How Should We Think About Leadership As Christians?

The various theories of leadership that we have learned about so far highlight that there are very different ways of thinking about leadership. The classical period of leadership studies saw scholars focus on the internal aspects of leaders through the study of classics such as ancient Greek writings and the Bible, and seemed to highlight the importance of leaders’ character development and apprenticeship into leadership. In contrast, the modern period of leadership highlighted the importance of leaders being task-driven, accomplishing and producing things in the most effective way possible. Have we then as society moved into the modern and postmodern eras lost focus of the importance of leaders’ personal moral qualities in favor of what they can do or achieve? You may well think, “But  surely, elements of both the classical and modern leadership theories are correct?” How then are we supposed to think about leadership as Christians?

Questions to ask about leadership

We will answer the previous question more comprehensively in Lesson 2 when we examine the Bible for leadership principles and guidance. However, this lesson has shown that there are many other aspects of leadership to consider in order to define effective leadership. 

Watch this video in which Dr. Rodney Cooper, senior professor of leadership and ministry, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, discusses some key questions we should ask to clarify our understanding of leadership. He discusses leadership issues such as whether it is static or dynamic, if it requires nonnegotiable prerequisites to be successful, and whether leadership is a specialized function or not.