LEADERSHIP-PRINCIPLES
Good
effective spiritual leaders infuse others with an animating, quickening and
exalting spirit of enthusiasm for the person of Christ, growth in Christ and
the mission of the church.
Oswald Sanders
Leaders who
want to show sensitivity should listen often and long, and talk short and
seldom. Many so-called leaders are too busy to listen. True leaders know that
time spent listening is well invested.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 75.
True greatness,
true leadership, is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in
coaxing or inducing others to serve you.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 15.
If a man is known
by the company he keeps, so also his character is reflected in the books he
reads. A leader’s reading is the outward expression of his inner hungers and
aspirations.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 104.
The leader must
use God’s power to move human hearts in the direction he believes to be the
will of God. Through prayer the leader has the key to that complicated lock… In
prayer we deal directly with God and only in a secondary sense other people.
The goal of prayer is the ear of God. Prayer moves others through God’s
influence on them. It is not the prayer that moves people, but the God to whom
we pray.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 90-91.
Dwight L. Moody
once said that he would rather put a thousand men to work than do the work of a
thousand men.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 137.
Failing to
delegate, the leader is caught in a morass of secondary detail; it overburdens
him and diverts his attention from primary tasks. People under him do not
achieve their own potential. In some cases, insisting on doing a job oneself is
a result of simple conceit.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 138.
One facet of
leadership is the ability to recognize the special abilities and limitations of
others, combined with the capacity to fit each one into the job where he or she
will do best. To succeed in getting things done through others is the highest
type of leadership.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 137.
A leader will
seldom say, “I don’t have the time.” Such an excuse is usually the refuge of a
small-minded and inefficient person. Each of us has the time to do the whole
will of God for our lives.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 94.
Procrastination,
the thief of time, is one of the devil’s most potent weapons for defrauding us
of eternal heritage. The habit of “putting off” is fatal to spiritual
leadership. Its power resides in our natural reluctance to come to grips with
important decisions. Making decisions, and acting on them, always requires
moral energy. But the passing of time never makes action easier; quite the
opposite. Most decisions are more difficult a day later, and you may also lose
an advantage by such delay. The nettle will never be easier to grasp than now.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 98.
If a
Christian is not willing to rise early and work late, to expend greater effort
in diligent study and faithful work, that person will not change a generation.
Fatigue is the price of leadership.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 119.
If leaders are to
survive, they must view the difficult as common-place, the complex as normal.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 132.
Most Bible
characters met with failure and survived. Even when the failure was immense,
those who found leadership again refused to lie in the dust and bemoan their
tragedy. In fact, their failure and repentance led to a greater conception of
God’s grace. They came to know the God of the second, chance, and sometimes the
third and fourth.
Oswald Sanders
Spiritual Leadership, Moody Publishers, 1967, p. 134.
The true
Church has never sounded out public expectations before launching her mission.
Her leaders heard from God, they knew their Lord's will and did it. Their
people followed them – sometimes to triumph, oftener to insults and public
persecution – and their sufficient reward was the satisfaction of being right
in a wrong world!
We need a
baptism of clear seeing. We desperately need seers who can see through the mist
– Christian leaders with prophetic vision. Unless they come soon it will be too
late for this generation. And if they do come we will no doubt crucify a few of
them in the name of our worldly orthodoxy.
A.W. Tozer
The Root of the Righteous.
Spiritual
leadership is not won by promotion, but by prayers and tears. It is attained by
much heart-searching and humbling before God; by self-surrender, a courageous
sacrifice of every idol, a bold uncompromising, and uncomplaining embracing of
the cross, and by an eternal, unfaltering looking unto Jesus crucified. This is
a great price, but it must be unflinchingly paid by him who would be a real
spiritual leader of men, a leader whose power is recognized and felt in heaven,
on earth and in hell.
Samuel Brengle
When a
general gets too far ahead of his troops, he’s often mistaken for the enemy.
Author Unknown
We cannot sit
back and wait for the sheep to lead. A few will, but by and large they are
looking to us for direction, feeding, and leadership by our stepping out
courageously in faith.
Curtis C. Thomas
Practical Wisdom for Pastors, Crossway Books,
2001, p. 95.
Leadership
involves taking bold steps forward, not simply reacting. It involves courage
and the ability to take occasional spiritual lumps. It involves faith in a
sovereign God and a trust that His Word works. It involves a sacrificial love
for the flock, a love that will move us to lay down our lives for God’s people.
Curtis C. Thomas
Practical Wisdom for Pastors, Crossway Books,
2001, p. 96.
According to
[the Bible], a leader is first and foremost a servant. His concern is not for
himself; his concern is not to give orders, to boss other people around, to
have his own way. His concern is to meet the needs of others.
Wayne Mack
Strengthening Your Marriage, 1999,
P&R, p. 33, Used by Permission.
A leader must
have a servant's heart. And if he has a
servant's heart, he will act like a servant and react like a
servant when he is treated like a servant.
Wayne Mack
Strengthening Your Marriage, 1999,
P&R, p. 33, Used by Permission.
The following
principles of leadership emerge from biblical teaching:
1. Christian
leaders should be certain that their goal is to serve God and others, not to
receive the title or honor that comes with leadership.
2. Leaders
should not use their position for their own advantage or comfort. No task
should be “beneath” them – although some tasks may be delegated. They should
not ask others to do what they are unwilling to do themselves.
3. Leaders
will seek to distinguish their own preferences from the will and welfare of the
group as a whole.
4. Normally
the position should seek the leader. There may be some situations in which
persons may apply or volunteer. Nevertheless, when someone strongly desires a
particular responsibility, his or her motivation should be carefully examined.
5. We must
learn to see each other as valuable to the Lord and basically equal in his
sight.
Millard J. Erickson
The Standard, May 1982.
A popular
definition of leadership is that it is the art or science of getting things
done through people.
Ted W. Engstrom
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan,
1976, p. 138. www.zondervan.com.
The leader is
only able to lead others because he has conquered himself and in turn has been
conquered by Christ.
Ted W. Engstrom
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan,
1976, p. 202. www.zondervan.com.
The eminence
of great leaders of the Bible is attributed to their greatness in prayer.
Ted W. Engstrom
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan,
1976, p. 118. www.zondervan.com.
To move men,
the leader must be able to prevail upon God.
Ted W. Engstrom
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan,
1976, p. 118. www.zondervan.com.
A true leader
must have a strong drive to take the initiative to act – a kind of initial
stirring that causes people and an organization to use their best abilities to
accomplish a desired end.
Ted W. Engstrom
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan, 1976,
p. 24. www.zondervan.com.
The Christian
leader never equates mediocrity with the things of God, but is always committed
to the pursuit of excellence.
Ted W. Engstrom
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan,
1976, p. 199. www.zondervan.com.
To achieve,
the leader must set goals
To set goals,
he must make decisions
To reach
goals, he must plan
To plan, he
must analyze
To analyze,
he must implement
To implement,
he must organize
To organize,
he must delegate
To delegate,
he must administrate
To
administrate, he must communicate
To
communicate, he must motivate
To motivate,
he must share
To share, he
must care
To care, he
must believe
To believe,
he must set goals that inspire belief and the desire to achieve
Ted W. Engstrom
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan,
1976, p. 141. www.zondervan.com.
Christian
leadership is motivated by love and given over to service. It is leadership
that has been subjected to the control of our Lord Jesus Christ and His
example. In the best Christian leaders are expressed to the utmost all those
attributes of selfless dedication, courage, decisiveness, and persuasiveness
that mark great leadership.
Ted W. Engstrom
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan,
1976, p. 199. www.zondervan.com.
The concept
of a leader…means one who guides activities of others and who himself acts and
performs to bring those activities about. He is capable of performing acts
which will guide a group in achieving objectives. He takes the capacities of
vision and faith, he has the ability to be concerned and to comprehend,
exercises action through effective and personal influence in the direction of
an enterprise and the development of the potential into practical and/or
profitable means.
Ted W. Engstrom
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan,
1976, p. 24. www.zondervan.com.
The Christian
leader has a will totally willing at all times to will the will of God.
Author Unknown
Quoted in: Ted W. Engstrom,
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan, 1976, p. 204.
www.zondervan.com.
The world
needs men who cannot be bought; whose word is their bond; who put character
above wealth; who possess opinions and a will; who are larger than their
vocations; who do not hesitate to take chances; who will not lose their
individuality in a crowd; who will be honest in small things as in great
things; who will make no compromise with wrong; whose ambitions are not
confined to their own selfish desires; who will not say they do it “because
everyone else does it;” who are true to their friends through good report and
evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity; who do not believe that
shrewdness, cunning and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning
success; who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is
unpopular, who can say “no” with emphasis, although all the rest of the world
says “yes.”
Author Unknown
Quoted in: Ted W. Engstrom,
The Making of a Christian Leader, Zondervan, 1976, p. 120.
www.zondervan.com.
Leadership
may be defined as the ability…to develop other people’s maximum potential for
their own works of service in the body of Christ.
Derek Prime and Alistair Begg
On Being a Pastor, Moody Press, 2004, p. 237.
Christian
leadership models itself upon our Lord Jesus Christ. One of the paradoxes of
His ministry was that although He was so obviously the leader, He was
conspicuously the servant. He illustrated and underlined this truth when He
washed the disciples’ feet (John 13). We are spiritually effective as leaders
as we follow His example. Although leaders, we are first and foremost servants.
Derek Prime and Alistair Begg
On Being a Pastor, Moody Press, 2004, p. 219.
[Leadership
is] knowing where God wants people to be and taking the initiative to get them
there by God’s means in reliance on God’s power.
John Piper
[Spiritual
leadership is] knowing where God wants people to be and taking the initiative
to get them there by God's means in reliance on God's power.
John Piper
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, Desiring
God Ministries, 2002, p. 11.
Servanthood does not nullify leadership; it
defines it. Jesus does not cease to be the Lion of Judah when He becomes the
lamblike servant of the church.
John Piper
This
Momentary Marriage – A Parable of Permanence, Desiring God Foundation, 2008, p.
78, www.DesiringGod.org.
To put it
simply, leadership is influence. The ideal leader is someone whose life
and character motivate people to follow. The best kind of leadership derives
its authority first from the force of a righteous example, and not merely from
the power of prestige, personality, or position. By contrast, much of the
world’s “leadership” is nothing but manipulation of people by threats and
rewards. That is not true leadership; it’s exploitation. Real leadership seeks to motivate people from
the inside, by an appeal to the heart, not by external pressure and coercion.
John MacArthur
The Book on Leadership, 2004, vi- vii.
The effectiveness
of leadership is measured in terms of influence. When you see someone’s
influence reflected so profoundly in the lives of other people, you have
identified someone who is by definition a leader.
John MacArthur
The Book on Leadership, 2004, p. 95.
True
leadership is tested and proved in crises. The real leader is the one who can
handle the stress. He is the one who can solve the problems, bear the burdens,
find the solutions, and win the victories when everyone else is merely
flustered, confounded, and perplexed.
John MacArthur
The Book on Leadership, 2004, p. 45.
People who
are not inquisitive simply don’t make good leaders. Curiosity is crucial to
leadership. People who are content with what they don’t know, happy to remain
ignorant about what they don’t understand, complacent about what they haven’t
analyzed, and comfortable living with problems they haven’t solved – such
people cannot lead. Leaders need to have an insatiable curiosity. They need to
be people who are hungry to find answers. Knowledge is power. Whoever has the
information has the lead. If you want to find a leader, look for someone who is
asking the right questions and genuinely looking for answers.
John MacArthur
Twelve Ordinary Men, © John
MacArthur, 2002, p. 40.
They are not
leaders because of brilliancy…but because, by the power of prayer, they could
command the power of God.
E.M. Bounds
Quoted by Oswald Sanders, Spiritual
Leadership, Moody, 1967, p. 11, 12.
Leaders have
an agenda, look for ways to incorporate others into their plans, and have a
high need for control in life. Balanced with graciousness, leaders become a
treasure because they make things happen, create organization out of chaos, and
motivate people to action.
Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller
Parenting
is Heart Work, National Center for Biblical Parenting, 76 Hopatcong Drive,
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, www.biblicalparenting.org, 1-800.771.8334, email parent@biblicalparenting.org.
Four steps to
achievement:
1. Plan
purposefully
2. Prepare
prayerfully
3. Proceed
positively
4. Pursue
persistently
William A. Ward
The most
effective churches that I know are churches where the ministerial staff devote many hours in training and mobilizing their
congregations to be mighty armies of saints, as they minister to a dying world.
R.C. Sproul
The Purpose of God, An
Exposition of Ephesians, Christian Focus Publications, 1994, p. 103.