Philosophy of Leadership

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Philosophy of Leadership</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Philosophy of Personal Change"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="1999 Moody Conference"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Article</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U>Ministry Studies</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U><B>Sermon Notes</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>A Biblical Philosophy of Spiritual Leadership</B></div> <bR> <div> INTRODUCTION</div> <div>      Anyone who aspires to spiritual leadership must understand the philosophy that God’s Word sets forth regarding spiritual leadership, what it is about and how it is to be carried out. It is helpful to summarize the biblical teaching into several broad categories. This paper is outlined around five principles or axioms of spiritual leadership that I ascertain as I study the Scriptures.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Spiritual leadership is grounded in high qualifications.</B></div> <div>      The center issue related to the qualifications related to spiritual leadership, especially to the pastoral role, is whether or not a man is called of God to fulfill that role. Ephesians 4.11 states that God gives qualified men to the church as pastors and teachers. That is God’s gift to the church, and he chooses men to whom he has given the appropriate spiritual gifts. A couple of the spiritual gifts listed in the New Testament stand out as particularly appropriate for spiritual leadership and ministry. First is the gift of teaching (Eph 4.11, Rom 12.7, 1 Tim 3.2), the ability to declare, explain and apply God’s Word. Another appropriate gift is the gift of leadership (Rom 12.8). This gift is related to the gift of administration (1 Cor 12.28). Together, these two gifts relate to the ability to ascertain the correct purpose, goals and objectives of a group of people; and the ability to develop the necessary structure and plan to lead the people to accomplish their purpose. The term “overseer” (1 Tim 3.1, 1 Pet 5.2) may describe this role of the spiritual leader. One other essential gift for spiritual leadership is the gift of mercy (Rom 12.8), because spiritual leadership involves caring for people. When a man has these gifts, has a God-given passion to be involved in spiritual leadership, and meets the necessary qualifications, it is likely that he is being called by God to this role.</div> <div>      There are high moral standards for one who is called to spiritual leadership. 1 Timothy 3.1-7 and Titus 1.6-9 enumerate these heavy standards of character and integrity. The summary standard is that he must be “blameless,” or above reproach (1 Tim 3.2, Titus 1.6). There must not be any outstanding matters in his life in which someone could accuse him of lacking integrity, which is the spiritual consistency between what he professes and how he conducts himself. The rest of the lists seem to define more specifically some of the necessary standards that lead to a person being above reproach. These qualifications touch on every area of life: his family, his personal control, his doctrine, his reputation in the community, and his spiritual experience. The right attitude toward money is also a qualification (1 Pet 5.2). The term “elder” (Titus 1.5) which is used to describe the spiritual leader, suggests that he is to have maturity and spiritual experience, which these qualifications describe.</div> <div>      The spiritual leader must attain to high character standards because he is to be an example to everyone else, especially to other believers (1 Tim 4.12, 1 Pet 5.3). He is to be the model and set the standard to show others how to live life as a believer, as one who pleases God.</div> <bR> <div> <B>II. Spiritual leadership functions by adopting the role of servant.</B></div> <div>      Servanthood is the only way that spiritual leadership can function, if ministry is to be accomplished by the standards Christ himself set. Paul told Timothy that in his ministry he was a servant of Jesus Christ (1 Tim 4.6). Spiritual leaders are people who allow Jesus Christ to be their Master, and they see themselves in the role of his slaves. 1 Peter 5.4 calls Jesus the “Chief Shepherd.” Spiritual leaders willingly carry out Christ’s commands rather than being overly concerned with their own desires or preferences.</div> <div>      The spiritual leader must also be a genuine servant of other people. This is following in Christ’s path. If the leader cannot serve other people in his leadership, he is not truly serving Christ. The classic example of Jesus as a servant or slave is found in John 13.1-17, where Jesus took on the role of the least servant by willingly washing the disciples dirty feet. In doing this he set the example of servanthood that he asks his followers to follow (vs. 15). When Jesus’ disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest of them, he told them to forget rulership according to the world’s principles, and instead to be slaves of one another, which results in greatness (Mark 10.35-45). Jesus referenced the ultimate display of servanthood in that he was going to give his life in death so that others might have life (vs. 45). Jesus in Matthew 11.28-30 described himself as “gentle and humble in heart” (vs. 29). This is an excellent statement of the kind of attitude the spiritual leader should have, loving people gently and humbly serving Christ and people.</div> <div>      In spiritual leadership, serving people means that leaders have a genuine concern for people. Paul, when he was in Thessalonica, expressed this kind of concern and love for people, in that he shared his whole life with the people (1 Thess 2.8). He pictured himself in the gentle and giving role of a mother caring for her children (1 Thess 2.7). One part of the image of shepherding or tending to the flock (1 Pet 5.2) is the aspect of caring and concern for the flock, serving the flock by taking care of its genuine needs. This involves feeding, protection, and direction.</div> <div>      One caveat shows up in Acts 6.1-7. Lest the spiritual leader think that servanthood means doing anything and everything that others ask him to do, we notice a prioritization of meeting essential needs in fulfilment of the role of spiritual servant leadership. The key spiritual leaders of the church, the apostles, had the opportunity to make sure the needs of all the widows were being met by “waiting on tables” themselves. One might think that this would be an appropriate course of action to take, because as leaders they were servants. But they neglected to wait on tables, so that they would not neglect the higher priority service of spending time in the Word and prayer (vs. 2-3), so that they could share it with others. The greater need of people that leaders can fulfill is spiritual nourishment. Others could handle the distribution of physical food (vs. 3). Thus, the spiritual leader does not himself have to meet everybody’s needs, though he has a concern for them. But he can often ensure that other servants are placed into the role of caring for people’s temporal needs when necessary.</div> <bR> <div> <B>III. Spiritual leadership pursues developing people spiritually.</B></div> <div>      The command that Jesus gave to his disciples just before he left this earth gives us the essential work of the spiritual leader in a church. His command was to “make disciples” (Matt 28.19). This suggests that the followers of Christ are to go and find others to become followers of Christ, with the expectation that as followers of Christ, we together would become more and more like Christ as our Master, the one that we follow. The spiritual leader must pursue the process of helping people to grow spiritually as followers of Jesus Christ.</div> <div>      Paul stated this idea in Colossians 1.28. The goal of his activities as a spiritual leader was to “present everyone perfect in Christ.” He sought to help people become mature in Christ, to be grown up, to attain all that Christ expects people to be, culminating in that time when people are present before Christ personally. His activities to this end included admonishing or warning people, as well as teaching them with wisdom the Word of God (vs. 25).</div> <div>      Helping people become perfect or complete in Christ is the proper pursuit of a spiritual leader. The key tool for this work is the Word of God. This is the “food” that a shepherd gives to his “sheep.” Paul told Timothy to continue to proclaim the Word of God (2 Tim 4.2), because people will be accountable to God for how they respond to his word (2 Tim 4.1). When the people of Israel reassembled in Jerusalem after the exile, Ezra read and explained to them the Law of God, so that they as a people could delight in God’s truth and fulfill their obligations to God and his Law (Neh 8). That is why teaching is essential in the work of spiritual leadership, especially in the church context. Spiritual development is tied to a person’s understanding of and application of the truth of the Word of God.</div> <div>      In helping people to grow spiritually, it is important to consider the farming analogy that Paul shares in 1 Corinthians 3.5-9. In comparing ministries, Paul humbly states that he did his part (planting) while Apollos did his part (watering), but ultimately any growth was a result of God’s work (vs. 7). Spiritual leaders are co-laborers with God, working on God’s project (vs. 9). That suggests that spiritual leaders must follow God’s direction as to how best to plant and water, but they must also realize that God is the one that brings about spiritual growth. A spiritual leader can wisely help to foster conditions that promote spiritual growth, but a spiritual leader himself cannot cause spiritual growth. That is God’s work. Conditions that help growth include prayer, the ministry of the Word, modeling godly behavior, encouraging and admonishing people, and challenging Christians to be in community with one another.</div> <div>      This is an appropriate place to discuss the role of change in ministry. While the same basic conditions that foster growth will be true in various cultures, the packaging of those conditions might differ from culture to culture, including the cultural changes that take place over time (Mark 2.22). For example, one culture might respond well to strong declarations of God’s truth, while another culture might respond better to stories that reveal God’s truth. For worship, one culture might respond to older, more classical styles of music, while another culture might respond better with newer styles of music. This calls for situational leadership. It takes wisdom for the spiritual leader to realize what is the core of his calling, and what are the varying choices he can make as to how best to carry out his calling in a culturally relevant fashion, one that connects well with people where they are at and seeks to lead them to faith in Christ and the resulting spiritual development. </div> <div>      It also takes great wisdom for the leader to know when organizational structures hinder the spiritual development process and when they help the process. For example, a church that wants to encourage families to spend time together as a family which is growing spiritually had best not try to have the families at the church (separated into their various rooms) several nights each week and all day on Sundays. That would be a structure that hinders what the spiritual leader would like to see accomplished.</div> <bR> <div> <B>IV. Spiritual leadership prioritizes the development of leaders.</B></div> <div>      It is incumbent upon spiritual leaders to develop other leaders. This is not an option, it is a mandate. Any spiritual leader can only lead until the end of his lifetime; after that, someone else must carry on. The wise spiritual leader will influence leadership after he is gone by developing other leaders around him. </div> <div>      Jesus spent his three years of ministry training a small group of men who would carry on the work after he left. When he told them to make disciples (Matt 28.19), implied in that task was their responsibility to establish disciples who would also become disciple-makers themselves, that is, spiritual leaders.</div> <div>      This was Paul’s concern as he trained and developed Timothy. In fact, as Paul knew his days were short, he implored Timothy to “discharge all the duties of [his] ministry” faithfully (2 Timothy 4.5). Paul expected that Timothy would train other men for the ministry as Paul had trained Timothy (2 Tim 2.2). Paul also challenged Titus to appoint spiritual leaders at Crete (Titus 1.5). That was Titus’ express purpose for being there. He was not to carry out the ministry on his own, he was to train others to do it (and they would also to train others).</div> <div>      Paul also told the church at Ephesus that God’s gifts to the church, including the pastor, were so that they could “prepare God’s people for works of service” (Eph 4.12). Spiritual leaders are not merely the professionals who should carry out the works of service, they are the ones who are to develop others to take the responsibility of accomplishing the work Christ calls the church to do.</div> <div>      This is wisdom that is based on Old Testament principles. In Exodus 18, the reader finds Moses as an overburdened, overwhelmed servant of the people. He is the one to whom everyone went with their problems and disputes (Ex 18.13, 15-16). But his father-in-law Jethro wisely counseled Moses to develop other leaders who could help him handle the disputes (Ex 18.21-22). This principle is also found in Acts 6.1-7, where the apostles found seven men to handle the problem of the distribution of the food, so that they could continue to carry out their own responsibilities. Spiritual leadership is too demanding for it not to be shared with other capable people. Wise spiritual leaders will make it a priority to develop the servant-leaders around them, so that they together can bear the strain (Ex 18.23) and so that leaders will be able to carry on in future generations.</div> <div>      It behooves the spiritual leader to avoid both the autocratic and laissez-faire styles of leadership. To be an autocrat, to be the only one that makes decisions, robs others of their opportunities and responsibilities to participate in the work. To conduct a laissez-faire type of leadership is really not leadership at all, because it lacks the direction and influence that the spiritual leader must provide. Democratic leadership helps to balance these two extremes. It is participatory in that people’s thoughts, wishes, and goals are given consideration. People can be directly involved in decisions that affect them and the organization that they are a part of. But this style also allows the spiritual leader to assist in developing other leaders by giving them full participation in the leadership process of the organization. The wise spiritual leader will work hard to develop lay leadership and ministry in the organization.</div> <bR> <div> <B>V. Spiritual involves both hard work and trust in God.</B></div> <div>      Earlier, the farming analogy related to spiritual growth was discussed, based on 1 Corinthians 3.5-9. This analogy points out that the work of spiritual leadership involves both hard work on the part of humans as well as full dependence upon God and his work. Spiritual leaders can and must do the work of planting and watering, yet recognizing that they must depend upon God to do his work in bringing growth. Spiritual growth cannot be manufactured, it has to come from a greater source – God. Yet the work of the ministry is just that – work.</div> <div>      Paul in Colossians 1.28 declares what his goal in the ministry is, to “present everyone perfect in Christ.” But in the next verse he brings together the balance between hard work and a reliance upon God’s power. He says, “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” In 1 Corinthians 15.10, he says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” </div> <div>      This balance that Paul suggests helps the spiritual leader to guard against two extremes. At one end, he might be tempted to think that his effectiveness as a leader depends only on himself, and therefore he may work very hard and trust only in his hard work and personal skills. On the other hand, he may think that his effectiveness as a spiritual leader depends only on God’s work, and so he himself fails to labor diligently as a spiritual leader and he becomes lazy. God would have the spiritual leader both to work hard and to trust completely in God. It seems paradoxical, but that is the nature of being a servant of Jesus Christ.</div> <div>      The analogy that Christ gives in Matthew 11.28-30 is instructive in this regard. Spiritual leaders need to be yoked with Christ. They must let him carry the burden, because it is too much for them; and yet they must walk alongside him in carrying out the work. Jesus also said in John 15.4, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” At its heart, spiritual leadership is about bearing the fruit of spiritual growth in people, both in salvation and in developing as followers of Christ. Being effective in this task absolutely demands letting Christ be the power and strength, all the while working diligently in his power to carry out the tasks we have before us.</div> <bR> <div> CONCLUSION</div> <div>      Spiritual leadership is a high calling, to be entered into with great consideration. James 3.1 says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” It is vitally important for one to evaluate these biblical ideals of ministry, and to conduct his spiritual leadership based on these ideals. Such is the kind of ministry that God will work through to accomplish his purposes on this earth. And this is the kind of ministry that will be rewarded with God’s approval rather than his strict judgment.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2000, Stanley Baker</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>