You can not go anywhere these days without seeing and hearing about leadership, leadership, leadership. You hear about leadership traits, leadership styles, leadership do’s and don’ts, leadership types, leadership frameworks – the list goes on and on and on. The problem for the Christ-following man or woman is that the most important aspect of leadership is, almost 100% of the time, missing.
It’s not that the traits, styles, do’s and don’ts, etc. are bad. It’s not that they’re evil. It’s that, at a minimum, they’re incomplete. At a minimum, they almost always miss what should be the cornerstone and bedrock of our leadership decisions – God. I believe in a God that sent His Son, so you and I could have a relationship with Him… so that you and I can call on Him daily and hourly and whenever we need guidance in life.
There are different definitions for leadership that you’ve seen and heard. “Leadership is influence,” is how John Maxwell defines it. The Oxford Dictionary defines leadership as, “the action of leading a group of people or an organization.” And the definitions of leadership just multiply from there. Again, Maxwell and the Oxford Dictionary are not wrong. But, for the Christ-following man or woman, those definitions are incomplete.
Godly leadership is defined as, “Leading your life, your family, your work, your relationships, and your world in a way that is seeking wisdom from, and pleasing to, the Lord Jesus.” You may have heard this phrase: “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Godly leadership with that definition is the main thing for the Christ-following leader. It is essential for the Christ-following leader. Like David in Psalm 78:72, we want to lead and shepherd with a Godly heart of integrity and with skillful hands.
The days of leaning just on secular wisdom and strategies and just on unbelieving friends, family, and mentors need to be gone. They can have a voice. They will speak into your life. They are not evil. But, they are not essential. Leading your life, your family, your work, your relationships, and your world in a way that is seeking wisdom from, and pleasing to, the Lord Jesus – that, my friends, is essential Godly leadership. That is what we will seek to discuss each week in the Essential Godly Leadership Blog. Welcome.