Who Do You Want to Follow? A glance around the evangelical landscape today offers a wide variety of leadership models and styles: entrepreneurs, kings, rock stars, motivational speakers, armchair psychologists, and modern-day monks. You would have to look much harder to find a simple servant.
Brothers, We Are Not Rock Stars Everyone wants a piece of today’s A-listers. They’re wanted by book publishers, conference organizers, and adoring fans everywhere. In certain circles, some of them have trouble getting around without being noticed… Just to be clear, I’m not talking about Hollywood, Nashville, or Washington, D.C.
Leadership 101 Our society often judges people by what they do, not by their character. When it comes to choosing heroes and leaders, style often outweighs substance. Sordid personal lives and all sorts of off-the-field antics are commonly overlooked—it is performance, not principle, that counts…
Brothers, We Are Not Monks Pastoral ministry is hard. Period. So it makes sense to me that when pastors get a taste of difficulty, they want to run away, fast. Frankly, it’s not an overstatement to say that apart from a divine calling, pastoral ministry isn’t all that attractive on its own. Who wants the grief, the pain, the distress, the discomfort? As Charles Schulz quipped through the Peanuts character Linus, “I love humanity; it’s people I can’t stand.”…
Leadership Is Work Can you imagine rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls—as recorded in Nehemiah—under modern leadership models?
Leadership in 3D People often compare pastoral ministry to the work of a surgeon. Both require intense study, disciplined training, and a deep concern for the health and growth of others…
A Countercultural Model for Leadership The secular first-century archetype of leadership was, of course, the Roman emperor. Every culture under Rome’s influence was dominated by autocratic leaders and despotic leadership structures. Political rulers, military commanders, slave masters, heads of households, and even the priests and teachers of religion were all variations on the same theme. Authority was generally administered with an iron fist.
The Original Model for Godly Leadership Much like in today’s “me first” society, self-absorption was one of the defining characteristics of Roman culture. Self-improvement, self-promotion, and self-aggrandizement were the pillars of its social structure. Self-sacrifice was a foreign concept.
The Maternal Aspect of Godly Leadership When you think of the apostle Paul, what comes to mind? Is it his bold faithfulness in the face of persecution? His bravery to preach the truth to any and every audience? His warrior-like passion for God’s Word and His people?
The Paternal Aspect of Godly Leadership The pattern of servant leadership didn’t originate in the New Testament. It was woven into the fabric of creation, all the way back to the original relationship the Lord designed and established between Adam and Eve.
Loyal Leadership In leadership and in life, loyalty is one of the great, essential virtues. We often forget that simple truth in the cynical age in which we live. Our society is so rife with corrupt leaders and so hostile to the concept of authoritative truth that loyalty is often perceived as a weakness rather than a merit.
Discerning Leadership The language of warfare is sprinkled throughout the apostle Paul’s writing, especially where it relates to leadership. He urged Timothy to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). And he commanded believers to take up the armor of God (1 Thessalonians 5:8) and prepare for battle. His life was a spiritual war as he combatted false teaching and religious error.
Truth2Freedom's Blog 