Qualities For Leadership
Now while everyone is a leader to some extent, not everyone has a leadership position. In other words, not everyone has the specific responsibility of overseeing someone or something. While it may sound nice to have a leadership title and position, the person who makes the commitment to accept a leadership opportunity must also accept the responsibility that goes along with that position, whatever it is. This means that a really good leader is someone who committed to fulfilling their responsibilities even when they’d really rather be doing something else.
Besides commitment, a good list of other leadership qualities can be found in the Biblical book of 1 Timothy. Timothy was a young guy who was given the responsibility of leading the church in the town of Ephesus while the Apostle Paul went on the road to continue his missionary work. While this next part is written mainly for Pastor-types, there are lots of good principles that anyone who wants to be a leader can put into practice. Check it out…
Principles For Good Leadership
“For a pastor must be a good man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must have only one wife, and he must be hard working and thoughtful, orderly, and full of good deeds. He must enjoy having guests in his home and must be a good Bible teacher” (1 Timothy 3:2).
Now before we continue, let’s park here for a moment and look at this a little more closely…
- A good man whose life cannot be spoken against. This means that a good leader’s lifestyle doesn’t provide anything that others might use as a kind of “handle” to attack or accuse them.
- He must have only one wife. If you’re a youth leader who is actually a youth then the chances are probably pretty good are that you are unmarried, right? So let’s customize this Biblical principle to your situation by saying that a good youth leader should show the qualities of loyalty, dedication and faithfulness.
- He must be hard working and thoughtful, orderly. It should go without saying that slackers usually make poor leaders. A good leader is someone who is willing to work hard and also makes sure to control his or her behavior in a manner that’s right for the situation.
- Full of good deeds. A good leader is known for courtesy and dignity, not disrespect. A good leader simply helps people who need help and does those things that need doing without calling attention to his or herself.
- Must be a good Bible teacher. Then there is this part about being able to teach the Bible. A good leader should be someone who knows enough about the Bible to be able to communicate it to others. Someone who wants to be a good leader should be Biblically grounded enough to be able to teach people the truth and correct false teachings. A good leader doesn’t necessarily need to be a “teacher” but they will be able to teach because they know what God’s Word says and means.
Here are a few more principles from 1 Timothy…
“He must not be a drinker or quarrelsome, but he must be gentle and kind and not be one who loves money. He must have a well-behaved family, with children who obey quickly and quietly. For if a man can’t make his own little family behave, how can he help the whole church?” (1 Timothy 3:3-5).
- He must not be a drinker or quarrelsome but he must be gentle and kind. The language used here carries the idea of someone who doesn’t get drunk and get into brawls. A good leader isn’t someone who is argumentative but works to represent God in a way that doesn’t repel people or start fights.
- Not be one who loves money. If money is the number one priority in your life then you simply can’t be the kind of leader that really honors God. Here’s the reason for that according to Jesus Himself: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24 NIV).
- He must have a well-behaved family. For our purposes we can say that this simply refers to the fact that good leadership starts at home. If you’re a poor example in your own home then the chances are good that you won’t be any different outside either.
Let’s try a few more…
“The pastor must not be a new Christian because he might be proud of being chosen so soon, and pride comes before a fall. (Satan’s downfall is an example.) Also, he must be well spoken of by people outside the church– those who aren’t Christians– so that Satan can’t trap him with many accusations and leave him without freedom to lead his flock” (1 Timothy 3:6-7).
- The pastor must not be a new Christian. It’s usually best for a new Christians to spend some time learning about God and His Word first before moving into a position of leadership.
- He must be well spoken of by people outside the church. This means that a good leader is someone who is recognized as a person of good character outside of church. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are really popular or well-liked by everyone but simply that they have a good reputation, even among those people who aren’t Christians.
Are You Right For The Job?
So how does someone know if they are right for a leadership position? Well, The Doctor will let you in on a little secret- good leaders are people who are already doing the things that identify them as leaders before they are ever given a title! A good leader “sees” needs that other people don’t and then gets involved in meeting those needs. In other words, a person with good leadership qualities sees things that should be done (or should be done better) and then prayerfully gets involved.
In reality, leadership positions are less about titles and labels and more about simply doing those things that God has for you to do. Listen, if you are the one who sees a need in some area then perhaps you are the one that God desires to step up and take the lead in that situation, whatever it is. Why not ask God for His direction and then talk to your Pastor, Youth Pastor or other church leader about it?
Next: “I’m a 15 year old youth leader- help!!!”