The Bible is filled with examples of great and not-so-great leaders and there are powerful leadership principles in both the Old and New Testaments. In this document, however, I focus mainly on New Testament Leadership because it is so radically different from secular leadership. Much of the leadership discussion in today’s church is based more upon secular ideas rather than the New Testament, and this needs to be corrected by a careful look at God’s Word!
Before we look at characteristics specific to New Covenant leadership, let’s view some leadership principles found in both the Old and New Testaments:
· Leading is a matter of the heart. It starts with the heart (1 Samuel 13:14/Acts 13:22, 1 Samuel 16:7, Psalm 78:72, etc., and is marked by obedience from the heart (Acts 13:22).
· Leading is the result of God’s call and is accomplished through the Holy Spirit’s anointing.
· Leading is always done in community with other leaders. This principle is much clearer and more prominent in the New Testament, but it’s still present in the Old Testament. Despite our tendency to think of OT leaders as “loners,” Moses had Aaron, Miriam, and Joshua and the 70 elders leading with him; Elijah and Elisha had schools of prophets around them, David had Nathan and other counselors, etc. It’s best to think of biblical leadership in terms of a leading from within a community of people in mutual submission to one another rather than a “one man/woman show.”
The Bible records a huge shift in how leaders lead with the beginning of the New Covenant.
· The nature of the people being led was radically changed by the New Covenant.
· New Covenant leaders are leading people who have the same relationship with God that the leader has. They lead people who can hear God in the same way they do.
· Nowhere in the New Testament are God’s people told to follow anyone except Jesus or the Holy Spirit. The leaders and people are to follow God together as a listening, loving community.
This doesn’t mean that New Testament leaders don’t “lead” in some way, but their goal and how they lead is radically different from secular leadership. Let’s look at some of these key differences via some of the key leadership passages in the New Testament.
Love Above All Else
John 13:34-35 (Wuest Translation) A commandment, a new one, I am giving you, that you should be constantly loving one another with a divine and self-sacrificial love; even as I loved you, you also be loving one another. In this all shall know that you are my disciples, if you constantly have love for one another. (Consider, too, the Apostle Paul’s many outpourings of love for his readers….)
We may forget that this is the most important characteristic of a New Testament leader. Those who lead must, above all else, truly love those they lead. Leaders in the church must constantly be asking themselves, “Do those I serve know by experience that I love them as Christ loves them?” One of the best ways to get accurate answers to this question is to ask this question of those you lead and those who lead with you. Willingness to deeply listen and to receive feedback, even hard-to-hear feedback, is one of the most important marks of a New Testament leader.
Serving Most of All
Mark 9:33-35 (NIV) They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
Mark 10:42-45 (NIV) Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” See also Matt. 20:25-28 & 23:8-12, Luke 22:24-27, John 13:1-17.
2 Corinthians 4:5 (NRSV) For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. See also Peter’s similar words in 1 Peter 5:1-4.
Jesus draws a very clear, impossible-to-miss, distinction between New Covenant leaders and leaders in this world. NT leaders are servants (Greek = “slaves”) above all else. They are not the boss, the top dog, the master, etc., but the servant. A good question for a leader to ask those s/he leads is, “How can I serve you?” or “How well am I serving those who have been entrusted to me?”
Character not Charisma or Charisms (gifting)
Acts 6:3 (NIV) Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them. (Note that “full of the Spirit” refers as much to the fruit of the Spirit—character—as it does to the gifts of the Spirit).
1 Timothy 3:1-7 (NIV) Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. (See also 1 Timothy 3:8-13, Titus 1:6-8)
In the New Testament, proven character is the primary qualifier for leaders. This is because NT leaders were called to lead by modeling and by the influence of their proven character. Paul pointed to his character and his example many times. He would say with confidence, “All of you know…” (my character, and my good example, my hard work, etc.). Consider his words in Acts 20:18-19 (NIV) “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.” (See also, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12, 1 Timothy 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:10-15) Paul also said confidently, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1). We could list many more Scriptures, of course, but the bottom line is that New Covenant leaders are those who are able to say with confidence, “Come, hang out with me, get to know me. Treat your spouse the way I treat mine. Treat others the way I treat them. Handle your finances the way I handle mine. Imitate my life as I imitate Jesus.”
Marked by Humility, Kindness and Gentleness
Matthew 23:1-12 (NIV) Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Philippians 2:5-8 (NRSV) Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.
2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NIV) And the Lord's servant (slave) must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
Humility may be a given in the light of what we have said about being a servant and about character, but I highlight it because Jesus highlighted it. In the passage from Matthew, Jesus draws a sharp contrast between His followers and those “leaders” who craved human attention and respect. The Apostle Paul echoes this thought in Philippians where he urges all followers of Jesus to live with the same attitude of humility that Jesus displayed. Then, in his later letter to Timothy, Paul fleshes out what humble, servant leadership looks like: It is marked by kindness to everyone and gentleness even to those who oppose the leader.
Humility, gentleness and kindness, however, do not preclude our leading with confidence nor the proper exercise of authority. Let’s look at New Testament authority.
The Authority of A Parent for the Purpose of Building Up
2 Corinthians 10:7-11 (NIV) You are judging by appearances. If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority (ἐξουσία) the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it. I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.
2 Corinthians 13:10 (NRSV) So I write these things while I am away from you, so that when I come, I may not have to be severe in using the authority (ἐξουσία) that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Philemon 1:8-9 (NIV) Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order (ἐπιτάσσειν) you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. (Paul puts deliberately lays aside his authority because he knew that coercion never serves Kingdom purposes nor helps relationships.)
Titus 2:15 (NIV) These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority (ἐπιταγή—"strong command”) Do not let anyone despise you.
Paul doesn’t mention authority very often in his letters, but when he does, he is remarkably consistent in referring to authority as given by the Lord for the purpose of building others up. (Even the strong words to Titus to exercise the authority Paul had delegated to him are in the context of building others up). Paul’s authority was rooted in his calling, his integrity and in his relationship as a spiritual parent. Consider:
1 Thessalonians 2:1-13 (NIV) You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority (βάρος). Instead, we were like young children among you. [NET: “although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became little children among you.”] Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
Like leadership, authority is rarely mentioned in the New Testament. This may seem remarkable to those who live in human cultures built on hierarchy and coercive authority. But the New Covenant is about family, about relationships, about serving together and submitting to one another. This means that no matter what word is used for authority in the New Testament, the purpose for its exercise is always to build up and serve. It is rooted, of course, in the servant mindset Jesus described for those who lead in His Kingdom. NT authority is mostly hidden in the background, is based on character and love for others and is exercised in order to serve.
Leading from within the Community
Acts 13:1-3 (NIV 1984) In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
Because a New Covenant leader is hearing God with the people, not for the people, leaders lead from within a listening community. One the goals of New Testament leaders is to raise up those who are indeed led by the Spirit, who are internally motivated, guided by the Spirit rather than controlled by men. Leading as a part of listening community is one of the ways that NT leaders model and teach these things.
As we noted in the beginning, Old Testament leaders also led from within a community but in the New Testament leading as part of a community was a given. Jesus sent the disciples out two-by-two (as a small community). Paul felt it odd to be alone in Athens (Acts 17). Paul always traveled with an apostolic band. Barnabas and Saul (Paul) were sent out as a community by the community (Acts 13 referenced above). Later, in Acts 15 we see Paul and Barnabas submitting their teaching to the community of leaders in Jerusalem. Leading from a community as a community seems to fly in the face of the individualistic leadership models so common in the US church, doesn’t it? I wonder how you and I can help shift our church culture to better match New Testament leading from/as a community….
A Summary of Some New Testament Leadership Truths
Here are a few truths about NT Leadership. New Testament leading is about…
· Being a servant more than a supervisor and certainly not ever as merely a “boss.”
· Leading from among and “below,” not from above.
· Leading a family, not a flock of sheep (the shepherd passages in the NT are about how we care for folks not about leading a bunch of helpless, mindless animals).
· Being a brother, sister, father, or mother not being a CEO. Submission in the New Testament is mutual and is based on a family paradigm.
· Empowering, not controlling.
· Releasing, not restricting.
· Equipping more than accomplishing.
· Invitation not coercion or compulsion.
· Influencing by means of character, trustworthiness and serving, not position (“positions” don’t exist in His Kingdom except the position of all believers as God’s beloved children and servants of God and one another J).
