Christian Leadership Is Intentional

John Maxwell said that leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts, but is instead about one life influencing another. So if leadership is about influence, how are we supposed to behave as Christian leaders in the business world? What does this look like?

Christian Leadership Standards

In my last post, I took Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 3:1-15 when he was describing the qualities of Christian leadership to Timothy. As you read verses 14-15, it becomes clear that Paul is not only referring to church pastors and deacons, but to everyone in the family of God! This means we are all leaders in the role He has given us.

If this is true, then we need to know how to be the Christian leaders God calls us to be right where we are. While the list of qualities Paul gives are good to go by, I think we can sum up our responsibilities in three points.

3 Christian Leadership Points

We covered the first one in my last post – Leadership is Influence. That essentially means that we are leaders to the extent we influence others. As Christians, we must be aware of this and live accordingly. I will cover the second point today and the last one next time.

The second point is this:

[texthighlight color=”black” ]Christian Leadership is Intentional.[/texthighlight]

Intentional?

What does this really mean? The problem with leadership being about influence is that you can influence people without meaning to. You can influence people, and lead them, even when you are doing the wrong things or doing things wrong. You may not even know you are leading or influencing them.

For you to be an effective Christian leader, you must be intentional about who you are and what you do. You must seek to live by the standards given in Scripture. You should make sure that anyone being led (or influenced) by you is being influenced in the right direction!

What does this mean to you at work?

Christian Leadership At Work?

An effective Christian leader cannot act one way on Sunday and a different way Monday through Friday or Saturday. Instead, Christian leaders must intentionally be the same person all week long – someone who is being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ!

This means you should be making decisions based on what you believe Jesus would have you do in the workplace just as you would in the home or at church. There really is not a difference, except in location.

Examples

When given the opportunity to cheat the company, a customer, or a competitor, you must remember that this is not behavior that fits with being a Christian leader. When tempted to try to “fit in” with your peers at work or even on the road at a conference, you have to remember that you are always on display. Your influence does not stop just because you are at work.

Before we digress into a long, legalistic list of things you cannot do, I really want to take a minute to focus on what you should be doing. To me, being an intentional Christian leader is more about the things you do, rather than just the things you should not do.

Scripture & Application

There are two verses I can think of to describe what I am talking about. The first one is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:16.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorifyyour Father in heaven.

If you will follow the advice in this verse as you operate in the workplace, you will stand out. Over time, you will be an obvious influence on those around you. I promise you this is true.

If you do this, do you know what will happen? Some people may mock you or avoid you at first. Maybe they will even try to undermine you or oppose you directly. Others will respect you – silently or otherwise. Some will hope you can maintain it because they want to believe it can be done.

They Will Ask Why?

Whatever the initial reaction, over time people will begin to ask you, “Why?” They will want to understand what it is that makes you different. They will come to you for advice when you least expect it.

The second verse that applies here is 1 Peter 3:15.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

The point here is that your “good deeds” will draw attention to you – just like a city on a hill. As that happens, you will be asked why you are different. This verse in 1 Peter explains that you should not be caught off guard by this. Instead, you should be prepared to answer the questions.

Intentional Preparation

You will have to intentionally prepare for this. You cannot be clueless about Scripture and be prepared to answer these questions. You cannot fail to think through your answers and still be ready to respond.

Obviously, there is more to being an effective Christian leader than just applying these two verses. At the same time, this is a great start! Just applying these two verses can multiply your impact and influence on others exponentially! Try it and see what you think.

What other verses do you think fit here?

What would you add to this plan for being intentional?

What challenges have you faced in trying to live this out?