The Leader Is Good, The Leader Is Great!

Off the top of my head, I’ll try to list what makes a good leader in my view. The thing is, leaders can have different personalities and different roles, so they might have varying strengths and weaknesses. For example, in a church, someone might be a gifted preacher, but mightn’t be very well organized and mightn’t be the sort of person you’d feel comfortable sharing your struggles with. Someone else might be excellent at arranging the practical affairs of a church, but not a preacher and not a good listener. And then, you might get someone warm and approachable, but not much good at anything else. I think I’d be a balanced leader because I’d be equally bad at everything 😂.

But seriously, in terms of churches, plural leadership is encouraged in the New Testament, as is the priesthood of all believers. We can all bless each other in all sorts of ways. We needn’t be overdependent on leaders, though they are useful, particular those who are greatly gifted. 2

Words that I associate with good leaders include the following:

When Jesus washed the disciples feet in John 13, I think that he was encouraging his disciples not to spend their time bickering and trying to boss each other around. They were to serve each other. And even before then, he emphasized servant leadership:

Mark 19:43-45
⁴² 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. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ 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.”

Just as you get leaders who want to micromanage and take over your life, you get those people in churches who take delight in making life difficult for their leaders. Here’s an interesting verse:

Hebrews 12:17
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

This verse can seem sinister if you read it in the light of people following cults or dodgy church leaders. I see it more as a matter of respecting others who might have more experience and expertise than you. Or even respecting anyone in charge, such as a librarian who takes you to task for playing your ghetto blaster while others are trying to study 😀.

A church, political party, or any group can rapidly fall apart if people don’t respect the leadership. But having said that, we shouldn’t feel that we have to blindly obey. For example, Pope Innocent III made the following statement:

“Every cleric must obey the Pope, even if he commands what is evil; for no one may judge the Pope.”

Surely there needs to be balance. Consider these words that Jesus spoke:

Matthew 23:8-11
⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹ The greatest among you will be your servant.

I remember many years ago when I was trying to decide which church to attend, the following verse came to mind. The key thing is to follow Jesus. It’s good to fellowship with Christians, but you shouldn’t put your total trust in churches or movements.

John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”