Leadership: Principles and Practices by Biblical Stewardship

Considering the Cost of Biblical Leadership

The cost of Bibilical Leadership calls us, through God, to go deeper and wider with Him… are we willing to surrender our way to the Father? It means a willingness to have our Father intervene, even to the extent of having life plans messed up/crushed/remade with the Master’s Hand. This remolding process can make biblical leaders vulnerable, take what others would consider risks, and even face failure of being misunderstood, sometimes rejected. Understanding stewardship as a precept to biblical leadership includes practicing discipleship and trusting real ministry is lived on the Jericho Road.

I’ve presented various topics here under Ministry Development to CEF staff across the USA. Most of these topics and/or articles can also be found at the Stewardship series. Today, I’d like to present some principles and practices of biblical leadership.

Choosing to walk this road, although easy to change your mind before taking those first steps, the Jericho Road is a front-porch view into the life of the poor, brokenness, stagnation, and loneliness of others. It allows us to see and experience the Father’s Heart. Consider the following Bible passages in understanding the cost to biblical leadership:

1. Commitment: Luke 9:23, 59, 62 Following Christ, not turning back, learn and discipling others
2. Collaboration: Luke 10:1-23 Jesus taught/conveyed His plan for real ministry and indigenous leadership
3. Compassion: Luke 10:30 Good Samaritan teaching on true sacrifice for the hurting and needy
4. Crying out: Luke 18:35 Jesus healing the blind
5. Transforming the marketplace: Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus had his heart saved and changed which transformed his city
6. Faith: Hebrews 11:30 Trust is experienced by doing what God has said: bringing down walls of Jericho
7. Prayer: Luke 10:5-6 Praying in the manifold presence of Christ with His blessing, peace, and the atmosphere of God’s Kingdom in cities, communities, and homes where you minister.

Practices of Biblical Leaders

• Has a vision worth following

A leader needs a vision which lasts beyond today. There needs to be an element of faith and risk to motivate followers. The vision needs to take people somewhere they want to go, but aren’t sure how to get there. It needs to be a “bigger” reality than people are experiencing today. (Do I have to make that point for Jesus?)

• Willing to lead the way

A leader who is easy to follow is willing to go first. They pave the way. (Jesus went first. He suffered first. He challenged the tired, worn out system first. Others could follow, because He led by example.)

• Remains steadfast with integrity

A leader stays the course and keeps his or her character in tact. Followers know they can depend on the, resolve, strength and fortitude of the leader during the darkest hours. (Jesus remained sinless all the way to the Cross!)

• Displays grace and patience

A leader extends grace and forgiveness when mistakes are made. They pace the team until the team is ready for greater challenges. They equip the team with the proper training and resources to complete assignments. (Jesus gave His disciples, and everyone He met, much grace.)

• Challenges followers with high expectations

People want to follow someone who sets the bar for achievement high. There’s no intrinsic value in following easy-to-attain goals. (Jesus pushed the disciples beyond what they thought they could do. Recall Peter walking on water?)

• Practices consistent humility as a servant

A leader should display humility and be a servant of others, especially those he or she is supposed to be leading. (Jesus washed the disciples feet.)

• Places energy into others

A leader consistently invest in other people. They give real authority and responsibility as they encourage and develop other leaders. They even replace themselves in key positions. (Jesus sent the disciples out and He’s left His church in our hands.)

Principles of Servant Leadership

If you value people in the city, then you will make intentional decisions to build long-term empowering relationships.  Intentionally doing so will allow you to cross cultural barriers and build community by listening to others, investing stewardship of resources, while also enriching the life/testimony of the surrendered servant.  Knowing (awareness) of people within the city helps cultivate an appreciation of their diversity, which enriches and broadens their own visions, ideas, and ministries.  A servant leader will make deliberate decisions to ensure commitment to growth of indigenous resources as well as the foresight, through prayer, in the utilization of those resources.

Invest in people. Pour yourself into those that God sends your way by taking what He poured into you and reinvest it into others.  It may take fifteen years to develop indigenous urban leadership.  Empathy is absolutely necessary in healing and implementation of effective and sustainable ministry within a community. Trust built through this healing process can provide opportunity for mentoring/discipleship of city kids towards becoming world changers in their community and beyond.

Leaders who pray with their city: A Closing Prayer

Gracious Lord, the Lord that invites us to be honored enough to work alongside others through the help of Jesus Christ, the creative God who created all creatures on earth including the tall pine trees in our state. The creative God who created diversity among humankind on earth, where there are all kinds of shapes, sizes, ages, skin colors, and languages.

You sent Your Son to earth, to Galilee, a small marginalized town on the outskirts of a major city, this earth, where He saved us from our sins. Jesus, you were born into a human body among a marginalized and oppressed nation, and from there you started your ministry to those that were on the outskirts – the women, the nonreligious, the people that nobody considered to be important. There are so many which we reach and love called “city kids”, those we are allowed to minister through Child Evangelism Fellowship.

We call and depend on the power of Your resurrection, the entire world and mankind of the changed/unchanged. Thank God you have blessed us to live and be stewards to your creation, allowing us to realize Your Kingdom on earth. Fully realizing, we will be judged not by the amount of power, prestige, and bank accounts, but where we will be judged rightly on how we treat mankind (as children and poor) on this earth by our love.