THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

 THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

Goal: Arrive at a biblical model for Christian leadership that fits the context in which you are working. (Note, when you see "Micronesia" or "Micronesian," substitute your own context.)

Be able to compare and contrast the class definition of leadership with a baseline definition.

Class definition of leadership (for a Christian organization or church): A leader is a godly servant who knows where he is going and inspires and equips others to follow.

Baseline definition of leadership: Leadership is the skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward goals identified as being for the common good of the group.

THE BIBLICAL TEACHING ON LEADERSHIP - Matthew 20:20-28

According to Jesus, how do worldly leaders use power in leadership?

They use it to dominate, lord it over, or enforce their will over others.

They use their high position to exercise power over others.

The goal for people using the worldly leadership model is to grab or try to get power, go for titles or take high positions over others, even over friends (like Jesus’ friends, James and John, tried to do).

Jesus called this the Gentile model of leadership; it is leadership from the top-down; it is hierarchical.

THE GENTILE MODEL OF LEADERSHIP

THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

Goal: Arrive at a biblical model for Christian leadership that fits the Micronesian context.

Be able to compare and contrast the class definition of leadership with a baseline definition.

Class definition of leadership (for a Christian organization or church): A leader is a godly servant who knows where he is going and inspires and equips others to follow.

Baseline definition of leadership: Leadership is the skill of influencing people to work enthusiastically toward goals identified as being for the common good of the group.

THE BIBLICAL TEACHING ON LEADERSHIP - Matthew 20:20-28

According to Jesus, how do worldly leaders use power in leadership?

They use it to dominate, lord it over, or enforce their will over others.

They use their high position to exercise power over others.

The goal for people using the worldly leadership model is to grab or try to get power, go for titles or take high positions over others, even over friends (like Jesus’ friends, James and John, tried to do).

Jesus called this the Gentile model of leadership; it is leadership from the top-down; it is hierarchical.

THE GENTILE MODEL OF LEADERSHIP

This is what the Gentile style of leadership looks like. Gentile leaders use their high position of leadership to influence people under them by using power, control, domination, and sometimes even intimidation to force people to accomplish team goals and objectives. They get things done by using power over others.

His way is position-less, title-less.

His way depends on influence and self-sacrifice.

His way is servant leadership; it accomplishes work with people, not over people.

His way is leadership from the bottom up; an upside-down model with the leader at the bottom serving others above him.

2

THE SERVANT MODEL OF LEADERSHIP

This is what the Servant style of leadership looks like. Servant leaders use authority, not power, to influence people under them by serving them. The leader’s role in the servant model is not to use power to lord it over the next layer down, but to serve the people over him, especially those in the next immediate layer up by (1) identifying what they need, (2) helping them get what they need, and (3) removing the obstacles that would stop their progress, so they can accomplish the group goals.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POWER AND AUTHORITY

Power is the ability to force or pressure someone to do your will, even if they don’t want to, simply because of your position as a leader or because of the strength of your personality.

Power is an ability; it can be bought and sold, given and taken away; people can be put into positions of power whether they have skill or not.

Power eventually destroys relationships.

Authority is the skill of getting people to willingly do your will because of your personal influence with them.

Authority can never be bought or sold, given or taken away.

Authority is about who you are as a person, your character, and the influence you have built with your people over time and the credibility, respect, and trust from those relationships.

People cannot be put into positions of authority; they grow into those positions with time because of their character and influence in relationships.

PRACTICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TWO MODELS

Which model do most Christian leaders use, the Gentile model? Or the servant model?

Most Christian leaders want the spiritual authority that comes with a proper use of the servant leadership model, but they eventually slide back into the Gentile model whenever they start using power to try and get spiritual authority.

People who rely on power do so when their authority breaks down, when they run out of time and need to get something done quickly, or when they realize they didn’t really have any authority to begin with. This happens easier when their character cracks and breaks.

3

What makes a person’s character crack and break?

Lack of spiritual depth.

Studies show that church members want their pastoral leaders to be spiritually deep people whom they can respect and trust. But the same studies show that most church members do not respect or trust their pastoral leaders. The reason is because many pastoral leaders have compromised themselves; they have substituted living with spiritual integrity with something else.

What does it mean to be spiritually deep?

When we talk about being spiritually deep, what we’re talking about is personal integrity.

What is a good definition of personal integrity?

Personal integrity is consistently living your life based on biblical truths and godly values. Personal integrity is personal holiness, personal godliness.

Personal integrity is the same thing as personal character.

KEY TRUTH

Living a life of high personal integrity is the source of a leader’s authority.

A leader’s personal integrity is shown in the example of how he lives his life.

THREE KEY LESSONS TO LEARN FROM HEBREWS 13:7

1. The authority your people give you is directly related to how much transformation the Word of God is producing in your life.

2. If your people can observe your changed life, and if your life consistently matches what you teach from God’s Word, then your followers will want to follow you.

3. The impact you have as a leader in the lives of your people lies in the respect and integrity that your lifestyle earns for you, not on what your position or status demands for you; the result is that they will want to imitate your life, follow you as a leader, and give you spiritual authority.

APPLICATIONS:

1. Which style of leadership have you observed being used in the Micronesian church?

2. What sacrifices would you have to make by chosing the servant model of leadership?

3. In Micronesia, you show respect and give honor to your elders. Don’t stop doing that. I’m not saying you should stop showing respect and giving honor to your elders. What I am saying is that if you are a leader, or when you become a church leader, make a decision in your heart that you are going to earn respect and honor form others by living a godly lifestyle, not by demanding respect and honor form others because of your position, age, or status.

HOMEWORK

Compare and contrast the Gentile style of leadership modeled by King Rehoboam in 1 Kings 11:41 - 12:20 with the Servant style of leadership modeled by Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:5-8.

This is what the Gentile style of leadership looks like. Gentile leaders use their high position of leadership to influence people under them by using power, control, domination, and sometimes even intimidation to force people to accomplish team goals and objectives. They get things done by using power over others.

His way is position-less, title-less.

His way depends on influence and self-sacrifice.

His way is servant leadership; it accomplishes work with people, not over people.

His way is leadership from the bottom up; an upside-down model with the leader at the bottom serving others above him.

2

THE SERVANT MODEL OF LEADERSHIP

This is what the Servant style of leadership looks like. Servant leaders use authority, not power, to influence people under them by serving them. The leader’s role in the servant model is not to use power to lord it over the next layer down, but to serve the people over him, especially those in the next immediate layer up by (1) identifying what they need, (2) helping them get what they need, and (3) removing the obstacles that would stop their progress, so they can accomplish the group goals.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN POWER AND AUTHORITY

Power is the ability to force or pressure someone to do your will, even if they don’t want to, simply because of your position as a leader or because of the strength of your personality.

Power is an ability; it can be bought and sold, given and taken away; people can be put into positions of power whether they have skill or not.

Power eventually destroys relationships.

Authority is the skill of getting people to willingly do your will because of your personal influence with them.

Authority can never be bought or sold, given or taken away.

Authority is about who you are as a person, your character, and the influence you have built with your people over time and the credibility, respect, and trust from those relationships.

People cannot be put into positions of authority; they grow into those positions with time because of their character and influence in relationships.

PRACTICAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TWO MODELS

Which model do most Christian leaders use, the Gentile model? Or the servant model?

Most Christian leaders want the spiritual authority that comes with a proper use of the servant leadership model, but they eventually slide back into the Gentile model whenever they start using power to try and get spiritual authority.

People who rely on power do so when their authority breaks down, when they run out of time and need to get something done quickly, or when they realize they didn’t really have any authority to begin with. This happens easier when their character cracks and breaks.

3

What makes a person’s character crack and break?

Lack of spiritual depth.

Studies show that church members want their pastoral leaders to be spiritually deep people whom they can respect and trust. But the same studies show that most church members do not respect or trust their pastoral leaders. The reason is because many pastoral leaders have compromised themselves; they have substituted living with spiritual integrity with something else.

What does it mean to be spiritually deep?

When we talk about being spiritually deep, what we’re talking about is personal integrity.

What is a good definition of personal integrity?

Personal integrity is consistently living your life based on biblical truths and godly values. Personal integrity is personal holiness, personal godliness.

Personal integrity is the same thing as personal character.

KEY TRUTH

Living a life of high personal integrity is the source of a leader’s authority.

A leader’s personal integrity is shown in the example of how he lives his life.

THREE KEY LESSONS TO LEARN FROM HEBREWS 13:7

1. The authority your people give you is directly related to how much transformation the Word of God is producing in your life.

2. If your people can observe your changed life, and if your life consistently matches what you teach from God’s Word, then your followers will want to follow you.

3. The impact you have as a leader in the lives of your people lies in the respect and integrity that your lifestyle earns for you, not on what your position or status demands for you; the result is that they will want to imitate your life, follow you as a leader, and give you spiritual authority.

APPLICATIONS:

1. Which style of leadership have you observed being used in the Micronesian church?

2. What sacrifices would you have to make by chosing the servant model of leadership?

3. In Micronesia, you show respect and give honor to your elders. Don’t stop doing that. I’m not saying you should stop showing respect and giving honor to your elders. What I am saying is that if you are a leader, or when you become a church leader, make a decision in your heart that you are going to earn respect and honor form others by living a godly lifestyle, not by demanding respect and honor form others because of your position, age, or status.

HOMEWORK

Compare and contrast the Gentile style of leadership modeled by King Rehoboam in 1 Kings 11:41 - 12:20 with the Servant style of leadership modeled by Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:5-8.