cultivate |ˈkəltəˌvāt|verb [ with obj. ]
1 prepare and use (land) for crops or gardening.
2 try to acquire or develop (a quality, sentiment, or skill)
I don’t know about you, but I didn’t grow up on a farm. I grew up in the suburbs, there was nothing growing in the front or back of our house that I should have been eating. So when I was exposed to the concept of cultivation, most often it related to the second definition. As I desire to grow in cultivating leaders I have found the first, and original, use of the word very instructive.
a growing experience
When I took the above photo we lived in an apartment on the 5th floor in a city of over 7 million, However if you looked out any of our back windows you would see a thriving urban garden. A few years ago it was essentially a dump from the nearby construction site. I remember one morning I saw an old man standing out there picking up one brick at a time, slowly clearing out a small space about the size of a dorm room. Over the next year the whole space transformed and is now overflowing with growth.
My son and I were inspired and decided we should grow something too. The next year in the spring we planted cucumber, basil and jalapeños on our balcony. We learned that it is not as easy as it looks. We didn’t really know what we were doing. We would try it one way, watch the results, try something different. In this process I struggled with the following:
- feeling the lack of control
- having to wait and see
- not picking the fruit too soon (waiting for that first jalapeño was tough!)
When I am cultivating growth in myself, in those I lead or in a spiritual movement, I face similar struggles. These next 2 years the Lord taught me many lessons through our little garden. They have often been very timely and applicable to many things outside our balcony. I’m still learning this and I hope we all benefit from this journey of learning.
roles of cultivation
So really, when we say cultivate, what are we talking about? Cultivation is a process not an event. While it certainly involves science, it often seems to be more of an art. It involves multiple roles applied wisely rather than merely a series of steps. It is hard, long term work and you may feel unequipped for it, I know I do. But I think every leader can grow as a cultivator by learning the roles involved.
Here are 6 key roles needed to cultivate:
- provide: giving what is needed
- protect: guarding from danger
- prune: removing that which hinders
- watch/wait: allowing time for the process
- rest: space to heal and restore
- repeat/restart: enduring through the seasons
In learning these roles the “what”, “how” and the “when” must be understood and I’ll elaborate more on each in the posts on each role.
- What is this role?
- How do I do it?
- When should it be applied?
Every leader must learn the necessary roles to see a harvest. Knowing the roles doesn’t guarantee a harvest, actually it doesn’t even guarantee effective cultivation. It does equip us for effective cultivation, and ultimately God causes the growth.
As we learn, practice, and become proficient at these different roles, we are better able to cultivate growth in ourself and others.
conversation
- Would you add any role to this list?
- Did any of the roles surprise you?
cultivating leaders 