The Biblical Basis for Leaders and Managers
Healthy Leaders | Issue 45
Welcome to Issue 45 of Healthy Leaders. In this issue, the biblical roots of the leader-manager distinction.
Hello friends,
Welcome back to our ongoing conversation on healthy Christian leadership and leader development.1
Last issue we started a new series on leaders and managers — and you may be wondering, where is this distinction in the Bible?
We’re glad you asked!
Here’s Malcolm unpacking the biblical basis.
In both instances Malcolm zeroes in on here (Acts 6 and Exodus 18) we see a problem to be solved, rooted in our own limited capacity as leaders to do everything that is required. You as a leader or a manager can only do so much! You need other leaders and managers to share the load. The task given to us by God is too big to accomplish alone. Thank God for His Church!
As you are reflecting on your place in this — whether manager or leader — take a moment to remember the source of all of this: your relationship with Jesus. He will never leave you nor forsake you in the task before you. Your dependency on Him is directly related to your capacity to fulfill the task He’s given you in your organization or church. God is calling you into deep dependency on Him. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.
A leader from one of our trainings in Indonesia stated it this way:
“It is like I found a fountain in the desert. It made me "alive," and my commitment to walk with God is renewed. I realized that I didn't focus on my relationship with God because I am too busy with work and various other responsibilities. I felt dry, empty, and exhausted. Thank you for recharging my commitment and calling to walk with Christ and focus on Christ! It has really helped me to understand more deeply how to be a healthy Christian leader, and to build my commitment to be a healthy Christian leader for my family and my organization.
Fellowship with Jesus Christ becomes the center of my life. I must look to Jesus in my ministry when I work and serve people, and everyone will see Him through my life and in my leadership. I really want to live in dependency on Him.” (Brother F)
The blending of leaders and managers in an organization requires not only work, but the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22):
We love one another selflessly, putting each other’s interest above our own.
We rejoice together in God as our Savior and Friend, and we celebrate with each other’s diverse giftings with sincere joy instead of viewing them as hindrances.
We seek peace and unity in the tensions of blending leaders and managers on a team.
We have patience with one another and the process of growing together.
We exercise kindness, overlooking slights and forgiving one another as Christ forgave us.
We seek to have integrity, to pursue goodness and holiness in all of our interactions with each other.
We demonstrate faithfulness to God, to His Word, and to our fellow family members in the Body of Christ.
We practice gentleness with each other, avoiding harsh or cruel words in favor of humility and intentional care for the thoughts and feelings of others.
We exercise self-control, knowing that we are frail, flawed human beings who need help from God and each other to accomplish anything of lasting impact.
You can’t manufacture this kind of fruit. It has to flow from your dependency on God. Get with Him! Look at Him! And don’t give up. He loves to bless His children.
What about you?
If you haven’t had a chance to take our leader/manager self-evaluation, what are you waiting for? It’s here, it’s free, and it won’t take you long to complete:
Maybe this only confirmed what you’ve known or suspected all along. But it’s important to take the next step — not just knowing your orientation as leader, manager, or some combination of the two, but living out your orientation faithfully. What do you intend to do now? What practical ways can you use your giftings in your organization now? Let us know in the comments.
Until next time, we’re with you!
— Chris
Recommended Resources
Book: Leaders & Managers
If you want to go deeper in self-evaluation, take our free 5C Checkpoint evaluation.
For more resources, visit our website.
Thanks to our friends at Fifty-Four Collective for putting together a comprehensive set of video courses for growing healthy organizations, starting with this series of courses on leadership by Malcolm. We’ll be using some of their videos and some of our own. Be sure to check out what they’re doing!