The Leadership Challenge

Leadership or the lack of it is experienced by

everyone in daily life.
Christian leaders carry an extra burden. If they fail,
they not only fail people but the Lord.
If hope is to be found it is when Christians
understand God’s design for spiritual leadership.
Do you see yourself as a leader?

Why?

Or

Why not?
 Your experience

What leaders have had an impact you personally

either positively or negatively? In what ways?
What leadership roles have you been assigned? Were
they frustrating or fulfilling roles? Why?
 Today’ Leadership Pressures

Technology is both a blessing a curse: faxes, cell

phones, email provide instant access to leaders.
Today’s leaders are under the pressure to make rapid
decisions.
Leaders of today do not have the luxury to ponder
and delay many decisions.
Today’s leaders are faced with making many more
decisions than leaders past.
 Venues of Leadership

Politics: Is it harder to be a politician or a

statesman?
Business: Besides the paycheck, why do you continue
working where you work? How do you provide
meaning and significance to those you lead?
Church: What are the leadership needs of the church
today? How have churches changed in the past 50
years?
 Secular or Spiritual

Do principles found in secular books and seminars

apply to God’s people?
What are the differences between secular and
biblical leadership principles?
Are you following secular or biblical leadership
principles? How can you justify your answer?
 God or the World

Our deficit is that too few leaders understand and

practice Christian leadership principles.
The world needs businesspeople who know how to
apply their faith in a boardroom as well as a Bible
study.
 Who are our Spiritual Leaders?

Leadership is not restricted to just pastors and

missionaries.
All Christians are responsible
Every Christian can make a difference
We must distinguish between the latest leadership
fads and timeless spiritual truths established by
God’s Word.
 2 Chronicles 16:9a

“The eyes of the Lord move to and

fro throughout the earth that He
may strongly support those whose
heart is completely His.”
 Points to Ponder

What biblical leadership principles are you

currently using?
What challenges do you face as you seek to lead in
a Christian manner?
 What is Spiritual Leadership?

Write your own definition of Spiritual Leadership

Then later you can compare your definition to others
on leadership and spiritual leadership provided in
course.
 What is leadership?

Leadership is the process of persuasion or example

by which an individual (or leadership team) induces
a group to pursue objectives held by the leader or
shared by the leader and his followers.
- John W. Gardner – On Leadership
 What is leadership?

“Leadership over human beings is exercised when

persons with certain motives and purposes mobilize,
in competition or conflict with others institutional,
political, psychological and other resources so as to
arouse, engage and satisfy the motives of followers.”
- James MacGregor Burns, Leadership
 What is leadership?

“Leadership is influence, the ability of one person to

influence another.”
- Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership
 What is leadership?

“A Christian leader is someone who is called by God

to lead; leads with and through Christ like character;
and demonstrates the functional competencies that
permit effective leadership to take place.”
- George Barna, Leaders on Leadership
 What is leadership?

“The central task of leadership is influencing God’s

people towards God’s purpose.”
- Robert Clinton, The Making of a Leader
 What does spiritual mean?

Paul wrote of people in three categories:

1. Psuckikos: natural man – unregenerate (1 Cor 2:14; Jas 3:15)
2. Pneumatikos: spiritual man – regenerate (Eph 5:18-20)
3. Sarkikos: carnal man – regenerate but walking as if natural,
according to the flesh. (1 Cor 3:1-4)

1 Cor 2:2-13 – The Spirit of God is given to us so that we can

understand/know the truths from God. We try and put these
spiritual truths from God into spiritual (not worldly) words.
 Spiritual Leadership

What is the opposite of the carnal man?

Answer: A Christian
 Spiritual Leadership

Considering what we have learned from Scripture a

definition of spiritual leadership might be:

“The attitude and practice of guiding and influencing

those who follow, based on biblical principles as
found in the word of God.
 A New Definition (Irreducible Essence)

“Spiritual Leadership is moving people on to God’s

agenda.”
- Henry Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership

NOTE: Spiritual leadership is not the same thing as

leadership in general. While the two may share
many of the same principles, spiritual leadership has
certain distinctive qualities which must be
understood and practices if spiritual leaders are to be
successful.
 Five Truths of Spiritual Leaders

1. The spiritual leader’s task is to move people from

where they are to where God wants them to be.
2. Spiritual leaders depend on the Holy Spirit.
3. Spiritual leader are accountable to God.
4. Spiritual leaders can influence all people, not just
God’s people.
5. Spiritual leaders work from God’s agenda.
 Key to Spiritual Leadership

The key to spiritual leadership is for leaders to

understand God’s will for them and for their
organizations. Leaders then move people to follow
God’s agenda and to accomplish God’s
 Points to Ponder

How are you moving people on to God’s agenda?

How do you rely on the Holy Spirit for your
leadership?
How does your accountability to God affect how you
lead?
How is God using you to accomplish His will among
unbelievers?
How has your personal agenda interfered with
achieving God’s agenda?