and evaluate how they respond
- Increase their responsibility and oversight of volunteers
- Pair new volunteers with them for shadow training
- Small Groups: ask for insight on identifying future facilitators & curriculum
Consideration Form →
Job Description →
Success Checklist →
Coordinator
A systems-driven leader who supports and develops team leaders, executes operational excellence, aligns with the Director's vision, and ensures every Sunday experience is prepared, organized, and impactful.
Roles included at this level
- Be water baptized
- Have previously served as a Team Leader
- Participate in at least one Small Group per year
- Served faithfully on their team for a minimum of one year
- Be a regular giver at New Day Church
Should consistently demonstrate:
- A godly reputation
- Willingness and eagerness to serve
- Proven faithfulness
- Submission to authority
- A teachable spirit
Core Responsibilities
Sets direction for team huddles (connects the dots), manages systems, the team matrix, and scheduling, cares for and develops team leaders, celebrates success, preps all needed materials, and executes a Sunday experience using a checklist.
Key Skills
Excellence in systems and execution, responsive, supportive of the Director, leader of Team Leads.
Time Commitment
8–20 hours per week (some departments may exceed this)
Values
Operational excellence, team leader support & development, alignment with the Director
Weekly Time Application
- 50% Implementing systems, key metrics, scheduling, writing huddle scripts
- 30% Coaching & developing Team Leads
- 20% Professional development; caring for & encouraging team leaders
Consideration Form →
Job Description →
Success Checklist →
Director / Central Director
A strategic and culture-shaping leader who owns the health of a department, develops coordinators and team leaders, drives clarity and alignment, and ensures effective execution within our campus model.
Roles included at this level
- Complete all Level 2 Leadership Pipeline Development Goals
- Commit and adhere to the New Day staff documents (managed by HR)
Should consistently demonstrate:
- A godly reputation
- Willingness and eagerness to serve
- Proven faithfulness
- Submission to authority
- A teachable spirit
- A positive attitude
Core Responsibilities
Owns department health and key metrics, leads and casts vision for the department, develops and leads coordinators, stewards the budget, and protects and shapes the culture.
Key Skills
Decisiveness and runs to conflict, creates clarity around department vision, strategic planner, developer of self and others.
Time Commitment
20–40 hours per week
Values
Protects a healthy span of care, prioritizes developing others, maintains cross-campus alignment
Weekly Time Application
- 30% Coaching & developing
- 20% Department vision & strategic planning
- 20% Sunday / Groups oversight, key metrics & budget
- 20% Professional development
- 10% Administrative oversight
Job Description →
Campus Pastor / Executive Team
A vision-driven and culture-carrying leader who oversees campus or departmental health, develops Directors, protects unity and cultural integrity, and provides strategic and pastoral leadership to advance the mission of the church.
Roles included at this level
- Complete all prior levels of the Leadership Pipeline Development
- Commit and adhere to the New Day staff documents (managed by HR)
Should consistently demonstrate:
- A godly reputation
- Willingness and eagerness to serve
- Proven faithfulness
- Submission to authority
- A teachable spirit
- A positive attitude
Core Responsibilities
Leads multiple departments or a campus, hires, develops, and leads Directors, protects and shapes the culture, owns department/campus health and key metrics, and makes final directional decisions at the campus level.
Key Skills
Developer of self and Directors, cultural intelligence, decisiveness and runs to conflict, pastoral presence.
Time Commitment
40 hours per week
Values
Champion the Lead Pastor's vision, protect unity across campuses, develop Directors, protect cultural integrity
Weekly Time Application
- 35% Develop and lead Directors
- 35% Strategic direction, key metrics & budget
- 30% Professional development, vision implementer & culture carrier
- Approval from the DLT to begin the development process
- Successful completion of all prior pipeline requirements
- Dedicated prayer, reflection, and discussion with family about the transition
- Continued on-the-job training under the leadership team's point person
Job Description →
Lead Pastor
The chief spiritual and organizational leader of the church who provides doctrinal oversight, casts and clarifies vision, develops Campus Pastors and the Executive Team, cultivates a healthy culture, communicates God's truth effectively, and ensures faithful stewardship of the church's people, mission, and resources with humility and integrity.
Roles included at this level
- Complete all Level 5 Leadership Pipeline Development Goals
- Demonstrate a godly reputation, faithfulness, and a teachable spirit
Should consistently demonstrate:
- A godly reputation
- Willingness and eagerness to serve
- Proven faithfulness
- Submission to authority
- A teachable spirit
- A positive attitude
Core Responsibilities
Leads the church, provides spiritual oversight and doctrinal guard, guards and shapes the culture, serves as visionary for strategic initiatives, and oversees financial stewardship.
Key Skills
Visionary clarifier, developer of Campus Pastors & Executive Team, master communicator, sound doctrine, cultural intelligence.
Time Commitment
Approximately 40 hours per week
Values
Prioritize leadership multiplication, protect cultural integrity, maintain healthy work/life balance, demonstrate humility
Weekly Time Application
- 40% Preaching & communicating
- 20% Campus Pastor / Executive Team development
- 20% Vision & strategy
- 10% Culture & organizational health
- 10% Metrics, financial oversight & donor engagement
Job Description →
Supervisor Toolkit & Resources
Operating tools drawn from the full Leadership Pipeline Manual — added as an appendix to the site. Everything below links to your live forms, templates, and scoresheets.
How to spot a leader
Before you develop anyone, you have to see them. These are the five things we prayerfully look for — observed over time, not at a glance.
A Godly Reputation
Evident fruit of the Spirit, a consistent pattern of sharing their faith, and excellence in people skills (EQ).
Willing & Eager to Serve
Serves joyfully, not reluctantly. Steps into assignments without needing pressure.
Proven Faithfulness
Faithful in small responsibilities. Dependable over time, not just enthusiastic at first.
Submission to Authority
Honors leadership, policies, and direction. Trustworthy under authority.
A Teachable Spirit
Receives correction humbly and responds to feedback with growth, not defensiveness.
Advancement readiness check
Score the person you're developing against the readiness indicators for their next level. When every indicator is scored, you'll see the verdict — and your official scoresheet is one click away.
Healthy span of care
Every leader needs enough relational capacity to care well for their team while developing the next leader. The ratio tightens as you climb — because the higher the level, the more each person requires.
What "winning" looks like
- ✓ Capacity meets or exceeds the ratio at each level
- ✓ Leader gap goal = 0
- ✓ ~20% of leaders are being developed for advancement
How we develop — up close
Like Jesus and Paul, we bring leaders near before we send them out. Development happens through four rhythms — and one simple hand-off model.
Teaching
Intentional conversations, instruction, and leadership principles.
Modeling
Letting the leader observe leadership in action.
Delegating
Handing over real ministry responsibility and ownership.
Coaching
Ongoing feedback, encouragement, evaluation, and accountability.
Forms, templates & scoresheets
The live documents behind each step — the ones a leader actually clicks — grouped by level. Wired to the links in your manual.