Christian leaders, those who profess to be followers of Christ, are studious theological students and outstanding orators of God’s words. If they are teachable and want to be more effective, they can learn to balance theology with leadership theory. Research has proven that laypeople benefit best when their leaders demonstrate both. The Christian leader’s real question is the same as it was for Peter, “Do you love me?” (John 21:15–17). This article examines how leadership theory works in the leader’s day-to-day life from the Christian leader’s perspective.
What Does It Take?
The day-to-day life of every Christian leader begins and ends with prayer. God knows what each day will bring and will provide the instructions needed for every moment. Christian leaders are then responsible for performing all that God reveals and going wherever He sends them. First Samuel 15:22 reminds us that obedience is better than sacrifice. In addition, Christian leaders require an honest and humble attitude while serving—just as Jesus did.
Prayer and a Personal Relationship
Followers of Christ Jesus exemplify His life in word and deed. He is the Incarnate Word whom the Father sent to dwell among His human creation displaying the fullness of grace and truth (John 1:14). Jesus only did what His Father in heaven told Him (John 14:31), and as a leader, Jesus set the example for His followers. According to Northouse (2018), one is not a leader without followers who share in the leadership process. Those who call themselves Christians are followers of Christ.
During His time on earth, Jesus often engaged in early morning prayer (Mark 1:35) and often went to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16). Christian leadership is rooted in such an intimate relationship, fostered by contemplative prayer, with the Incarnate Word—that is, Jesus Christ, from whom comes wisdom (Nouwen, 1996). When Satan asked to sift Simon Peter as wheat, Jesus prayed that his faith would not fail and that he would strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:31–32). Before His arrest, Jesus prayed for the disciples and all believers (John 17). While in the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples and with an overwhelmed soul, Jesus prayed three times to the Father that He would take the cup of death away from Him (Matt. 26:39–44). If Jesus prayed, how much more should Christian leaders?
Christian leaders cannot lead appropriately without prayer. Their life of faith and prayer should rely on God, reach Him, cleanse them, and provide assurance and encouragement when they become weary (Engstrom, 1976). In anguish, bitterness, and misery, Hannah prayed to the Lord for a son and made a vow that she would give him back to the Lord and allow no razor to come upon his head if she was able to conceive (1 Sam. 1:10–11). She prayed so fervently that the priest, Eli, assumed she had had too much wine (1 Sam. 1:12–14). Because of her faith, God granted Hannah’s request.
When Nehemiah heard about Jerusalem’s broken wall and burned gates, he fasted and prayed (Neh. 1:4), then continued praying until he had restored the wall (Neh. 2:4; 4:9; 6:9). Through his powerful prayers and leadership, Nehemiah restructured Jerusalem (Patton, 2017). Christian leaders believe their prayers will be answered (Mark 11:23), pray for those in authority (1 Tim. 2:2), and confess their sins (Jas. 5:16). Christian leaders dwell in God’s presence, gaze at His beauty, and listen to His voice (Nouwen, 1996). Regular prayer and a personal relationship with Jesus affect change in Christian leaders’ lives and others.
Transformation and Global Responsibility
Christian leaders understand that change is inevitable, that their lives do not belong to them, and that their purpose is to go wherever God sends them. Christian leaders in powerlessness and humility allow the Holy Spirit to lead them to unknown—even undesirable or painful—places where God’s suffering servant, Jesus Christ, manifests Himself (Nouwen, 1996). Responsible leaders recognize and respect multiple demands, interests, needs, and conflicts stemming from diverse responsibilities and reconcile them by mobilizing and successfully engaging the organization and varying stakeholders (Muff, Liechti, & Dyllick, 2020). Inspired leaders seek to make a more significant impact by enlarging their territories and expanding their borders.
The Apostle Paul lived a transformed life. He went on missionary journeys to cities such as Cyprus, Galatia, Lystra, Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus (Acts 13–20). In one case, the Holy Spirit specifically prevented him from entering Bithynia, and in another, He led him (through a vision) to Macedonia where God called him to preach (Acts 16:6–10). One might describe Paul as a transactional-transformational leader. The transactional-transformational paradigm views leadership as either a matter of contingent reinforcement of followers by a transactional leader or the moving of followers beyond their self-interests for the good of the group, organization, or society by a transformational leader (Bass, 1997). Northouse (2018) suggests that transformational leadership engages and connects with others to raise both leader and follower’s motivation and morality levels, whereas transactional leadership focuses on exchanges between leaders and followers. Paul transformed young and timid Timothy into a church leader who died for his faith (Cooper, 2005). Transformational leadership adds to the effects of transactional leadership (Bass, 1997); they do not rekindle the past but advance toward the future (Likhotal, 2020).
Today’s leaders have a global perspective as new leadership theories, such as instrumental leadership, begin to take root (Turner & Baker, 2018). Instrumental leaders have the ability to apply expert knowledge while strategically monitoring the external environment’s performance (Antonakis & House, 2014). Simply put, Christian leaders possess such a love for Jesus that they daily obey and trust Him with their very lives.
Authentic Virtues and Vices
The word “authentic” brings to mind realness or trueness. Authentic leadership that is intrapersonal focuses only on the leader; interpersonal relationships emerge from interactions between leaders and followers (Northouse, 2018). Four components form the foundation of authentic leadership: self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency (Walumbwa, Avolio, Gardner, Wernsing, & Peterson, 2008). Self-awareness and an internalized moral perspective have an intrapersonal focus, while balanced processing and relational openness have an interpersonal focus (Puls, Ludden, & Freemyer, 2014).
According to the pastoral leadership research of Puls and colleagues, an authentic pastor not only can theologically navigate Scriptural texts but also demonstrate unpretentious behavior and a candid outward demeanor toward laity. This team also concluded that transparency and trustworthiness make authentic pastors more useful. Christian leaders understand themselves, including their strengths and weaknesses, use their internal moral standards to guide their behavior, analyze information objectively, and have an open and honest presentation (Northouse, 2018). Eventually, whatever is inside the leader will manifest itself openly.
No one is perfect, and every leader has virtues and vices—even if he or she does not admit them. Christian leaders lay down their lives by displaying their faith and doubts, hopes and despair, joys and sadness, courage and fears (Nouwen, 1996). Nouwen (1996) continues that leaders willingly confess their brokenness and ask for forgiveness so that their flock can know and deeply love them.
King David provides a biblical example of a leader with virtues and vices, and still, God deemed him “a man after His heart.” The Christian leader is one who truly knows the heart of God and is deeply rooted in the love of God (Nouwen, 1996). During King Saul’s several attempts to kill him, David valued Saul’s life and would not touch the Lord’s anointed; neither did he allow his men to do so (1 Sam. 26:21–25). Leaders clarify their values when they discover the fundamental beliefs that guide their decisions, explore inner territories, and stay on the path that leads to authenticity (Kouzes & Posner, 2017). Through his life, David demonstrated the virtues of courage, honesty, maturity, selflessness, and love. He had an authentic relationship with Jonathan, King Saul’s son, who served as his accountability partner, encouraging and challenging him to remain pure of mind, heart, and body (1 Sam. 23:16–18).
The story of David also reveals that the dark side or vices of leadership are destructive, unethical, and toxic when used for personal gain (Northouse, 2018). After all, David committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband. Yet after he was rebuked by the prophet Nathan, David confessed his sins and sincerely repented (2 Sam. 11–12). Through this, we see that versatile leaders can continually adjust their behaviors, deftly applying the right approach, to the right degree, for the current situation (Kaplan & Kaiser, 2003).
Servanthood and the Good Samaritan
People need genuine goodness from Christian leaders in a world filled with uncertainty, heartache, despair, hopelessness, and poverty. Christian leaders discern the times and accept the call to help people, feed them, make a difference in their lives, heal the sick, and alleviate the poor’s suffering (Nouwen, 1996).
In Luke 10: 25–37, we find the parable of the good Samaritan; Jesus told this story to an expert in the law who wanted to inherit eternal life. In this parable, robbers attacked a man and left him half dead. A priest and a Levite saw the man—battered and hurt—but they passed by on the other side of the road. It was a Samaritan who took pity on the man, bandaged him, took care of him, and paid for his stay at an inn. This story demonstrates that God’s goodness extends to everyone, even if they are different; this value should be demonstrated by all Christians, but especially leaders.
Christian leaders who will stop what they are doing to attend to others’ personal needs are dedicated servants of God. Servant leadership emphasizes the importance of leaders joining with their followers’ concerns, empathizing with them, and nurturing them (Northouse, 2018). Northouse (2018) suggests that servant leaders put followers first—empowering them and developing their full personal capacities. Servant leadership crosses all boundaries and works in many contexts, such as healthcare, universities, churches, foundations, for-profit and non-profit cultures (Spears, 2005). Jesus told His disciples that the greatest of them must first become a slave and serve, which He did (Matt. 20:25–28). Servant leadership shifts attention from processes and outcomes to people (Dutta & Khatri, 2017). Jesus demonstrated a servant leader’s love when He washed the disciples’ feet and commanded blessings on those who choose to do the same (John 13:1–17); in this way, Christian leaders become servant leaders when they choose to follow the example of Christ.
Implications
What are the implications of blending theological and theoretical leadership? First, developing a prayer life through a personal relationship with Jesus takes time and is grown through life experiences. Leaders may have skepticism about their prayers and doubt that they hear God’s voice in response. Second, not every leader operates in transformation leadership. It is not an easy process. Some Christian leaders may not willingly change from past and present conditions, have limited perspectives, and cannot cross-cultural boundaries. Third, some Christian leaders are inauthentic and have an imaginary/false sense of leadership. Their realities are distorted and untrue to most others. They believe they are flawless, overstating their virtues and understating their vices. Fourth, unfortunately, some Christian leaders are like the priests and the Levites in Jesus’ parable. They have no desire to help anyone else and are very much self-absorbed. While these theological and theoretical leadership principles provide practical benefits for many, they may not offer solutions to others. Every Christian leader should train him- or herself through prayer, study, and careful analysis, raising human consciousness to God’s knowledge (Nouwen, 1996).
Conclusion
This article has underscored some of the ways Christian leaders can display Christ in their day-to-day lives. There is room for future research using new and upcoming leadership theories and other Biblical characteristics; more research on the instrumental theory, process models, and global leadership should occur. Also, the Bible is replete with examples of other Biblical characters from which leaders can glean. Christian leadership is best displayed as leaders and followers work together to bring God all the glory, honor, and praise.
Teryl Baker, MA, is author of Knowing, Growing, and Going with God, pastor at Resurrection Church, Fairfax, VA, and student in the doctor of strategic leadership program at Regent University.
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