“Spiritual leadership requires spirit-filled people.” – Oswald Sanders

What distinctive should a Christian leader have compared to somebody who leads in an environment or organization that is not explicitly Christian?

This is a good question to ask since the Bible has made it clear that there is no distinction between the sacred and the secular. For a Christian, all work is holy. Therefore a Christian needs to give his best effort all the time, no matter what work or what position he has in the organization.

One of the things we preached about in church is that God called us to be spirit-filled believers. This is a crucial ingredient that sets us apart from people who live life without Christ. We see our work, our business – our calling ultimately as a way to serve Jesus our king and His kingdom.

According to Eric Geiger, “If our churches are developing leaders who are not filled with His Spirit, our churches are developing leaders who will not advance the mission and serve the Kingdom well.  When a church produces leaders apart from the Spirit, a church produces people who can execute tasks without walking with the Lord, who can fulfill responsibilities without remaining in Him.” (loc 557, Kindle edition)

I remember a conversation I had with a pastor-friend who has left the ministry because of a moral failure. He had led the church beyond 1000 people and was seeing so many breakthroughs in ministry. Yet, in spite of the growth, He was moving farther away from God. One of his greatest lesson in his sin was that you can lead a growing church without Christ. It is a scary thought.

To have a healthy culture, we need to value the character and trustworthiness of the leader, not just the skills they can offer. (loc 557)

Source: Geiger, Eric, and Kevin Peck. Designed to lead: the church and leadership development. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2016.