Throughout the ages, God has been moving mankind toward an
intended end, one with an eschatological hope. Ever since the Fall of mankind
(Gen. 3), the story of mankind has been one of God revealing himself to man,
with the intention to reconcile them back to himself (2 Cor. 5:19). What he
(God) has, is a divine agenda (Howell, p.300). The Fall necessitated a rescue
plan (Gen. 3:16), predetermined before time began and realized in the sacrifice
of God’s Son for mankind (Jn. 3:16), a once for all sacrifice (Heb. 10:1-18)
that would grant mankind the gift of eternal life and justification for the
stain of sin.
With this in mind, leaders who are servants of the King,
embrace the high calling to proclaim the saving truth of the Gospel (1 Cor. 15)
and with a willing heart, seek to fulfill the Great Commission mandate to
reach, teach and make disciples (Mat. 28:19-20). This is the praxis of theology
and leadership realized. Howell (2016) uses Paul as an example leader who,
having internalized the divine agenda of God for his people regularly
“reaffirmed the mission’s core value and message, and contextualized the
message” in order to avoid “mission ambiguity, mission drift, and mission
confusion” (p. 301). Paul’s modus operandi is a reminder of whose mission it is
– God’s. It is his mission, his people, and while there may be benefits along
the way for his under-shepherds, the mission remains one of self-sacrifice,
with seasons of suffering.
