Recently, I've been studying leadership and what it looks like in a Biblical context. It's been challenging and at times convicting to me. Usually, I shy away from any sort of leadership or any sort of chance to put myself in the spotlight but recently God has been putting it on my heart to do more and to step up as a leader. So, here's what I've learned about being a leader.
Sometimes the best leader isn't the most qualified. Thankfully Jesus changed the world with common fishermen. These men were uneducated about the religious ideas of the day. Their goal was to catch as many fish as possible so that they could eat and sell them for profit. That was their life. Then Jesus comes on the scene and tells them that they will be fishers of men. Jesus took 12 ordinary, common, uneducated men and changed the world with them. They were unqualified for leadership in the world's eyes, but in God's eyes, they were willing, therefore, they were usable as leaders. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
Today's best leaders were yesterday's best servants. If you look at the life of Jesus, He served others, therefore, they noticed something different about Him which led to people becoming interested in what He had to say. Jesus is the ultimate example of what it means to be a servant leader. Servants make sacrifices due to their positions and the best leaders know what it means to sacrifice for the good of the group they are leading. Jesus is the best example of this by the way He gave up His life in exchange for our salvation.
The best leaders help develop other leaders. The best marking of an effective leader isn't how successful his group is. It's how he's multiplying himself. If we look at the story of Jesus once again, His ultimate goal was to create followers of Himself. He did this by teaching people what to do, showing them how to do it, and then giving opportunities to do what He had taught. This created people of the same mindset as Him and therefore the same goal as Him. He created other people like Him.
With all this being said, there are no perfect leaders. The only perfect leader in the history of humanity is the person I talk so much about, Jesus. He is the best example of what a leader is supposed to be. Sacrificial, willing, and having a heart of multiplying what He knew into those who chose to follow Him. Much love and God bless.
