Leadership Essentials E-Book

Greg Ogden

• Herausgeber: IVP Bible Studies
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 308

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

Leadership is essential.Maybe you've shied away from leadership because you don't know what it will involve, or you feel too unsure of your own abilities. But your leadership is needed! In every sector of society, from families to businesses to churches, leadership roles remain empty, waiting for people willing and able to step up and make wise decisions that bring positive change. And, in a world with priorities vastly different from Christ's, Christian leaders are especially needed to point people to him.Preparation is essential.As essential as the leadership itself is the preparation beforehand, which is why Greg Ogden, a seasoned leader himself, has created this interactive guide that will give you the tools you need to lead well, using your unique gifts and experience.Divided into four sections, this workbook will help you develop character, postures, vision and skills as you participate in the following elements in each chapter: - a memory verse - a Bible study - a reading - a leadership exercise By working through these multiple channels of learning you'll be equipped not just with head knowledge about leadership but with true character formation and awareness of your own abilities that will prepare you for the challenges and choices of leadership.Designed to work well on your own, with a partner or with a group, Leadership Essentials by Greg Ogden and Daniel Meyer is the essential preparation tool for those who would be led and shaped by Christ to lead others with strength and wisdom.

Leseprobe

Leadership Essentials

SHAPING VISION, MULTIPLYING INFLUENCE, DEFINING CHARACTER

Greg Ogden and Daniel Meyer

InterVarsity Press P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426 World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com E-mail: [email protected]

©2007 by Greg Ogden and Dan Meyer

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Design: Cindy Kiple Images: DNY59/iStockphoto

ISBN 978-0-8308-7612-9

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Contents

Introduction: The Art of Multiplying Influence

PART ONE: THE CHARACTER OF A LEADER

1 HolyDeveloping a vision of Christlike character

2 HabitualCultivating spiritual disciplines to sustain our leadership

3 HumbleKeeping watch over our souls

PART TWO: THE POSTURE OF A LEADER

4 KneelingEmbracing servant love as our primary model

5 TeamingBuilding teams to accomplish our corporate mission

6 StewardingStewarding our gifts, passions and personality

PART THREE: THE VISION OF A LEADER

7 The Compelling ChristLoving passionately the compelling Christ

8 Embracing the KingdomEngaging people in mission

9 Helping Others SeeLifting people out of lethargy and inertia

PART FOUR: THE SHAPING OF A LEADER

10 Taming TemptationFacing the dangers of money, sex and power

11 Conquering CriticismHandling criticism with humility and fortitude

12 Defeating DiscouragementAddressing disappointment, frustration, anger and depression

For Further Reading and Training

Introduction

THE ART OF MULTIPLYING INFLUENCE

A CULTURE CRYING FOR LEADERSHIP

The local newspapers and national news media are continually address the need for leadership. It’s the subject at the heart of every political candidacy and each congressional confirmation hearing. It’s at stake in the evaluation of every sitting office-holder. People want to know: Does this person stand for worthy ideas? Does she have a character we can trust? Does he properly use resources to get the job done?

These questions aren’t solely aimed at the government. Wherever we look today, our culture is crying for leadership.

Families need leaders. Our society is increasingly aware that we need parents who cultivate the character and gifts of their children, who establish healthy patterns of life, and who guide their families to make contributions beyond their own circle. Think how much of the oft-cited pain and fragmentation of family life could be repaired if parents were equipped for a deeper kind of leadership.

Businesses and civic organizations need leaders. Every headline trumpeting the latest corporate scandal or organizational failure reminds us that we need a new generation of leaders in the public square — people who discern worthy priorities, who use wise principles, and who have the internal life and skills to guide key organizations toward the fulfillment of their mission. Imagine the creative power that could be unleashed if these organizations were filled with the very best kind of leaders.

Churches and ministries need leaders. The church, parachurch ministries and Christian educational institutions have helped shape the kind of leaders needed in both the home and the public square. There is hardly a Christian ministry today, however, that does not desperately need quality people to provide the contexts where mature disciples and dynamic leaders get shaped. What might happen if the church and Christian ministries were able to contribute a new harvest of qualified leaders?

The need to fill the leadership deficit is the passion behind Leadership Essentials.

FIVEPERSONAL REASONS FOR THE LEADERSHIP DEFICIT

So why are we at a place of such deficit? Conversations with hundreds of people suggest the following factors in the reluctance to assume leadership:

Equipment shortage: “I haven’t been equipped.”

People feel ill-equipped to serve as leaders, and in some cases they are absolutely correct. The equipment manager didn’t show up.

Description deficit: “I lack a clear job description.”

People are unsure about what would actually be required if they got involved as leaders.

Image issue: “I’m not the leader type.”

People have such an inflated sense of leadership or such a deflated sense of self that they don’t perceive themselves as leaders or see what they have to offer.

Coaching crisis: “If only I had a mentor.”

People have not been appropriately apprenticed to a leader who provides an up-close model of what leadership looks like and a step-by-step guide into the world of leading.

Passion problem: “I don’t see the compelling need.”

Some people would be willing to step forward to serve as leaders if they sensed an urgent need that could be addressed by their action.

FOURMINISTRY-BASED REASONS FOR THE LEADERSHIP DEFICIT

Part of the reason we don’t see more leaders rising up to meet the leadership needs of our time has to do with the way Christians “do” church or ministry.

• Disciple-making gap: “Shouldn’t I be a disciple first?” The passion to be a leader flows out of the practice of being a disciple. Until our ministries become more intentional about forming the contexts and pathways by which lovers and learners of Jesus are made, it will be difficult to form leaders. Christian discipleship precedes Christian leadership.

The curriculum Leadership Essentials is based on the assumption that both content and context are prerequisites for growing disciples. Leaders can only be made from disciples. A growing network of reproducing and multiplying discipleship groups serves as the “farm system” from which prospective leaders come.

• Diversion dilemma: “No pastor has ever helped develop my leadership.” For years church staff members — particularly pastors — have been trained, have focused on and have been rewarded for “doing” ministry themselves. They have been diverted from the central biblical call of “developing” disciples and leaders, thinking, If I pour myself into developing some people, where will I find the time to keep doing what all the other people expect? Even where ministry staff recognizes the need for raising leaders, they often confess to feeling a lack of knowledge, tools or discipline to carry out that good intention.

• Professionalism pitfall: “The ministry staff provides the leadership.” Many ministries find it difficult to raise leaders because of the professionalization of Christian ministry. Our culture’s obsession with experts and credentials has seeped into the church and has created a perceived gulf of competence between professional staff and laypeople. This chasm is especially evident in larger ministries. Thus lay leaders often feel that they should leave leadership to the “pros.”

• Essence enigma: “I’m not entirely sure what being a leader means.” There is some significant confusion over what constitutes the essence of leadership. Is it, as some secular authorities suggest, the art of getting my way? Is leadership telling others what to do? Is it simply the discipline of holding meetings or drawing up strategic plans? Is leadership basically the business of increasing the ABCs — attendance, buildings and contributions — associated with an organization’s life? Defining the essence of leadership remains something of an enigma.

ASSESS YOUR LEADERSHIP NEEDS

Take a few moments to assess the reasons for the leadership deficit in your context. The need provides the motivation to address the leadership concerns.

As you look back over the

personal

and

ministry-based

reasons for the leadership deficit, with which do you best identify?

Which of these deficits are evident in your ministry or organization?

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP?

At its most basic, leadership is influence; Christian leadership is Christlike influence.

In recent years the Christian community has wisely sought to correct some of the excesses of authoritarian and hierarchical leadership. It has become fashionable to speak of servant leadership.1 This undoubtedly has been helpful, but it also has had some unintended side effects. Some people who have been placed in positions of significant responsibility are prepared for the servant part, but not the leader dimension. And because of the phrase “servant leadership,” some genuinely gifted leaders are wary of being too assertive, lest they seem to be lacking in servant spirit.

The kind of leadership that Leadership Essentials will address tries to avoid the shoals of power play on the one hand and passivity on the other. It seeks to gather individuals and teams around a common mission or vision in order to combine their gifts to accomplish something bigger than they could do on their own.

The leadership we have in mind means Christian influence across the major institutions of our society. Therefore, it should not be restricted to what we think of as Christian ministry.

LEADERSHIP PROGRESSION

Though leadership at its most fundamental level is influence and therefore is not restricted to institutional roles, there is also a progressive way to think of leadership stages of development within Christian organizations or institutions.

We start with making disciples.

This may seem like an obvious step, but making disciples — followers of Jesus — precedes and is foundational to Christlike leadership. This is the mission that Jesus assigned to the church when he told his disciples, “Go and make disciples [followers of me] of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). We get into trouble when we fail to move people toward Christlikeness and the disciplines of the faith as a prerequisite to leadership. When we skip this step, the distinctly Jesus-like quality of leadership is lost.

Disciples become models for others to follow.

Jesus set the example by washing the disciples’ feet. He put himself forth as an example and told his followers to do the same (John 13:1-17). The apostle Paul wrote, “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1

NLT

). For many followers of Christ the sheer power of their life is influential, even if they don’t have any clear strategy of reproduction or an overt destination they are trying to take people to.

We make reproducing disciples.

Reproduction is built into the basic understanding of the identity of a disciple of Jesus. Disciples need to be taught how to reproduce or multiply their influence through others.

2

Gifted leaders build powerful teams.

Whether guiding a small discipleship group of three or four, leading a home Bible study of ten or being the point person for a strategic team that sets the pace for an organization that touches ten thousand, leadership is steering a group to use their spiritual gifts to accomplish an agreed-upon mission. There are many ways and styles to get to this point. Some team builders are administrators who help the team clarify their vision and marshal their resources to accomplish their mission. Others leaders are the heart of the mission, carrying the passion and keeping the vision alive by repeatedly bringing the group back to its primary reason for being.

A few are anointed by God to make an extraordinary impact.

There are exceptionally powerful leaders that God raises up who have a five-star gift mix that sets them apart. Throughout Scripture God chose and used powerful leaders to send his people in new directions. Though this still happens, by definition these leaders are rare.

WHO IS THIS MATERIAL WRITTEN FOR?

Leadership Essentials is written for those who have been discouraged from entering into Christian leadership because of the personal and ministry-based reasons cited earlier and for existing leaders who hunger to lead more like Jesus. Specifically, it is intended to equip

Christian laypeople

desiring a basic understanding of the major principles and practices of Christian leadership, whether in the church, workplace, civic organization or family.

church or parachurch staff members

looking for a common, biblical framework for extending their influence.

IN WHAT CONTEXTS MIGHT THIS MATERIAL BE USED?

An existing leadership group.

To help a current group of ministry-team members (e.g., elders, church staff members, ministry or mission team) clarify their calling and move on to greater influence.

A leadership farm team.

To orient and stimulate a hand-picked group of potential leaders, preparing them for entry into formal leadership.

A mentoring relationship.

To spark learning and discussion between a mentor and an apprentice.

A small group or Bible class.

To catalyze the thinking and practice of a conventional group or class as they consider how their lives might have greater conformity to the example of Jesus and greater influence for the kingdom of God.

An aspiring individual.

To guide the growth of an individual seeking to develop his or her leadership influence.

HOW ISLEADERSHIP ESSENTIALSTO BE USED?

Each Leadership Essentials chapter has the following elements.

Core Truth. At the heart of each session is a carefully crafted nugget of truth that forms the central theme. Every element of the material that follows (memory verse, inductive Bible study, reading and leadership exercise) is simply an expansion on the core truth. Each session begins with participants discussing key words or phrases. This allows each person to enter the content on the same footing while also being able to discuss questions or issues that the core truth provokes.

Memory Verse. If you are familiar with Discipleship Essentials, you will note the same commitment to Scripture memory, but Leadership Essentials has lengthier segments. Scripture memorization is a worthy discipline. Because we have instant access to information through electronic media, we may not think we need to memorize anything. Yet our minds are our most powerful and present tool, and we must harness them as we develop our discipleship and leadership skills. Filling our minds with biblical wisdom and truth is the most important thing we can do. Memorizing Scripture is significant in shaping the way we perceive God’s world.

Inductive Bible Study. Each session offers interaction with a key passage of Scripture. The passage centers the core truth within the context of God’s Word. The inductive guides are intended to provoke deep thinking, not simply “filling in the blanks.” In this section your opinions will be probed; then you will be encouraged to dig into the Word; and finally you will be directed to apply the truth to your life with rugged honesty.

Reading. The reading is designed to spell out in greater detail the core truth of the chapter. Each reading is rooted in the biblical vision, yet it is placed in our contemporary setting so that the real world informs our leadership development. Here the difference between Christian and secular leadership will be highlighted. The media consistently promotes material acquisition, fame, power and appearance as foundations to build our lives on. Christian leadership often contradicts the dominant culture’s values. Therefore these readings challenge the contemporary milieu.

Leadership Exercise. Perhaps the most important element of each session is the leadership exercise. At the very least each session requires a personal application through guided reflection on the reading. Quite often, an actual task is crafted so that a leadership skill is put into practice and tested. It’s not enough to simply think about leadership. We need to exercise our leadership “muscles” through practice.

HOW CAN I ADAPTLEADERSHIP ESSENTIALSFOR MY SETTING?

This material can be used in a variety of group settings to resource and develop leaders. The following are three suggested formats.

Preexisting leadership team. Leadership groups generally meet at regular intervals (such as monthly) with a ministry and business agenda to complete. You desire to balance the spiritual and growth dimensions of the personal and team life with the tasks to be accomplished. With a group of twelve or less, you can cover this material in forty-five-minute segments. Ask the leadership group to complete all the parts of the lessons, including the Scripture memory, prior to the meeting. Let them know that when you are together, you will pay special attention to the leadership exercise. The forty-five minutes could be divided this way:

Whole group discussion (10 minutes). (1) Taking the lesson as a whole, how would you summarize the totality of what this is all about? (2) Was there a particular truth or spiritual insight that spoke to you?

Break into triads or quads (groups of three or four, 30 minutes). (1) Recite the Scripture memory: what was the value for you of memorizing this particular Scripture? (2) Then turn to the Leadership Exercise and choose the questions or activities that would best speak to the development of your leaders and team.

Whole group closing (5 minutes). Solicit any insight or action steps from the triads/quads that could be beneficial for the whole leadership team to hear.

Special leadership group or small group format. Some of you will use this material to resource your leadership development track (leadership farm system) or an existing small group may choose to adopt this curriculum for a quarter. The assumption is that the group would be under twelve members. If you had 90-120 minutes of devoted time, the following is a suggested format:

Core truth (whole group discussion, 10 minutes). Ask the group to share the key words or phrases that spoke to them. What was the key truth or spiritual insight that spoke to them in the core truth?

Memory verses (pairs, 15 minutes). Recite the verses to each other and then interact over the inductive questions.

Bible study (whole group discussion, 25 minutes). Capture the highlights of the biblical passage by interacting over the inductive questions.

Leadership exercise (triads, 30 minutes). The group leader suggests which of the application questions and/or activities will do the most to expand the leadership character and capacity of the participants.

Closing (whole group, 10 minutes). Come back together for any closing remarks the leader desires to make and/or invite the participants to share where they were stretched or enhanced by the leadership exercise.

“A CHRISTIAN LEADER IS A PERSON WITH A GOD-GIVEN CAPACITY AND THE GOD-GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY TO INFLUENCE A SPECIFIC GROUP OF GOD’S PEOPLE TOWARD GOD’S PURPOSE FOR THE GROUP.”

J. Robert Clinton, The Making of a Leader

Teaching or classroom setting. This curriculum could also be used in a more formal classroom setting where a teacher/trainer desires to intersperse their own biblical and leadership insights within the frame of the curriculum. If the leadership group is larger than twelve members, the following is the suggested format.

Introduction (pairs, 5 minutes). The group leader asks the participants to share in pairs their summary of what the lesson is all about. In addition, they are invited to share a key truth or spiritual insight that was particularly penetrating.

Core truth (5 minutes). The group leader highlights key words and phrases underscoring their importance to the central truth.

Memory verses (pairs, 15 minutes). Recite the verses to each other and then interact over the inductive questions.

Bible study (whole group, 25 minutes). The teacher/trainer uses the inductive guide for group interaction as well as adding their own research and insight to illumine the text.

Leadership exercise (triads or quads, 30 minutes). The teacher/trainer chooses from the menu of suggestions the application of the leadership content that is desired.

Closing (whole group, 10 minutes). The teacher/trainer asks the class members to share any growth steps that they experienced as a result of this lesson. Then a closing exhortation or reinforcement of a key truth can be offered. Finally, the teacher/trainer sets up the assignment for the next time the class will meet.

CONCLUSION

Leadership development is not simply a matter of completing some lessons and doing some exercises while engaging with others in honest interchange. This curriculum is a tool that provides the setting for potential transformation, but it’s the Holy Spirit who grabs ahold of our hearts and changes our lives. So as we begin this journey may this be our prayer:

Dear Lord, as I begin this journey to grow into the leader you desire me to be, may you have your way with me. Give me the grace for honest self-examination and the energy to pursue the truth and implement the practices you would build into my life. Through Jesus Christ I pray, amen.

_______________________

1Robert K. Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 25th anniversary ed. (Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press, 2002). Since the late 1970s servant leadership has been a counter to the high-control, top-down management models of such theories as management by objectives.

2Greg’s book Transforming Discipleship and its companion curriculum, Discipleship Essentials, describe the process of disciple-making reproduction and provide a curriculum to implement multiplying units.

Part One

THE CHARACTER OF A LEADER

We begin with the character of a leader for one simple reason: this is where the Scripture concentrates its focus. The New Testament, in particular, gives only minimal attention to what a leader does. Nowhere will you find any extensive job description for the role of pastor, elder or bishop. We come across only the thinnest references to teaching the truth (Acts 20:27-31; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:9) and equipping the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12) as indicators of a leader’s role. You won’t discover a gifts checklist or a list of the top ten skills that a leader should have anywhere in the Bible.

The Bible is much more concerned about who a leader is than what a leader does. Why? New Testament leadership is about reflecting the character of the Leader and Shepherd of the flock, Jesus Christ. In the Pastoral Epistles (1-2 Timothy and Titus), Paul gives us lists of qualifications to be an elder in the church. With the exception of “apt to teach,” all the qualifications are related to moral and spiritual character.

Therefore, in part one, we will study three characteristics of a leader.

Holy (chap. 1). Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the holy God and therefore our source and model for holy living. True leaders are reflectors. If Jesus is the sun, we are the moon, which can be seen only as it reflects a light that is not its own. Since we have no light of our own, we are reliant on making sure that we stay plugged into the One who is the source of light. Therefore, our first study looks at committing ourselves to cultivating the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the nine delicious character qualities that are simply a summary of the person of Jesus Christ.

Habitual (chap. 2). Christian leaders find true life and joy in the One they serve. They cultivate the rhythms and habits of a fruitful relationship with Christ that causes others to say, “The joy in that leader’s life is something I want to have.” This lesson examines how we can develop a training program that renews us so that “streams of living water will flow from within” us (John 7:38).

Humble (chap. 3). Good leaders exercise their power and influence properly. The worldly notion of power entails being dominant over others. Fear, intimidation and coercion are used to control. Jesus says, “Not so among us.” Godly power does not exalt leaders but empowers those who are being served. In a word, the Christlike leader is humble.

1 / Holy

LOOKING AHEAD

Memory Verse: 1 Peter 1:14-19Bible Study: Isaiah 6:1-8Reading: Simply the GreatestLeadership Exercise: Holiness Health Check

Core Truth

What is the preeminent quality of Christ’s character that informs the life of disciples who lead others?

Leading disciples* fix their gaze on the holiness of Christ and seek to reflect this holiness in the character and conduct of their own lives. This holiness is a blend of moral purity, spiritual produce, sacred purpose and transcendent power.

Identify key words or phrases in the question and answer above, and state their meaning in your own words.

Restate the core truth in your own words.

What questions or issues does the core truth raise for you?

Memory Verse Study Guide

Copy the entire text here:

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

Memory Verse: 1 Peter 1:14-19

Putting it in context: The apostle Peter was a man who had come face-to-face with his own sin. He had tried to talk Jesus out of going to the cross, bragged about how much more loyal he would be to Christ than the other disciples, and then bitterly denied Jesus when the pressure was on. Peter has also come face to face with God’s amazing grace. This moves him to issue the very striking appeal in this text.

How could “ignorance” make a person “conform to... evil desires” (v. 14) or pursue an “empty way of life” (v. 18)? Give an example of this.

Based on your own experience or observations of others, what are some of the “evil desires” that might actually lurk behind the actions of someone in leadership?

What does the word

holy

(vv. 15-16) mean or suggest to you?

What does it mean to “live... as strangers here in reverent fear” (v. 17)?

List at least two arguments (more if you can) for being holy that Peter advances in this passage.

Inductive Bible Study Guide

Bible Study: Isaiah 6:1-8

Isaiah 6 recounts the calling of the prophet Isaiah into the service of God. The events we read about occur shortly after the death of Israel’s beloved king, Uzziah. Up to that point Uzziah was the most formidable being that Isaiah had ever known. A brilliant statesman, uncommonly strong moral leader and winsome public figure, Uzziah had shepherded Israel for an unprecedented fifty years. When he died, all of Israel, including Isaiah, went into bitter mourning. Never again would they encounter such greatness. And then Isaiah was given this vision.

1. At Isaiah’s time the great temple at Jerusalem would have been by far the largest, most glorious structure Isaiah had ever seen, especially since Uzziah had restored it. What does verse 1 suggest, however, about the magnitude and glory of God?

What words are used to describe God’s glory?

2. “Seraphs” were angelic warriors, beings of staggering strength and speed. In verse 4 we’re told that the sound of their voices created a cataclysm of shock and awe in the temple. The reference to their “feet” is likely a euphemistic reference to “private parts.” What do you think is the significance of these mighty beings covering up their eyes and “feet”?

3. What do the seraphs say about the character and influence of God in verse 3?

What is the significance of their repeating “holy” three times?

4. What initial emotional and spiritual response did Isaiah have to this encounter (v. 5), and why?

Have you ever felt anything like this when contemplating God’s nature? How do you relate to this experience of worship?

5. According to verses 6-7, how does the Lord alleviate Isaiah’s sense of moral disintegration?

6. Why do you think Isaiah volunteered himself when God called (v. 8)?

7. What questions or issues does this passage raise for you?

Reading: Simply the Greatest

The story is told of an older man who for many decades habitually returned every few years to the city of Athens. Upon each visit, he would climb to the top of the Acropolis, take a seat on one of its ancient stones and spend an hour or two letting his eyes wander over the massive pedestal, the soaring columns, and the perfect proportions of the Parthenon. When asked to explain the reason for this pattern, the elderly gentleman’s eyes crinkled as he smiled: “I do this because it keeps my standards high.”

For the same reason, many of us who hope to be used of God as leaders keep returning to gaze upon Jesus. He is the greatest possible standard for what it means to be a person and a leader. To be fair, claims like this have been made of others. When Vladimir Lenin was entombed in Moscow in 1924, the following inscription was placed next to his embalmed remains: “Here lies the greatest leader of all people of all time. He was the lord of the new humanity. He was the savior of the world.”1

Those words, whether applied to Lenin or any other leader, ring hollow today, don’t they? Those leaders lie dead and buried (or one day will). The clock is ticking, and their kingdoms are (or will be) history. Yet the person and influence of Jesus remains as alive today as the first day he stood on the temple mount of Jerusalem. As the twenty-first century was dawning, Time magazine made this observation:

The memory of any stretch of years eventually resolves to a list of names, and one of the useful ways of recalling the past two millenniums is by listing the people who acquired great power. Muhammad, Catherine the Great, Marx, Gandhi, Hitler, Roosevelt, Stalin and Mao come quickly to mind. There’s no question that each of those figures changed the lives of millions and evoked responses from worship through hatred.

It would require much exotic calculation, however, to deny that the single most powerful figure — not merely in these two millenniums but in all human history — has been Jesus of Nazareth... [A] serious argument can be made that no one else’s life has proved remotely as powerful and enduring as that of Jesus.”2

Leadership is the art of multiplying influence, and by this standard Jesus must be considered the master artist. This is something of why so many of us agree with the writer to the Hebrews that Jesus is “worthy of greater honor” (Hebrews 3:3) than other leaders. Even those who cannot yet accept the core Christian claim that Jesus was the Creator of the universe, was made flesh (John 1:1-3, 14), cannot help but stand in awe or admiration before the brilliant ethical framework, the towering moral example, the enduring spiritual and social effects of the life and leadership of Jesus. The famed Briton H. G. Wells once wrote: “More than 1900 years later, a historian like myself, who doesn’t even call himself a Christian, finds the picture centering irresistibly around the life and character of this most significant man... The historian’s test of greatness is ‘What did he leave to grow?’ Did he start men to thinking along fresh lines with a vigor that persisted after him? By this test, Jesus stands first.”3

He is simply the greatest.

THE BEING OF THE BUILDER

But greatness can be a mysterious property. It is commonplace in our day to read books that reduce great leadership to a set of techniques or methodologies. Even Jesus has been commodified in this way, his leadership packaged into a neat set of practical utilities. We will certainly look closely at the practices of Jesus, but a careful study of the biblical materials that record Christ’s life lead to an inescapable conclusion: Jesus was an exceptional builder because he was, first and foremost, an extraordinary being. His influence was the effluence of his essence. His impact was the overflow of his identity. His conduct was the outpouring of his character. And if we wish to follow him, we must begin with his holiness.

The word holy has fallen into disuse in our time. When used, it’s often employed in a derogatory sense — as in “holy roller” or “holier than thou.” For many people the word suggests a pinched, diminished or sanctimonious state of being. This is sad, because the biblical concept of holiness actually carries a vastly grander and more inspiring meaning. It is as different from the popular concept as the Parthenon is from an office cubicle. C. S. Lewis once commented to an American friend: “How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing... it is irresistible. If even 10% of the world’s population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before a year’s end?”4

“PROFESSING CHRISTIANS MUST BE BROUGHT TO REALIZE THAT THE PREEMINENT DESIRE AND DEMAND OF GOD FOR US IS THAT OF THE CONTINUAL PURSUIT OF THE HOLINESS OF LIFE, AND THE REFLECTION OF HIS OWN HOLINESS.”

Herbert S. Lockyer Sr., source unknown

When the Bible speaks of holiness it does so in a variety of colorful senses. All of these dimensions of holiness are vividly present in the character and conduct of Jesus. Together, they help to account for the fact that so many people found his leadership irresistibly influential.

THE PURITY OF JESUS (THE ABSENCE OF SIN)

In the most familiar sense, holiness is purity. It is a state of moral perfection. It is the utter absence of sin. It is living water running cold, clear and absolutely clean. This aspect of Jesus’ character simply stupefied those who first spent time with him. Do you suppose individuals like Matthew (a tax collector) or Mary Magdalene (formerly demon-possessed) or the other disciples (working tradesmen) were naive about human nature? They certainly knew plenty about the superficiality, complexity and pretense of people. Some of them spent three years living in close quarters with Jesus. Yet the apostle Peter emerged saying of Jesus, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). The apostle John said, “In him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). The writer to the Hebrews summed up the consistent experience and teaching of Christ’s first followers by saying that Jesus was “tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

How many of us could imagine saying something like this about one of our family members, college roommates or coworkers? How many of us could imagine a leader today saying to the press, “Go ahead, I dare you; see if you can find any dirt on me.” Yet at one point Jesus faced off with some of the Pharisees who were bent on discrediting his leadership and said precisely this: “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 8:46). Think how many leaders have had their influence diminished or cancelled out because, in spite of all they’d done or said, there was something hidden, something dark, some lack of integrity in their life. But no one could find any sin in Jesus. He was truly holy.

THE PRODUCE OF JESUS (THE PRESENCE OF FRUIT)

Holiness, however, is much more than the absence of sin. It is also the presence of glory. The space where the darkness and death of sin is not found is filled instead with the light and life of God. This is what the apostle John was getting at when he described breathlessly, on behalf of the other disciples, what they saw in Jesus: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,... full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The apostle Paul says that where the Holy Spirit of God resides, it drives out sin and replaces it with the resplendence of good fruit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). These aspects of holiness are precisely the qualities we see abounding in Jesus. They help to explain why others were drawn to him like hungry people are drawn to a bowl of fruit.

Many people hunger for holiness without knowing it. For years I (Dan) asked people exploring church membership: “Do you want to be holy?” People shrugged their shoulders awkwardly. A few hands poked up shyly. Then I started asking, “Would you like a greater measure of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and so on in your life?” Every hand in the room shoots up immediately. Every time.

“IT IS ONLY WHEN CHRIST IS WHOLLY LORD THAT WE BECOME WHOLE OURSELVES.”

John Stott, from an address at Christ Church of Oak Brook