In a world where leadership is often equated with power and control, Christian leadership offers an alternative model grounded in faith. Christian leadership is not simply leading with faith, but leading with the quiet authority of service, humility, integrity, and love of God and others.
In this blog post, we’ll focus on the principles of Christian leadership, with an emphasis on “servant leadership” as modeled by Christ. Whether you’re a pastor, a theology student, or a Christian professional, this guide is for you—to help you lead with biblical principles and create a positive impact wherever God has called you to serve.
What Is Christian Leadership?
At its core, Christian leadership is leading as Jesus Christ exemplified. Leading not by managing or directing, but by influencing others through loving, humbling, God-centered and people-centered leadership.
Christian leadership is intimately linked with faith, helping leaders determine how they ought to think and behave based on God’s word. Christian leaders are not concerned with their own personal ambitions or the success of the organization for which they work. Instead, they seek to make moral decisions, serve others, and, above all, strive to glorify God in all that they do. In contrast to secular leadership, Christian leadership is grounded in moral integrity.
Servant Leadership: The Core of Christian Leadership
Servant leadership remains the model for Christian leadership. The Son of God chose to come to earth as a servant. We tend to think of leaders as those in charge of other people, barking orders and sitting at the head of the table. But consider Jesus washing his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17). It wasn’t just a lesson in humility; it was a declaration that the leadership ideal it embodied was service.
Any concept of servant leadership that is not a way of life, centered on the belief that “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45), is ultimately nothing more than an abstraction. Through attentiveness to the needs of others, servant leaders imitate Christ and create spaces for compassion, kindness, and justice to flourish.
The Biblical Foundation of Servant Leadership
The Bible is filled with examples of servant leadership, starting with Jesus Christ, who said: “I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15). It is this form of sacrifice that is at the center of servant leadership. Jesus did not lead with power or force. He led with teaching, healing, and then ultimately laying down His life for humanity.
Key Qualities of Christian Leaders
Effective Christian leaders embody a set of characteristics that reflect the character of Christ.
1. Humility
Humility was a key characteristic of Christian leadership. Jesus, the Son of God, “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross,” as St. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:8. Christian leaders are called to serve without pride, because their authority is not theirs but God’s, and it is to be used in service of others.
2. Integrity
A Christian leader’s words and deeds must match. Integrity is the hallmark of trust, and leaders who are transparent, honest, and consistent reflect the truth of the Gospel (Proverbs 10:9). Leading with integrity cultivates healthy relationships and builds a culture of accountability.
3. Compassion
Because Jesus felt compassion for the crowds suffering (Matthew 9:36), Christian leadership is called to be characterized by compassion and care. Compassionate leadership:
- Pays attention to the needs of others.
- Does all it can to help.
- Leads from the heart of Christ’s love.
4. Wisdom
Christian leaders must use godly wisdom in times of crisis, and they only get this wisdom by immersing themselves in Scripture and praying so that God will specifically answer their questions (James 1:5).
5. Courage
Leading as a Christian means being willing to take bold and courageous steps, even into the midst of opposition. Joshua was instructed to “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9), and that is something that a Christian leader must be willing to do, even when such steps would not be popular.
The Role of Christian Leaders Today
Today, Christian leaders can seek to influence the world around us. In the church, in schools and nonprofits, and in secular workplaces and public administration, Christian leadership grounded in the teaching of the Bible can help to transform our communities through ethical living, social justice, and care for others.
Christian leaders can apply servant leadership in various settings, including:
- Churches: Leading with humility and focusing on the spiritual growth of congregations.
- Organizations: Creating workplaces where employees are valued, heard, and treated with respect.
- Communities: Taking sides in the struggle for social justice and the liberation of the oppressed, as the early Christian martyrs did.
In all these fields, the purpose of Christian leadership is to embody Christ’s love and serve others, generating a culture of trust, cooperation, and honesty.
Strategies for Developing as a Christian Leader
Learning to lead as a Christian is an ongoing spiritual enterprise and requires continual spiritual development. Here are some tips on how to improve your leadership skills:
1. Deepen Your Relationship with God
If you spend time in prayer, study Scripture, and engage in regular worship, your spiritual foundation will be strong, and you will have the relationship with God that enables you to lead others with wisdom, patience, and love.
2. Foster Servant Leadership Qualities
Identify opportunities to practice servant leadership every day. When did you last serve others without expecting something in return? Where are the opportunities for serving within your sphere of influence? If you’re a volunteer, you already have a place to start. If not, find ways to contribute your time and skills to serve others in your community or workplace. Small acts of service build the heart of a servant leader.
3. Develop Others
Christian leaders would be wise to invest in developing servant leadership character in others. Mentoring, discipleship, and modeling are powerful ways to build up leaders who will carry on the work of Christ.
Challenges and Opportunities for Christian Leaders Today
It is hard to be a Christian leader in a secular culture. Christian leaders are called to values that are often in tension with popular values. Society tends to value personal success, self-reliance, and individualism, while the Bible values humility, community, and dependence on God. In the workplace, school, or even a Christian organization, the pressure to conform to popular values can be strong. Leaders may feel they will get ahead if they adopt popular values, or they might feel that they will be perceived as less competent if they do not.
Yet these challenges are also opportunities for Christian leaders to set themselves apart from other leaders in the region—and in the world—by demonstrating a different kind of leadership based not on power, wealth, or hubris, but on service, love, and integrity. Remaining faithful in difficult circumstances, Christian leaders have the opportunity to demonstrate that faith-based leadership offers a more humane, just, and effective way to serve others.
Navigating Cultural Relevance
The more secular and pluralist a society is, the more Christian leaders must find ways to be culturally relevant. But as the pace of cultural change increases, so too can the sense among Christian leaders that the means of being culturally relevant threaten to make traditional forms of Christian engagement seem quaint or ineffectual. For example, younger generations might be less familiar with the Bible or with certain religious symbols and jargon, which makes it more difficult for leaders to communicate the Gospel in a way that makes sense to them.
In turn, Christian leaders need to be innovative in finding ways to communicate the timeless truths of biblical Christianity in culturally relevant ways. This would include utilizing social media, podcasts, or other forms of communication to meet people where they are. One model for this is the Apostle Paul’s example in 1 Corinthians 9:22, where he writes: “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” This verse demonstrates that Paul didn’t change his message, but he adapted his communication style to effectively communicate the unchanging Gospel to people of different cultures.
Making a Positive Impact
Against these odds, there are tremendous opportunities for Christian leaders to make a difference in the world. As leaders model justice, serve the poor, and serve others in compassion, Christian leaders can exhibit the servant leadership of Jesus and make a difference in their communities, in the workplace, and beyond.
In a cynical age that is generally suspicious of religion, Christian leaders who model faithful living and embody the humble service of Jesus stand as powerful testimony to the truth of the Gospel. When they stand with the brokenness of the world, they have the opportunity to witness to Christian leadership as a way of being transformed and transforming, not as a mere wielding of power or influence. If they seize these openings, Christian leaders can leave a legacy that touches souls and transcends both space and time—an ethos of love, justice, and healing.
In sum, while the task of leading in the secular age is not easy, it is not impossible. Christian leaders have the chance to let the light of Christ shine through even more brightly. They can lead from the wisdom of the Bible in culturally relevant and faithfully faithful ways, creating positive change for the people around them.
The Call to Serve
Christian leadership rooted in servant leadership is a model for how to lead people of faith and service. The call to lead also means the call to serve. If we want to be Christian leaders who matter, we need to offer a model of humility, integrity, and compassion.
Let’s choose to become servant leaders, in church, work, and community, and every act of service will bring us closer to the heart of God.