Spiritual Leadership (part2)
Posted: June 21st, 2009 | Author: admin | Filed under: church, leadership | Tags: church, church leadership, deacon, spiritual growth, spiritual leadership | No Comments »
What is spiritual leadership?
There are probably many ways that one could define spiritual leadership. Here is the definition of spiritual leadership that I would like to propose:
Spiritual leadership is the task of actively encouraging God’s people to seek and do God’s will together.
Let’s look more closely at this definition.
1. Spiritual leadership is a task.
What does it mean to say that spiritual leadership is a task? Several things. First, it means that spiritual leadership is not a gift or only for a select few. Anyone can be a spiritual leader if they are up to the task! Second, it means that spiritual leadership is primarily about doing. Spiritual leadership is about seeking and doing the will of God and leading others along the way. Spiritual leadership is purpose driven. We should think of it as an assignment. Or better yet, as multiple assignments in succession.
2. Spiritual leadership is active, not passive.
Spiritual leadership is not about sitting around waiting for God to do something. God has already done something! God has offered his Son, Jesus Christ for our salvation and now leads us day by day by the Holy Spirit! Spiritual leadership is about acting on what God has already done and what He is already doing. It is not about waiting for God to do something else! Spiritual leadership is about proactively and passionately pursuing what God has created us to do and finding out what He has in store for us!
3. Spiritual leadership is about encouraging.
The opposite of encouraging is discouraging. When we do not encourage people to seek or do God’s will, we are actually discouraging them from seeking and doing God’s will. Spiritual leadership, then, is about encouraging people to seek and do God’s will not just by our own influence, but in the name of Christ. Paul writes, “Encourage one another and build each other up.” (1 Thess. 5:14)
4. Spiritual leadership is primarily for God’s people.
God called Abram to go and be a leader of God’s people in a new place. When God called Moses, God called him to lead God’s chosen people out of Egypt. Spiritual leadership is primarily for God’s people. This does not mean that spiritual leaders won’t impact non-believers. It does, however, mean that the primary context of spiritual leadership is the Church, and that the primary purpose of spiritual leadership is to move God’s people to live and act in obedience to God’s will. It can also be said, then, that spiritual leadership is not just for pastors. But it is also for Bible Study leaders, moms, dads, grandparents, even business leaders and owners who are believers.
5. Spiritual leadership is about seeking and doing God’s will.
The whole point of spiritual leadership, as Henry Blackaby puts it, is “moving people on to God’s agenda.” It’s that simple…yet, it’s that complicated! The whole aim of spiritual leadership is to get people to “get over” their own agendas and get on with God’s agenda. The only way we can accomplish this is by seeking and doing God’s will. First, we seek to know what God’s will is for our lives, families, churches. Second, we do it! Whatever it is, wherever it leads, whatever it means – we do it!
6. Spiritual leadership is relational.
The old adage, “A leader without followers is just a person taking a walk” holds especially true when it comes to spiritual leadership. Spiritual leadership is all about relationships and seeking and doing God’s will together with other believers. Without strong relationships, spiritual leaders cannot lead. Unlike other leaders, spiritual leaders do not have to count on their own influence to lead others. Instead, spiritual leaders rely and depend on the influence and leadership of the Holy Spirit in their own lives and the lives of those they lead.
In the next post I will talk about who spiritual leaders are.
Yesterday I pulled a book off of my bookshelf in the office entitled, Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda, and started reading it. I read this book for the first time back in November 2005. I have chosen to re-read it now because I have just completed my two year mark as the Senior Pastor of Neel Road and because I believe that our church is at what I call a “Growing Point” where we are ready for a new phase of spiritual growth.