Spiritual leadership is intentionally cultivated in the
school of life under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit. It is God who prepares
this kind of leader. Graduates of this
school of leadership become better versions of themselves. When leaders walk in
submission and love for God, they model Jesus’ character (Mk. 1:37-8; Jn.
5:19-20,30). Before making his decisions, Jesus spent time in prayer (Lk. 6:12-13;
Jn. 17:6-7). He understood “it was his Father’s activity and not his own that
was the impetus behind any breakthrough…”[1]
His entire life was spent pursuing the will of his Father (Jn. 5:30). Spiritual
leaders should seek to understand the will of God and allow God-given
directives to set the agenda. This will increase the leader’s capacity to lead
and grow the organization.
How is Christian leadership different from secular
leadership? The difference lies in a relationship. When leaders submit to God,
he uses the crucible of life experiences (home life, failures, crises, personal
struggles and success through hardships) to shape them. Through the Holy Spirit, he equips leaders to accomplish his purposes (Rom. 12:8; Zech. 4:6). Moses
epitomizes God’s use of life experiences (Exod. 3-4; Acts 7:22-5). If the
spiritual leader is to move people on to God’s agenda, then the task will
involve prioritizing the maturation of those in his care to achieve the mission
of God. “It is taking people from where they are to where God wants them to be.”[2]
It is not the achievement of misguided goals that indicate success (church
size, buildings, larger budget). Rather, the goal is spiritual formation. This
big picture is achieved as leaders develop people. They delegate, make
allowance for learning from mistakes and failures, celebrate achievements and
intentionally support others’ efforts. Secular organizations employ
illegitimate sources of influence such as position, power, and personality. In
God’s economy, he is the only legitimate source of influence.
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