Jesus calls all Christians to lead in making disciples and teaching them to observe His commandments.
Jesus’ Great Commission is a calling, not an assignment.
Whether your primary responsibilities are as a student, spouse, parent, pastor, employee, CEO, or business owner, Christian leadership is a calling, and not a job.
Christian leadership is how Christians influence people for good. Our character produces an atmosphere around us and either emits the light of love or darkness of oppression. A true Christian leader gives light to the world.
A Christian leader’s influence is derived from the divine power of the Holy Spirit. True Christian leaders aren’t appointed by mortals, they’re anointed by the Immortal. The evidence of their Divine anointing is displayed in how a leader relates to others. The leader’s influence is equal to the level of trust the leader earns from those in his or her circle of influence.
Christian leaders can supercharge their influence and engagement with the people when they make Jesus their foundation and lean on these four pillars:
1. Giving STATUS
While our roles and responsibilities are different, Jesus gives us all equal status. He lifts up the oppressed and downtrodden and humbles the proud. Christian leaders can do both with grace and mercy when tapped into the power of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 3:26 NKJV For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:3 NLT Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
2. Offering CONNECTION
People follow leaders because they connect with the mission and vision the leader is pursuing.
People are looking for a purpose. Christian leaders can offer a purpose that transcends all others.
People also have a need to belong. Christian leaders who take initiative to make a personal connection with the people they lead, and connect them to a body of believers, offer them a place to belong.
Learn and use people’s names, and listen to and discuss their interests.
Romans 12:4-5 NLT Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
3. Expressing APPRECIATION
Frequently give sincere thanks to and pray for the people you lead, and for the services they provide in the organization you lead.
1 Thessalonians 1:2 NLT "We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly."
Romans 12:10 NLT Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
4. Growing ASSETS
Remember the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Jesus expects us to facilitate growth in the people we lead and the resources we manage. Jesus gives us access to all His power and resources to make that return possible.
Complacency is the enemy of prosperity.
1 Corinthians 4:2 NKJV Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
Isaiah 55:9-11 NKJV For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
What steps do you, or will you take to implement these pillars in your circle of influence? Share in a comment below.