In Part One of this two-part article, I’ll talk about why a Christian Leader needs a Christian Worldview and then discuss several Biblical Leader Qualities. In Part Two I’ll discuss Biblical Leaders from the Old and New Testament.
One of the core values of the International Baptist Church Ministries is “We value Christian Leadership”. This means we emphasize Christian Leadership for our board leadership that is focused on Jesus Christ and Spirit-empowered. As members of the IBCM Board we are devoted followers of Christ and wholeheartedly dedicated to His mission. We envision that the true goal of a Christian leader is to honor and praise God with their whole being. A Christian leader serves as a representative of Christ and His Gospel, professing to follow Christ (Philippians 3:10-11). The true purpose of Christian leadership is to love God and love people.
Christian Worldview
According to Christian literature, Christians are called to have a Christian or biblical worldview. Cosgrove (2006) provides an appropriate definition for worldview as a “set of assumptions or beliefs about reality and human nature that affect how we think and how we live.” (p. 63). A biblical worldview provides the lens for a Christian to live their life according to the Word of God. The importance of a biblical worldview is relevant for living in a fallen world. Understanding the Christian worldview is essential for a Christian to live a Christ-like life (Pearcey, 2004). If they do not have a Christian, worldview individuals can unknowingly embrace nonbiblical viewpoints and beliefs (Pearcey, 2004, p. 44).
The Christian worldview is the general and special revelation of God, Jesus Christ the Savior, the Holy Spirit, and the doctrine of Imago Dei. A Christian leader should look at all people they lead as created Imago Dei and that the image is created in Jesus Christ. A Christian or biblical worldview is a map for a Christian leader to find their way in a world of uncharted territory (Bolsinger, 2015). Smith (2015) theorizes that a Christian leader should have a biblical worldview based on Scripture and revealed truth. The impetus for a Christian leadership worldview is to live and lead in the world with a Christ-like and Scriptural focus. After establishing a Christian Worldview there are several qualities of a Biblical Leader.
Biblical Leader Qualities
According to Youssef (2013), no leader significantly influences the world more than Jesus Christ and is the ultimate effective leadership model. Bredfeldt (2006) defines a great leader as one who, through a biblical foundation, molds and crafts a leadership style to adapt to people’s needs and lead themselves through biblical guidance. Laniak (2006) explains that the shepherd motif is the fundamental model of leadership and an image of a pastoral ministry basis. Furthermore, he describes the shepherd-leader, shepherd-king, and shepherd-ruler through a biblical and theological analysis of the word shepherd and shepherding (Laniak, 2006). Resane (2014) ascribes specific functions of a shepherd: care and feeding, leading and protecting, restoration, and attending to sheep by grooming, shearing, and delivering lambs. Gunter (2018) indicates that the shepherd metaphor is appropriate and valuable as a motif for depicting the nature, role, and proper leadership roles among God’s people.
A Christian leader, as defined by Malphurs (2003), is someone who is fully committed to their faith in Christ, relying on His strength and guidance, and led by the Holy Spirit. This commitment to faith is not rigid, but rather a dynamic process of learning and growth. A Christian leader first learns to follow Christ before leading others, demonstrating a remarkable adaptability. Similarly, a leader submits to Christ’s authority, and followers submit to the influence of their appointed leaders. Sanders (2007) emphasizes that Christian leaders should use their God-given talents to glorify God and serve the church to fulfill the Great Commission, which is to love God and love people.
Bredfeldt (2006) defines a Christian leader as someone who teaches and leads their people through the Word of God. He believes that the most powerful way to lead God’s people is by teaching them the Word of God. Using a biblical foundation, Bredfeldt (2006) suggests that great leaders adapt their style to the needs of their people and lead through biblical guidance. Howell (2003) emphasizes that the foundation of Christian leadership is the lessons and teachings found in the Bible. George (2003) describes authentic leadership as leading with a servant’s heart filled with passion, inspiration, and compassion.
Sanders (2007) posits that God prepares leaders for a “specific place and task in mind” (p. 60). Sanders (2007) defines spiritual leadership through biblical lessons from figures like David, Moses, Nehemiah, and the Apostle Paul. He also outlines essential qualities of spiritual leaders including discipline, vision, wisdom, decision-making, courage, humility, integrity, humor, anger management, patience, friendship, tact, diplomacy, inspirational power, executive ability, listening, and letter writing. Christian leaders can learn from the leadership lessons of the Bible to understand the necessary principles of Christian leadership (Sanders, 2007).
When a leader loves and puts God first, they find their leadership purpose. The leader’s purpose is to glorify and worship God with their entire Being. It is through the experience of loving God that a leader learns how to love people like Christ. A leader is to imitate and exemplify Christ in their character and leadership.
Dr. Thomas S. Narofsky, President
International Baptist Church Ministries
References
Bolsinger, T. (2015). Canoeing the Mountains: Christian leadership in uncharted territory. Downers Grove, IL. IVP Books
Bredfeldt, G. (2006). Great leader, great teacher: Recovering the biblical vision for Leadership. IL, Moody Publisher.
Cosgrove, M. (2006). Foundations of Christian Thought: Faith, Learning, and the Christian Worldview. Grand Rapids, MI. Kregel Publications
Gunter, N. H. (2018). The Shepherd-Leader Motif as a Pastoral Model for a Globalizing Church. Perichoresis, 16(3), 87–105. DOI.10.2478/perc-2018-0018.
Howell, D. (2003). Servants of the Servant: A biblical theology of Leadership. OR, WIPF & Stock Publishers.
Laniak, T. (2006). Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bible. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
Malphurs, A. (2003). Being Leaders the Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership. Grand Rapids, MI. Bakers Books
Pearcey, N. (2004). Total truth. Liberating Christianity from its cultural captivity. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Smith, J. K. A. (2009). Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Culture Formation. Baker Academic.
Sanders, J.O. (2007). Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer. Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL
Youssef, M. (2013). The Leadership Style of Jesus: How to Make a lasting Impact. Harvest House Publishers. Eugene. OR