Leadership

A lesson about being a godly church leader.

As you read this lesson, be sure to hover over the the Bible verses to read them or look them up in your own copy of the Bible. When the Bible passage is longer, you need to click on “more” in the bottom right corner of the pop-up window.

Introduction

Welcome! The Bible has much to say about this interesting topic. You may find it helpful to invite a mature Christian from your church to study this topic with you. You may have a lot of questions that are not answered here. Maybe there are ideas here that seem hard to understand. Do not get overwhelmed! You can contact us with any questions that you may have. The elders of your local church can help you as well.

Remember that learning the content about this topic is helpful, but knowing the information will not truly change you. For you to benefit fully from this topic, you must…

• Become born-again by securing a personal relationship with God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith by grace. This information cannot change you until the Holy Spirit of God gives you a new heart that is able to apply it to your life. To begin a personal relationship with God, it is imperative to understand and believe the following:

  • God is separated from you, because He is good, pure, and holy. 1 John 1:5-6

  • You are sinful, impure, and unholy because you do not measure up to God’s holiness. Romans 3:10-12 You are a descendent of Adam and Eve who rebelled against God. Romans 5:19

  • Your sinfulness provokes God’s anger and separates you from Him because He is holy. Romans 5:12 As a result, you deserve to be thrown into the Lake of Fire forever. Revelation 20:14-15

  • God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus is God in the flesh. He lived a sinless life. He was nailed to the cross, shed His blood, and died in your place for your sins. He was buried, rose again, and went to Heaven to prepare a place for all who believe. He will return one day for those who believe. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

  • Only the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is enough for you to be accepted forever by God the Father the moment you believe. John 3:16 God does not accept you on the basis that you try to be a good person and do good works. Romans 4:5 He accepts you fully and forever the moment you abandon your sins and call on Jesus to save you. John 3:36

• As you understand, meditate on, and believe the information presented here about this topic, you must also do what the Bible says. James 1:21-22 Only by trusting and obeying God’s Word regarding this topic will you experience the full benefits of this information. James 1:23-24 Trusting and obeying God’s Word will change you as you learn this. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 You will be happy as a result of your obedience. James 1:25

• Seek and heed the advice of your church leaders regarding this topic. Hebrews 13:17

• Depend upon the Holy Spirit to change you. Galatians 3:1-3 You cannot change without Him enabling you. John 15:5 He will change you in His time and way; but not apart from your faith and obedience to God’s Word. Trust Him to do His work in your heart. Philippians 2:12-13

• Allow the joy that you experience from obeying God’s Word to transform how you interact with others. James 2:12-20

What is Leadership?

• Leadership is a privilege and responsibility given to those whom God calls in word and deed to bring others along to a life of godliness.

• Leaders follow Christ in a way that encourages others to follow Him joyfully and willfully in the same manner.

What Leadership is not:

• Something to pursue for the sake of pride or control.

• Demanding respect from those who follow us. A godly leader will be more concerned about how God sees him than what others perceive. The more we demand and crave to be exalted, the less deserving of respect we truly are.

• Forcing, demanding, or manipulating others to follow us.

• Simply knowing what it takes to lead, but rather, possessing the godly character and habits of a leader.

How do we lead?

We can set an example by:

• Remembering that we will give an account of our leadership to God.

• Being the kind of leader that people desire to follow and emulate.

• Helping others to join us in becoming more like Christ.

• Focusing on character rather than reputation.

• Leading like Christ led- with humility, a servant’s heart, love, mercy, and compassion- while we completely entrust the circumstances and results of our leadership to God.

• Not expecting people to do what we won’t do. Luke 11:46

Why do we lead?

We lead for the sake of God’s reputation.

• We trust God to enable us to represent Him well.

• We value God’s reputation more than our own.

• We serve everyone, knowing that God cares for us all the same.

Who can Lead?

• A leader is one who humbly depends on God for help to be the person others follow to Christ-likeness.

• A leader is one who shows a genuine relationship with God that is formed by integrity. If we do not have integrity, then we are disqualified as leaders.

• A leader is someone whose priorities and plans are in accordance with the Bible.

What is the result of leadership?

• It should lead to God being represented well and people better understanding by faith and obedience who He is.

• It should lead to God being represented accurately, irrelevant to others’ response.

• It should lead to others receiving a clear image of Christ, not giving occasion for others to misunderstand and deny Him.

What are some pitfalls of leadership?

• A temptation toward pride that manifests itself in:

  • Apathy towards God and others.

    • Being uncaring about how God’s name is represented and how people respond to His character.

  • Anger towards God and others.

    • Responding in anger to God and to others when they do not respond properly.

  • Manipulation toward others.

    • Using money or flattery to get people to agree.

    • Using people to accomplish the leader’s goals, rather than serving them.

  • Pouting or having angry outbursts.

    • Beginning to complain and feeling sorry for oneself.

  • Fear

    • Feeling intimidated by others who are better leaders than you.

    • Not trusting others with delegated responsibilities.

    • Feeling you must have a hand in every ministry in order to validate your leadership.

    • Not dealing biblically with a lack of integrity or love.

  • Depression

    • No longer finding joy in being used by God.

    • Focusing on how ministry makes you feel.

  • Cynicism and faithlessness.

    • Thinking that keeping your integrity and serving God is pointless.

    • Not trusting God to do great things in and through your ministry.

  • Overestimating your importance.

    • Feeling you must have first place in everything, even showing false humility to get what you want.

    • Thinking that the ministry would not exist without you.

  • Unwillingness to be transparent.

    • Hiding who you truly are, how you truly feel, or what you truly do in secret to maintain your position.

• A temptation toward a love of money that manifests itself in:

  • Being budget-driven rather than faith-driven.

  • Being focused on obtaining money rather than glorifying God.

  • Not serving those who cannot repay your services.

  • Using ministry to increase your reputation or wealth.

How to avoid pitfalls of leadership.

• Prioritize the Gospel and pursue sanctification daily.

• Pursue love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

• Guard your life and doctrine.

• Meditate on God’s attributes.

• Prepare others for future judgment.

• Anticipate the promise of the New Heavens and the New Earth.

• Grieve over the current and future plight of humanity.

• Manifest God’s heart for people.

Leadership In the Church

As an elder/pastor/overseer/bishop

• 1 Peter 5:1-11

  • An elder/pastor/overseer is a man who eagerly oversees the spiritual welfare of a church according to the will of God by being a humble, servant-minded example to them.

  • He does not oversee the church in order to make money off of the people of God.

  • He enjoys shepherding the church.

  • He does not try to control the church. Rather, he serves it by his example, prayer, love, and ministry of the Word, because he will give an account of his oversight to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

  • In verse 1, Peter calls himself a fellow elder, a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partner of the glory about to be revealed. He encourages the leaders among the refugee believers. Since Peter explained it’s God’s will that we do good and be willing to bear up under grief, now he is giving encouragement to the elders as they bear up under grief from the flock.

  • In verse 2, Peter challenges the elders to shepherd the flock of God that is among them. As they shepherd the flock, they must do so willingly as God does. They are not to shepherd it with an eagerness to make money, but with an eagerness to feed it.

  • In verse 3, Peter says that they are not to oversee the flock like overlords, subjugating those under their leadership. Rather, the elders are to be examples for the flock to follow.

  • In verse 4, Peter says that as the Supreme Shepherd (Jesus) is revealed, elders will receive the perpetual Crown of Glory from Jesus.

  • In verse 5, Peter makes a connection between the elders being servant leaders rather than overlords, and how the young men are to conduct themselves toward one another and their elders. The young men among the church body must count themselves under the authority of the elders. The young men are to see themselves as servants of one another while they care little about themselves, because God sets Himself against high and mighty ones and gives undeserved kindness to the lowly.

  • In verse 6, Peter tells the refugee believers that they must be made low under the forceful hand of God so that He may elevate them in an opportune time.

  • In verse 7, Peter says they humble themselves by throwing every bother upon God, because He concerns Himself about them.

  • In verse 8, Peter says that they must be rational and awake. They need to be alert because the devil seeks to accuse them before the Judge, God. Satan is roaring like a lion as he prowls, seeking after someone to devour.

  • In verse 9, Peter says they must stand against the devil, steadfast in the faith. They understand that their fellow Christians are suffering in the world as well. They know that God is using their mutual incidents of suffering (enacted by Satan) to mature their faith.

  • In verse 10, Peter says that the God of every undeserved kindness will mend, stabilize, strengthen, and ground them. This God of all grace will do this after they have suffered a little bit. He is the One who called them into His eternal glory. He will be faithful to mature them.

  • In verse 11, Peter says that all power belongs to God even unto the end of the ages.

• 1 Timothy 5:17-21

  • Elders who oversee the church well by preaching and teaching the Word of God are worthy of double honor.

  • There must be at least two or three witnesses to verify an accusation against an elder.

  • Men should not prematurely be given the privilege and responsibility of overseeing the church.

  • Now Paul tells Timothy how the church is to honor elders. In verse 17, Paul says that the elders who have managed the church well are deemed worthy of a double portion of financial support. Elders who work hard on messages and teaching are especially worthy of double financial support.

  • In verse 18, Paul says that the reason for this is the scriptural precedent in Deuteronomy 25:4 that says, “You will not muzzle an ox that is threshing”, and when Jesus said in Matthew 10:10, “The worker is worthy of his wage.”

  • In verse 19, Paul emphasizes how Timothy can honor the church by correcting elders with honor. Paul then explains the protocol of dealing with an elder who is accused of sinning instead of managing the church well. Part one of the protocol is that Timothy must not declare the accusation to be true unless there are two or three witnesses.

  • In verse 20, Paul explains part two of the protocol of dealing with an accused elder. Part two is that Timothy must reprimand the elders who are indeed sinning in the presence of the other elders so that the rest of them will be afraid of sinning in the same way.

  • In verse 21, Paul emphasizes how Timothy can honor the church by approving men who are worthy of eldership. Paul thoroughly charges Timothy in front of God, Christ Jesus, and the chosen angels that he must be careful to keep the correct two-part protocol of dealing with an accused elder. Timothy is to be cautious in commissioning a man as an elder. He is to do this without prejudging or having a prior bent toward his own opinion of the potential elder.

• Acts 14:23

  • There should be a team of elders in each church.

• Acts 20:17-36

  • Elders must watch their own and other church member’s hearts to ensure that they are not unbelieving or falling away from the living God. They must be careful to teach others to be true to the Gospel.

• James 5:13-20

  • Elders are to pray over the physically and spiritually sick.

• Titus 1:5-9

  • In verse 5, Paul left Titus in Crete to straighten out for himself the things that still needed to be done. Paul assigned Titus with the task of setting elders in charge in each city.

  • In verse 6, what kind of man was Titus to select to be an elder? The overseer must be unable to be found with wrongdoing. He is to be a man belonging to only one woman. He is to have faithful children who could not be accused of being uncontrollable.

  • In verses 7-8, Paul says an elder looks over the welfare of believers and is known as a faithful manager of God’s people. He must not be self-pleasing, not prone to anger, not controlled by wine, and not looking for trouble. The overseer must not be eager to make a profit by taking advantage of people. Instead, he must be a lover of foreigners and goodness, mindful, not wrapped up in his own world, righteous, devoted to holiness, and in control of himself.

  • In verse 9, the elder must hold tightly to whatever is consistent with the faithful Word, so that he will be able to counsel others with healthy teaching. He must rebuke those who speak against the faithful Word.

• 1 Timothy 3:1-7

  • Now Paul explains that men who want to honor God by overseeing the church must have the necessary character to qualify for such a responsibility.

  • In verse 1, while Paul says women cannot teach or have authority over men in any place that the church gathers for a service, [1 Timothy 2:9-15], he goes on to say here that if a man proactively seeks eldership, it is a good position that he desires.

  • In verse 2, Paul says it is necessary for a man desiring eldership to be inculpable. His character must be of such good quality that he is unable to be found with wrong by anyone:

    • Concerning women, it’s necessary for his character to show that he is a husband owned by only one woman.

    • Concerning thinking clearly, his character must show that he is clear-headed by refusing to cloud his mind with substances.

    • Concerning his ability to control his opinions, his character must show that he is self-controlled in his thoughts, opinions, and passions.

    • Concerning his lifestyle, it is necessary for his appearance and behavior to be orderly.

    • Concerning foreigners and strangers, it is necessary for him to be hospitable.

    • Concerning his responsibility to teach as an overseer, he must be able and willing to teach the Word of God with intentionality.

  • In verse 3, Paul says it is necessary for a potential elder to be qualified and unable to be found with wrong by anyone:

    • Concerning alcohol, that he is not inclined to drink too much wine.

    • Concerning anger, that he is not looking for a fist-fight. Instead, he is flexible and appropriately mild-mannered when dealing with cantankerous people.

    • Concerning money, that he is not in love with wealth.

  • In verse 4, Paul says it is necessary for a potential elder to be qualified and unable to be found with wrong by anyone:

    • Concerning his family, he manages his own household well. He holds his children’s hearts with dignity in such a way that they willingly submit to his management of their household.

  • In verse 5, Paul says a potential elder won’t be able to take care of the church of God if he cannot even take care of his own family.

  • In verse 6, Paul says an overseer of the church cannot be a new believer. To be so could cause him to be arrogant and fall into the judgment of the devil. Pride makes a leader become at odds with God. Sometimes, God allows Satan to be His disciplinary tool to judge the new believer. This can be avoided by not electing a novice as an elder.

  • In verse 7, Paul says it is necessary for a potential elder to have a good testimony even to those outside the church. A bad witness may cause him to fall into severe criticism and be trapped by the devil. That can motivate him to live a double life. All of this would mar the Gospel.

As a deacon/server

• Acts 6:1-7

  • God ordained elders to oversee the spiritual welfare of the church (through prayer and ministry of the Word) rather than be distracted with overseeing how food was distributed to widows; therefore, God ordained deacons for such tasks.

  • Deacons are servers (like waiters) who are men of good reputation and full of the Spirit and of wisdom. They are selected by the church. Philippians 1:1

  • Stephen and Philip are two examples of servers (deacons) in the Bible. You can read about them in Acts, chapters 6-8.

• 1 Timothy 3:8-13

  • In verse 8, Paul explains what character qualities are necessary for a deacon. Servers must be seen as dignified (worthy of respect), not double-talking (deceptive). They aren’t controlled by wine (not a drunkard), and are recognized as men who are not covetous (desirous of unethical profit).

  • In verse 9, Paul says a server must be seen as holding with a clean conscience onto the Gospel. A disciple of Christ should not have unconfessed sin, go against his conscience, or have a conscience that is not accurately informed by the Word of God.

  • In verse 10, Paul says that these men seeking to be servers must be tested and approved first. They are approved by showing that they are unable to be found doing wrong. After emphasizing the need for elders and deacons to be dignified, Paul uses the opportunity to remind the women that they need to be dignified as well if the church is to honor God in its worship.

  • In verse 11, Paul says it is necessary for women to be dignified (worthy of respect). Women in the church must not falsely accuse anyone, especially overseers and servers. They must be clear-headed. They must be reliable in all of their responsibilities as they assist the elders and deacons. After Paul takes a moment to remind the women to be dignified, he now continues his explanation of what qualifies a man to be a server in the church.

  • In verse 12, Paul says servers, like overseers, must be known as husbands belonging to one woman. Servers, like overseers, must manage their children and their own households well.

  • In verse 13, Paul says that as the deacons serve well, they occupy a good position among the overseers and the church. These faithful servers have great confidence in the faith that’s in Christ Jesus. Their faithful reputation helps them to become bold in sharing the Gospel with the lost and the church like Stephen did in Acts 7 and Philip did in Acts 8.

REPRESENTING CHRIST BY Leading

• Remember that we do not exist simply to live for ourselves. We were created to represent God.

• When we lead, it is not about us or those we are leading, primarily. It is about God being represented well in our leadership. His reputation is on the line because we represent Him.

• God wants us to enjoy fellowship with Him. We must demonstrate the importance of enjoying fellowship with God by our leadership.

• If we make it a priority to lead well regularly and biblically, we will become more like Christ and we will represent Him in our leadership.

• When we share the Gospel with people, it shines a light on our lives. If we are not leading well, then we will be tempted to shrink back from sharing the Gospel with those whom we lead and others.

• When we have done everything we can to lead well, it gives us boldness in our faith, which will enable us to be transparent with anyone. Transparency will allow us to be free to let other believers into our lives and disciple them.

• We must let the reputation of God and His love for people motivate us to grow in our ability to lead well.

• The love of Christ is enough to motivate us to make leading well a priority.

Additional Thoughts

• Teamwork

  • Have a team of leaders who have varying gifts, perspectives, skills, personalities, and leadership styles. This will help Christ to be represented more fully through the leadership.

  • How does your interaction with other leaders show that you esteem them as more important than you?

  • How is your team planning ahead to help compensate for each others’ weaknesses?

  • How are you battling the desire to complain about the weaknesses of other leaders?

  • How is your team helping each other to bear with weaknesses?

  • How do you prepare ahead for leadership meetings?

    • Do you supply a meeting agenda?

    • Are you knowledgeable about subjects for discussion in the meeting?

    • Do you arrive early to the meeting so that it can start on time?

    • Are you considerate of other leaders’ time?

    • Do you need to discuss everything in person or could email or WhatsApp be utilized for example?

    • Are you prioritizing your quick, thoughtful, and prompt response to emails/group chats?

• Faithfulness

  • Are you keeping commitments with integrity to completion?

  • Are you dependable?

  • Are you consistent so that others can take you seriously?

  • Do you work half-heartedly or as unto the Lord?

  • Are you following through with your ideas and plans?

  • Do you give full attention to accomplishing a task or do you allow yourself to be distracted?

• Participation

  • Are you contributing to the leadership meetings?

    • Is it evident that you care about the topic?

    • Do you talk too much, dominating the conversation?

    • Are you resistant to new ideas?

    • Do you rush ahead without thinking through ramifications?

• Outworking

  • Would you want to follow a leader who leads like you do?

  • How does your leadership make others feel?

    • Do people truly enjoy following you or are they frustrated with your inconsistency?

    • Do people sense that you care about them or do they see you as inconsiderate?

    • Do people feel team unity or do they feel you are just using them for your own selfish purposes?

    • Do people feel safe to share with you or are they intimidated?

    • Do people feel their input to you is valued or scorned?

    • Do people trust you or do they think that you are fake?

    • Do people see you as a servant or a superior?

Conclusion

Now that you have studied this topic, we encourage you to...

• Ask us or any of your church leaders about any questions or concerns you still have about this topic.

• Pray for yourself to grow in maturity regarding this topic.

• Do your best to practice what you have learned.

• Tell someone else about what you have studied.

• Ask one of your church leaders to help you overcome your weaknesses regarding this topic.

• Teach this subject to others.

• Consider reviewing this topic once each year.

• Commit to growing in this area together with other members of a local church.

• Trust the Holy Spirit to change you as He uses His Word, others, and circumstances to make you more like Christ.