What comes to your mind when you think of a leader?
You might envision someone influential. Maybe you imagine somebody that many people follow.
These attributes can be true about good leaders. Yet leadership is more than large crowds, social media followers, and lots of people who want to join your team.
Many people in ministry avoid the topic of leadership because of potential pitfalls that can feed pride and ego (like those mentioned above). Leaders who serve with mixed motivations certainly hurt others and damage their own souls.
But Paul reassures us that “to aspire to leadership is an honorable ambition” (1 Timothy 3:1, NEB). And Jesus certainly didn’t avoid leadership — he is the greatest leader in world history who brought glory to God by completing his work (John 17:4).
How can you be the kind of loving leader who glorifies God in all you do? The significance of your leadership starts by appreciating the leadership of King Jesus.
Jesus of Nazareth was a carpenter and vagabond evangelist who didn’t own a bed (Mark 6:3, Matthew 8:20). The goal of his ministry was not popularity or prosperity. Instead, his all-consuming aim was to please God — even when it led to betrayal, abandonment, rejection, suffering, and death (John 8:29, Luke 9:22).
Yet he is the founder and CEO of the Christian Enterprise and the entire Universe. Paul tells us that he “is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). “In him are hidden all treasures of knowledge and wisdom” and “he is the head over every power and authority” (Colossians 2:3,10). Most remarkable, he was crucified and rose from the dead for imperfect and fractured people like you and me.
Our Lord and Savior is the most powerful leader who perfectly embodies Abba’s tender love. He established a new culture of radical affection that continues to spread like wildfire over two thousand years later.
Jesus models for us how to be a counter-cultural leader. Studying his leadership is a crucial step to becoming a missionary or ministry leader who is spiritually, emotionally, and relationally healthy. This is how you serve God and others in a totally caring way (Matthew 22:37-39).
So what makes Jesus’ leadership so different? Here are five distinguishing leadership attributes from the Lord of lords and the King of kings:
#1 Jesus is a loving leader (He’s not selfish)
- Jesus’ true success was maturing his character so he could safely use God’s power to help people (Matthew 4:1-11, John 3:34-35).
- Our Savior’s formation empowered him to be a gentle protector to a grieving widow (Luke 7:11-17), the town harlot (Luke 7:36-50), children (Luke 18:15-17), and even a greedy, hated tax collector (Luke 19:1-10).
- The Rabbi from Nazareth “practiced what he preached” by giving to those who asked (Luke 6:30). He said “yes” to attending a party (Luke 7:36), feeding the hungry (Mark 6:34-44), healing the sick (Mark 5:22-24, John 4:46-53, Matthew 8:5-13), and allowing those dismissed by society to touch him (Mark 5:30-34).
#2 Jesus is inclusive (He doesn’t leave anybody out)
- Jesus kept his message and methods simple (yet profound) so that ordinary people could follow him. For example, he distilled thousands of laws into a single sentence (Matthew 22:37-40).
- He made space for different people groups, genders, and personality types within his crew of apprentices and friends. The arms of his ministry reached out and embraced a Samaritan leper (Luke 17:11-19), many women (Luke 8:2-3), and soft-spoken, gentle leaders (John 1:40-42, 6:8, 12:20-22).
#3 Jesus follows God’s mission (He is not ego-driven)
- The Messiah found his mission statement from the Bible: to preach the good news to the poor, set prisoners free, heal the blind, release the oppressed, and proclaim God’s favor (Isaiah 61:2; Luke 4:18-19).
- Jesus never got stuck in the grind of ministry or succumbed to “calling the shots” in his own power. He went to great lengths (even climbing mountains!) to pray for a heavenly perspective on his work and always acted in partnership with his Father (Luke 6:12-16; Matthew 14:23, John 5:19).
- The Good Shepherd didn’t compromise his mission to be accepted by people — he was even willing to have his followers desert him (John 6:66).
#4 Jesus has good boundaries (He’s not stressed out)
- Jesus perfectly displayed the nature of Abba by joyfully blessing people (Psalm 16:11, Luke 15:5-6). He did ministry in a relaxed, personal, and fun way by turning water into wine at a wedding party (John 2:1-11), laughing and playing with little children (Mark 10:13), and taking his “staff” of disciples on walks, boat rides, and picnics at the beach (Mark 2:23, Luke 8:22, John 21:9-10).
- The Good Shepherd valued shepherding his own soul by keeping a Sabbath to rest in God (Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:16), saying “no” to people to pray instead (Mark 1:35), and taking naps (Mark 4:35-41).
#5 Jesus has EQ (He does not depend only on IQ)
- Jesus felt deeply and harnessed his emotions to fulfill his mission. He cried (John 11:35), shouted (Matthew 23:1-39), and expressed passionate and protective anger (Mark 11:15-17).
- Our Savior learned to process his emotions with Abba and his friends — asking for what he needed. He prayed honestly using the Psalms (Matthew 26:38, Mark 15:34).
- Jesus met people in their emotional experiences with perfect empathy (Hebrews 4:15-16). He wept with a grieving family (John 11:17-37), helped people appreciate birds and flowers (Matthew 5:25-34), shared deep joy with his friends (John 15:11), and washed dirty feet (John 13:1-17).
The life of Jesus teaches us that leadership is more than influence or followers. It’s a means to love people well and bring glory to God.
During a class on spirituality and leadership, Dallas Willard defined leadership as “bringing the activities of many people into coordination for a good purpose.” The motivation of kingdom leadership is not to “be in charge” but rather to serve God’s purposes and his people (Matthew 20:28).
You can draw on Jesus’ empathy, wisdom, and power to bring the activities of many people into coordination for a powerful kingdom purpose. This is what Jesus did through washing feet, listening to the broken-hearted, training uneducated men, and praying for others.
Jesus teaches us how to pray to serve his kingdom as fully loving servant leaders. The Lord’s prayer helps align our hearts with the leadership heart of Jesus.
Let’s practice a breath prayer (a short, meditative prayer) from Matthew 6:13 together:
First, find a place where you can be alone. Quiet your soul and attune to the Father’s presence…
- Wait to breathe as you long for God’s kingdom and pray, “In your kingdom…”
- Breathe in as you receive the Spirit’s power and pray, “By your power…”
- Breathe out as you seek to bring glory to Jesus and pray, “For your glory…”
Try repeating this process until you become aware of God’s abundant grace and his delight in you.
I pray that in all things you are in God’s kingdom, by his power, and for his glory.
This content is adapted from a teaching we do at our Soul Shepherding Institute during a week of learning about Relationally Healthy Leadership. Our five-day Institute retreats are designed to help pastors, missionaries, and leaders go deeper with Jesus in emotional health and loving relationships. We’d love for you to join us!
