That they might be with him
Jesus appoints the Twelve
When Jesus chose the Twelve, Mark records his purpose in a striking order: he appointed twelve that they might be with him, and to send them out to preach. Before the sending came the being-with. The primary qualification was not skill but proximity — they would be formed by sustained presence with him before they were ever deployed.
Most leadership development is impatient. We recruit people for what they can do and rush them into doing it. Jesus invested years in simply being with a few — eating, walking, talking, letting them watch him up close in success and strain alike. Deep formation happens through presence over time, not through programs. And he poured this into twelve, not a crowd. A leader who tries to develop everyone shallowly develops no one deeply. Jesus shows the opposite: invest deeply in a few, with being-together as the curriculum, and send them out genuinely formed.
“You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit.”
— Jesus, to the Twelve — John 15:16 (WEB)
Deep formation happens through presence over time, not programs. Invest deeply in a few, with being-together as the curriculum, before sending them out.
“He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach.”
Jesus formed the Twelve by having them with him before deploying them. A leader formed here values sustained presence over quick recruitment, and depth in a few over breadth in many. The inner work is the patience to form people by proximity.
Spend real time with the few you are forming — let them watch you up close before you deploy them. Resist rushing people into doing before they have been with you. Choose depth in a few over shallow development of everyone.
Leaders recruit for capability and skip the formative presence, then wonder why people are not deeply formed. The blind spot is mistaking deployment for development.
Pick one person you are developing. This week, simply spend unhurried time with them, letting them see how you work, before assigning more.
We recruit people for what they can do and rush them into doing it. Jesus invested years in simply being with a few — being-with came before sending-out.
Are you investing deeply in a few through sustained presence, or developing everyone too shallowly to form anyone?