Information Related to "Leadership: A Biblical Perspective"
| Audio/Video |
Leadership: A Biblical Perspective
What does God look for in a leader?
Does He expect certain standards and behavior in a person chosen for a role of leadership
and service to others?
At a time many Americans are asking themselves what behavior they should expect from
their president, and the holder of that office is frequently heard quoting the Bible,
perhaps we should examine what God expects of a leader.
The Bible is clear that God expects one put in a position of responsibility to meet
certain qualifications. This is first brought out when God began working with the
Israelites after their exodus from Egypt. God was working with a nation of former
slaves, shaping and molding them into a new nation. Where would He begin?
One problem quickly became apparent. Since the people brought their questions, problems
and disputes to Moses, the decision-making process quickly became a bottleneck and
ground to a halt. The solution? Share the load by delegating authority to capable
leaders.
By what criteria were leaders to be chosen? Moses was advised to "select from all
the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating
covetousness . . ." (Exodus 18:21).
With a core leadership of able, God-fearing, truthful, unselfish men, the new nation
would build a firm foundation. Moses solved his immediate problem and gave his people
a sound start on nationhood.
Through the apostle Paul, God enumerated requirements for positions of leadership
and service within His Church. Consider the standards, listed below, that Paul gave
to his fellow minister Timothy for choosing such leaders:
". . . The presiding elder must have an impeccable character. Husband of
one wife, he must be temperate, discreet and courteous, hospitable and a good teacher;
not a heavy drinker, nor hot-tempered, but gentle and peaceable, not avaricious,
a man who manages his own household well and brings his children up to obey him and
be well-behaved: how can any man who does not understand how to manage his own household
take care of the Church of God? . . . It is also necessary that he be held
in good repute by outsiders, so that he never falls into disrepute and into the devil's
trap.
"Similarly, deacons must be respectable, not double tongued, moderate in the amount
of wine they drink and with no squalid greed for money . . . They are first
to be examined, and admitted to serve as deacons only if there is nothing against
them" (1Timothy 3:1-10, New Jerusalem Bible).
Titus 1:7-8 adds: "The presiding elder has to be irreproachable since he is God's
representative; never arrogant or hot-tempered, nor a heavy drinker or violent, nor
avaricious; but hospitable and a lover of goodness; sensible, upright, devout and
self-controlled . . ." (New Jerusalem Bible).
We should ask ourselves: If these are minimum qualifications for overseers of a small
congregation of believers, what should we expect from those who oversee states and
nations?
Those who excuse the president's admitted peccadilloes fail to note that any schoolteacher
or principal, university professor or supervisor in private business would likely
be immediately fired for such conduct. Military officers would be discharged, court-martialed
or imprisoned--and many have been--for actions many are willing to tolerate in the
nation's commander in chief. Many Americans don't seem to appreciate the irony that
they hold the presidency to lower standards than any of these jobs.
Moses and Paul understood that leadership requires moral authority to be credible.
If one is to accept advice, decisions and instructions from leaders, one must have
confidence in the core values and moral foundation behind their words.
--Scott Ashley
© 1999-2022 United Church of God, an International Association
Related Information:
Table of Contents that includes "Leadership: A Biblical Perspective"
Other Articles by Scott Ashley
Origin of article "Leadership: A Biblical Perspective"
Keywords: leadership
Leadership: