Keith Radke joined me this month on the Lose Yourself Podcast, and we discussed the acronym R.E.A.L. – Relationships, Example, Accountability, and Leadership. The Wednesday blog post will look at each of these attributes individually this month. Today we continue with the L for Leadership.
Why Should Christians Lead?
Shouldn’t they avoid the secular and focus exclusively on spiritual matters? Leaders bear the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and they also bear the responsibility of His creation (Genesis 2:15) Therefore, Christians should embrace their role as stewards of God’s creation instead of avoiding worldly influence.
What Is Incarnational Leadership?
Incarnational Leadership is described as “Overarching drive in our leading is to be Christ to our followers.” Incarnational Leaders see others as more important than themselves, understand their place in God’s Kingdom, abandon feelings of superiority, embrace others, but hold to our doctrinal convictions, and hold Christ is their ultimate example. This style of leadership runs counter to cultural norms, but it has been influential and formative in our civilization. (Source: Dallas Baptist University)
See Others As More Important Than Yourself
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:25-28, NKJV
Christ called us to be servant leaders. He demonstrated this humility through healing the sick, befriending the downtrodden, washing the feet of His disciples, and sacrificing himself on the cross. We should treat each person we meet with dignity and respect. Our attitudes and action should reflect Christ in our daily lives.
Understand Your Place in God’s Kingdom
What is the Christian’s motivation for leadership? Do you crave power or is it a means to an end? Power, in and of itself, is a hollow motivator. Francis Chan said, “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” The quest for power can lead to coercion and emptiness without a meaningful purpose.
Leaders should pursue a higher calling that informs their position of authority. The result is a leadership has transformative influences on followers. Theologian John Stott suggested, “The authority by which the Christian leader leads is not power, but love, not force, but example, not coercion, but reasoned persuasion. Leaders have power, but power is safe only in the hands of those who humble themselves to serve.”
When leader’s have proper motivation, they can be better trusted to wield power with fairness. With only power and perks as motivation, leaders are vulnerable to abusing influence and resources for their own gain. Furthermore, leaders who are not motivated by personal acclaim are more willing to delegate and share credit with others.
Abandon Feelings Of Superiority
What are your thoughts on service? Do you avoid necessary work that does not offer recognition or praise? Is this kind of work beneath you? Servant leadership feels counterintuitive because some feel that leaders lose credibility if they are seen performing menial tasks. The truth is much of the indispensable work that sees an effort come to fruition goes unnoticed. Derwin Gray observed, “Many great, epic displays of God’s glory through His children are built on hours, even years, of an unnoticeable, seemingly unimportant task.” Leaders should not see themselves as above their followers, rather, they should use their position to inspire others.
Embrace Others/Hold To Convictions
While we are not to feel superior to others, we can overly accommodate them at the expense of our convictions. In Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller speaks of the tension between legalism and syncretism. Legalism attempts to elevate the person through religion while syncretism makes an idol of cultural acceptance. Leaders should reach out to others while holding to proper boundaries.
Christ As Our Ultimate Example
Christian Leaders are called to follow Christ (Matthew 16:24), abide in Christ (1 John 2:6), forgive like Christ (Colossians 3:13), and imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1/Ephesians 5: 1-2). We need not look any further than Him to guide us. Though others forms of leadership offer quicker results, they pale in comparison to Christ’s example.
In an increasingly volatile age, people are searching for leadership that motivates, emboldens, and inspires them. Leadership grounded in hope is necessary to revive a discouraged and demoralized culture by pointing to the hope that can only be found in the gospel.
