3 Motifs of Christian Leadership

When you think about leaders, what images come to mind? A ship captain, perhaps? Or an army general, a politician or a business CEO? It would likely be a picture of someone at the helm, one who is in charge, who makes strategic decisions and who is a visionary, pointing the way forward for an organisation or a group of people. Indeed, there are leaders with followers in various fields and settings, and there is no shortage of books, talks and online resources about this rich topic of leadership. This article seeks not to expand your horizons about vision, influence, change management or the like but will delve into Christian leadership—what distinct values or principles ought to be the core motivations of a Christian leader at home, at work and in their community?

The Christian Scriptures present leadership through 3 motifs: Father, Shepherd and Servant. Just to be clear, the Father motif does not mean that women are excluded from all leadership roles.

Father

Firstly, a Father loves every member of his family, and he expresses this love through selfless and sacrificial giving of himself. He is delighted when his children grow and flourish from all he gives them. His focus is to give-to for their good rather than get-from for his own benefit. In the same way, a leader has their people’s well-being at heart because they genuinely will the best for them, whether they are family members, workers or church members. In fatherly love, the leader neither treats them as mere tools to be used for their own advantage nor dismisses their welfare as an inconvenience.

Secondly, a Father also serves as the exemplar of all the virtues that he upholds, whether honesty, diligence, patience, forgiveness or others. Thus, a leader is not a closeted, armchair-bound decision-maker operating through remote control but one whose actions and behaviour are consistently exemplary and are clearly observable (see Hebrews 13:7; 1 Peter 5:3b; 1 Timothy 4:12). What they do corresponds to what they say and thus, they earn trust and respect along the way.

Lastly, a Father exudes warmth. A cold and aloof person concerned only about efficiency, performance or profits may make a manager but not a leader make. Instead, a leader’s warmth is felt through their regular and open conversations with those around them, welcoming candid responses in return.

Granted, the leader as Father cannot be applied to the same degree in every arena, but one thing is for sure—a Christian leader cannot be a heartless leader.

Shepherd

The Shepherd theme runs throughout the Bible. Christians would be familiar with it in Jesus’ injunction to the Apostle Peter to “feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17) or Peter’s exhortation to church leaders to “be shepherds of God’s flock” (1 Peter 5:2). While the Shepherd and Father share many of the same qualities, a Shepherd cares for their flock by feeding them well, protecting them from danger, nursing the weak and rescuing the lost.

At home, parents naturally shepherd their children to meet their physical needs in these ways. It is common for parents to provide nourishing meals, hold their children’s hands tightly as they cross a busy street, care tenderly for them when they are ill and search frantically for them if they are lost in a mall.

But certainly, as leaders, parents and church overseers ought to shepherd their children and flock to meet their intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs too. Thus, “feeding well” might involve equipping them with knowledge, truth and wisdom; protecting from danger could include eradicating bad habits or calling out false teaching; and nursing the weak and rescuing the lost may involve coaching, visiting or reaching out to the disadvantaged, the elderly or the adrift, rather than side-lining or abandoning them.

Such leadership demands time, effort and commitment, so we may not see it play out as much in the corporate world where the pace is fast and furious and the bottom-line drives decisions. Still, every worker who has a Shepherd-Leader would count it a blessing. Wouldn’t you wish for one?

Servant

Now, if you were to search online for “Servant Leadership”, you might see claims that the term was coined by Robert K Greenleaf in an essay he wrote in 1970. Nonetheless, I would argue that the idea of servant leadership is especially highlighted in the New Testament, which was written centuries before Greenleaf’s essay. Notable examples are “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45), “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26) and “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

Much can be said about the biblical idea of a Servant Leader, but at its core, such a leader is a servant at heart, who serves others for their benefit. They do not covet the seat of power or lord over others, unlike Diotrephes, who “loves to be first” (3 John 1:9-10). Perhaps nowhere is this clearer than Jesus’ own example, where he emptied himself, took the form of a servant and humbled himself to die on the cross for all humanity (Philippians 2:5-8). In a dramatic portrayal of servant leadership, Jesus, though he was Lord indeed, humbly and gladly took up the duty of the lowliest of servants to wash his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17).

Traditional leadership might baulk at such pictures of servant leadership where faithfulness and humility are the norms. But it is interesting to note that if we search for “Servant Leadership” in the Amazon website, it returns over 2,000 results of books which touch on this topic. According to a 2020 article in Forbes, “This leadership style has gained immense popularity in the world and is adopted by various top-ranking companies”.[1] So, Servant Leadership, or at least a shade of its biblical version, is making waves on the world scene. How much more then, Christian leaders should embody this principle as they lead at home and in the church? Then, there will be fewer chest-thumping, fist-banging and high-handed power games but more ever-ready, self-effacing, sincere serving.

The Leader as Father, Shepherd and Servant

These are the motifs that undergird principles for Christian leadership. Together, they encompass selflessness, sacrificial giving, love for others and humble service. Yes, the world may spotlight a leader’s charisma and results, but we must look beneath and beyond these to the inner drive that powers them. Inevitably, we are drawn to trust and follow those who are energised by these motifs, and we wish there were more of them.

Would you be one yourself?

About Mok Kok Hoong

Mok Kok Hoong is a retired pastor in Penang. He was in Operations and Engineering in the Semiconductor industry for 23 years before becoming a pastor for ten years. He loves reading, is passionate about discipleship and plays Fifa!

[1]https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/03/11/traditional-leadership-vs-servantleadership/?sh=35c38dcb451e