My true child in the faith
Paul mentors Timothy
Paul opens his letter to Timothy with a phrase that carries a whole relationship: to Timothy, my true child in the faith. Timothy was not merely a staff member or a project. He was a son Paul had begotten in the gospel, mentored over years, sent on hard missions, corrected, encouraged, and loved. Across two letters we watch an aging leader pour himself into a younger one with a father's investment.
This is mentoring at its deepest — not a program, but a paternity. Paul did not just teach Timothy skills; he gave him himself, took responsibility for his formation, and claimed him as a son. Much leadership development stays shallow because it is impersonal: a course, a curriculum, a hurried word. The kind that actually forms people is costly and relational — investing in specific individuals over the long haul, the way Paul invested in Timothy. Every leader should be raising up at least one true child in the faith.
“In Christ Jesus I became your father through the Good News.”
— Paul, to the Corinthians — 1 Corinthians 4:15 (WEB)
The deepest development is a paternity, not a program. Forming a leader means investing yourself in specific individuals over the long haul, the way Paul did Timothy.
“to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Paul claimed Timothy as a son, not a project, and gave him himself. A leader formed here takes personal, costly responsibility for raising up others. The inner work is loving people enough to invest in their formation over years.
Invest deeply and personally in a few you are raising up, not just broadly and impersonally in many. Give them yourself — correction, encouragement, real responsibility — over the long haul. Aim to have at least one true child in the faith.
Leaders mistake courses and curricula for development and never invest personally in anyone. The blind spot is treating formation as a program when it is fundamentally relational.
Name one person you could raise up as Paul raised Timothy. This week, take a concrete step to invest in them personally and for the long haul.
Much leadership development is shallow because it is impersonal — a course, a curriculum, a hurried word. The kind that actually forms people is costly, relational, and long.
Whom are you investing in deeply enough to call, like Paul, a true child in the faith?