Christain Leadership
November 23, 2012
Christian Leadership
Nations crumble, churches and businesses fail, families become dysfunctional, children lose their way, and men stray from God for one disturbing reason; lack of leadership. These failures are often because of the lack of instruction, proper leadership, and confusion over what Christian leadership is and how that leadership is applicable to every facet of business and personal life. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines leadership as: “1 the office or position of a leader; 2 capacities to lead, 3 the act or an instance of leading,” (M-W Inc, 2012). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary then defines a leader as; “1 a person who directs a military force or unit, a person who has commanding authority or influence,” (M-W Inc, 2012). This definition is particularly interesting simply for the fact that the definition of ‘leader’ is immediately associated with the U.S. Army: an attention-grabbing side note. The U.S. Army then defines leadership as “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.” (Department of the Army, 2006) Robert Clinton states “The central task of [Christian] leadership is influencing God’s people toward God’s purposes,” (Clinton, 1988). George Barna defines a Christain Leader as “someone who is called by God to lead; leads with and through Christ-like character; and demonstrates the functional competencies that permit effective leadership to take place” (Barna, 1997). It is a shame that we as Christians fail to recognize that Christ would have us be leaders in more than the church. Often times we fall short due to the message of love and peace, which in my opinion, makes many of us assume that means to be passive. However, it is our competency and ability to excel in the workplace that provides a witness to God above all other things. If you think about it for a second you can see that the Christian
Christian Leadership
Nations crumble, churches and businesses fail, families become dysfunctional, children lose their way, and men stray from God for one disturbing reason; lack of leadership. These failures are often because of the lack of instruction, proper leadership, and confusion over what Christian leadership is and how that leadership is applicable to every facet of business and personal life. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines leadership as: “1 the office or position of a leader; 2 capacities to lead, 3 the act or an instance of leading,” (M-W Inc, 2012). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary then defines a leader as; “1 a person who directs a military force or unit, a person who has commanding authority or influence,” (M-W Inc, 2012). This definition is particularly interesting simply for the fact that the definition of ‘leader’ is immediately associated with the U.S. Army: an attention-grabbing side note. The U.S. Army then defines leadership as “the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.” (Department of the Army, 2006) Robert Clinton states “The central task of [Christian] leadership is influencing God’s people toward God’s purposes,” (Clinton, 1988). George Barna defines a Christain Leader as “someone who is called by God to lead; leads with and through Christ-like character; and demonstrates the functional competencies that permit effective leadership to take place” (Barna, 1997). It is a shame that we as Christians fail to recognize that Christ would have us be leaders in more than the church. Often times we fall short due to the message of love and peace, which in my opinion, makes many of us assume that means to be passive. However, it is our competency and ability to excel in the workplace that provides a witness to God above all other things. If you think about it for a second you can see that the Christian