What Makes Leadership Christian

What makes leadership Christian? When addressing anyone of any religion or culture it’s important to define terms. Leadership in the business world of North America might be a great place to find examples, role models, and pioneers of leadership in a respective field. Such definitions are understood as the person in charge, or the person that everyone works for daily. When observed in religion leadership tends to take on appearances that are more influential in nature and yet reveal themselves to be agents of control. What makes leadership Christian is not the natural, but the supernatural. Christian leadership is branded by the words of its deity that have stood the test of time for well over 3500 years by wrote. Christian leadership finds its roots embedded in early Jewish teachings. One such example is in Deuteronomy 31:8 saying, “The Lord [the Hebrew God] will lead you. He himself is with you. He will not fail you or leave you. Don’t worry. Don’t be afraid” (Deut 31:8 ERV). The numerous examples of this deity then imparting his leadership upon certain individuals as time goes on is a constant reminder of where the gift of leadership originate as well as to whom it has been bestowed; mankind. These ancient texts are considerably studied and honored by multiple faiths, but none are so much influential as the New Testament when it comes to the heartbeat of the teachings that separate Christianity from other world religions as well as the business world. Again, mankind has need of supernatural leadership. God himself clothes himself in flesh and becomes human, though divine. This event is captured by the documentation detailing the life of the Christian Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, who being both human and divine in nature redefined leadership and set the stage for Christian leadership to be counter-cultural, or unnatural. One such account shows Jesus saying, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13 NIV). This is one such teaching that reveals Christianity’s desire to lead by example, not for personal power, fame or success as is common among man-made leadership. Christian leadership that is rooted in the supernatural is also defined by action. It is not just a position to be held, but it is a position at the front of an object in motion. Jesus often defined his role as a servant saying, “For even the Son of Man [a title given to Jesus] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 NIV). This teaching takes Christian leadership on a path that is counter-intuitive to normal leadership paths found in the business world where the leader is placed on top and other participants instinctively or by instruction, do what is required of them. In summary, the nature of Christian leadership is not natural at all, it is supernatural. It is rooted in the participation and impartation of leadership by and from God himself. It is unique in that God became an active member of humanity and human society all while embodying leadership in both teaching and example. And lastly, what makes leadership Christian is the call for action on the part of all of its participants to lead in the same way Jesus did knowing that God plays an active role in that leadership.