UNDERSTANDING BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP
A Biblical Definition of Leadership
In his book, The Making of a Leader, Dr. J. Robert Clinton describes biblical
leadership as “a dynamic process in which a man or woman with God-given capacity
influences a specific group of God’s people toward His purposes for the group.”1 Clearly,
biblical leadership is influence. Anyone who has influenced someone to do something has led
that person. Several times, the scriptures refer to God’s people as sheep, and His leaders as
shepherds. The 23rd Psalm describes the Lord Himself as a shepherd who leads his sheep beside
the still waters and in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Like good shepherds,
biblical leaders lead people through their godly influence down God’s divine paths. Remarking
about influence, Hans Finzel states, “Great leaders…inspire us to go places we would never go
on our own, and to attempt things we never thought we had in us”2
Genuine biblical leadership wields influence based upon godly character. Granted,
sometimes in the Old Testament God used men to lead whose characters were quite tarnished
(e.g. the Judges). But the New Testament sets a high standard for biblical leadership that
emphasizes Christ-likeness and godliness. Look at the qualifications for a bishop, listed in I
Timothy 3:2-7:
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of
good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for
money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; (for if a man does not know how to rule
his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being
puffed up with pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must
1
Dr. Robert J. Clinton, The Making of a Leader (Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress, 1988), 14.
2
Hans Finzel, The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1994), 14.
have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the
snare of the devil.3
While nothing is stated about organizational skills or administrative ability, much is said about
character traits and godly influence with those within and without the church.
God and Leader Formation
Put simply, life is basically about being and doing. Put differently, life is about who you are
and what you do. This concept is realized in the believer in the Fruit of the Spirit (c.f. Galatians
5:22-23) and in the Gifts of the Spirit (c.f. I Corinthians 12:7-11). The Fruit of the Spirit
describe who Jesus was as a man, while the Gifts of the Spirit describe what He did as a man.
Likewise, the Fruit of the Spirit should describe who we are in Christ, while the Gifts of the
Spirit (among the other spiritual gifts of God) should describe what we do for Christ. Another
way of saying it is that the Fruit are the marks of a mature Christian, while the Gifts are the mark
of a good minister. The critical key, however, is to understand that our doing must flow out of
our being.
Too often, we look past a leader’s character or overlook a leader’s obvious weaknesses
because of the strength of his gifts and abilities. We have been guilty to even elevate such a
person to a level of great spiritual maturity and strength of character on the basis of his giftings.
Yet, Jesus doesn’t share that value system. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus predicted that there would
be those who would prophesy in His name, cast out devils, and do many mighty works but fail to
do the Father’s will. On judgment day, they will hear Him say, “I never knew you; depart from
3
I Timothy 3:2-7 NKJV (New King James Version)
Me!” Genuine obedient discipleship, built on a character-transforming relationship with Jesus, is
more important than a spectacular ministry.
The goal for the biblical leader is what Dr. Clinton calls “the Upward Development Pattern.”
Throughout a leader’s life, he should experience a spiral of growth in being and doing. In each
being cycle there is an increase in experiencing and knowing God, while in each doing cycle
there is an increase of effective service for God. The growth in being results in a higher level of
doing, which creates a need for increased maturity in being, and so on. Effective leaders should
reach the place where they stop trying to do ministry, and instead pursue depth of relationship
with God and allow Him to work through them.4
God uses processes of life to create this “Upward Development Pattern.” While patterns deal
with the overall framework (big picture) of life, processes deal with the ways and means God
uses to move the leader along in the overall pattern.5 God takes “the good, the bad and the ugly”
of life and turns these experiences into valuable leadership lessons. Often, what too many
leaders fail to understand is that leadership development is a lifetime process. They are
convinced that the right combination of leadership books and seminars will magically transform
them into a top, effective leader. They will “arrive” on top of the leadership mountain of
success. The fact is the journey of life, with all of its ups and downs, is the key to becoming the
biblical leader God wants you to be. The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-41 illustrates this well.
Joseph was divinely called to be a leader at 17 years old. He had big dreams and visions. But it
took 13 years and experiences in a pit, Potiphar’s house, and a prison to prepare him for the
palace of Egypt.
4
Clinton, 156-157.
5
Ibid., 42.
