Without a biblical perspective, a church leader’s leadership style can start to look more like the world’s standard or that of other pastors instead of God’s, according to Tony Morgan in his Kindle single Developing a Theology of Leadership. The ebook is a brief collection of the author’s thoughts about the nature and characteristics of leadership in a Christian context, when informed by a biblical perspective.
Observations made by the author include:
- God has gifted some to be leaders, and has expressly defined how leaders are supposed to act, so it is important for church leaders to wrestle with their theology of leadership.
- While church leaders can learn from business leaders, the corporate world should not set the foundation from which we lead; the Bible need to be our filter for truth.
- God has chosen the shepherd as the model of leadership within the church, so servant leadership is not optional.
- Church leaders do not tell people what to do to accomplish the vision; they help people discover their spiritual giftedness and free them to use these gifts to fulfil the vision.
- Leadership is more about the character of the leader than it is about the words and actions of the leader.
- To grow as a leader, you need to identify other potential leaders and intentionally mentor them.
There is plenty of insight to be gained from the half-hour or so investment of time required to read this short ebook. I warmly commend it to church leaders and others involved in Christian ministry.