I know people who shy away from terms such as leadership when talking about church. One comment I hear is they don’t want us to become too business-like. They believe Christ is the leader of the church and we are simply servants under His command.
While I agree with their assessment of our relationship to Christ, I see leadership throughout the Bible. God’s greatest servants were significant leaders – with significant examples of leadership challenges I face every day.
And, as I read their story, I learn great Biblical principles – but also great leadership principles.
Here are 7 tensions of Biblical leaders:
David – Have you ever fought a giant? Did you ever have to recover from a ruined reputation? Do you know what it’s like to feel like the world is against you?
Joseph – Have you ever prepared for a bleak future? Have you ever been accused of something you didn’t do? Have you ever had to reconcile a broken relationship?
Paul – Has a changing culture ever impacted your leadership? Did you ever have problems getting the established leaders to trust you? Do you allow struggles and opposition to fuel your best work?
Gideon – Ever been in over your head? Do you ever feel you are not prepared to fulfill what you know you have to do? Did you land in a position and – honestly – you’re not sure why?
Moses – Is the weight of your responsibility ever overwhelming? Have you been treated with disloyalty? Is someone else getting to complete the work – and enjoy the benefits – of something you started?
Abraham – Have you ever led a team into an unknown? Do family situations ever distract you from what you feel you must do? Do you ever have to wait?
Noah – Do you ever feel you are standing alone? Does the task in front of you seem impossible? Ever feel you’re on an island where no one understands?
Look over the list and see which of these are most representative of your current leadership tension. Then discover things these Biblical leaders did wrong or did right in handling their challenge.
Perhaps some of the best leadership advice is closer than you think.
