by Malcolm McGregor, International Director
17 September 2010

	SIM International Director Malcolm McGregor and his wife Liz.

These days there is no shortage of books on leadership. They include Courageous Leadership, The Leadership Bible, and 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, to name just a few.

The Bible is a tremendous leadership manual. Consider what Psalm 78:70-72 has to teach us about David’s leadership.

First, it’s God who does the choosing. After Jesse offers each of his older sons to be Israel’s new leader (I Samuel 16), he finally gets to David. Though David may not have been the most likely choice, God chose him.

What is God looking for in a leader? I see four things in these verses: 1) a servant; 2) a shepherd; 3) someone with integrity (moral soundness, according to the dictionary); and 4)someone with the skills to lead. As I considered these qualities, I thought about how they were worked out in the life of Jesus, the greatest leader we know.

1) Jesus, the servant
Serving others is central to the role of a leader. Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be first must be a servant,” (Mark 10:44). Max De Pree, in his wonderful book, The Art of Leadership, says, “The first priority of the leader is to define reality, the last is to say thank you, and in between he needs to be a servant.”

2) Jesus, the shepherd
Jesus is the “good shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). The shepherd leader risks all for those who follow him. At times he is out in front leading, at other times he is at the back helping the stragglers or in the middle encouraging. The sheep have confidence in the shepherd.

3) Jesus, the man of integrity (moral soundness)
We see Jesus at his most vulnerable at the end of his 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. Satan tempts him, telling him to turn the stones into bread. Henri Nouwen calls this “the temptation to be relevant” (In the Name of Jesus—Reflections on Christian Leadership). In today’s world, relevance means being self-sufficient. But, as C.S. Lewis tells us, “If you are self sufficient you have no need for God” (C.S. Lewis on Love, Pain and Suffering by William Nicholson). Jesus is also tempted to throw himself down from the temple, in short to make himself famous. We live in an age of fame; we worship celebrity. It’s a great a temptation. But Jesus turns his back on the pursuit of fame. Finally, Jesus is tempted by power. This is perhaps the greatest temptation for a leader, and history is full of examples of those who gave in to it. But good leaders, like Jesus, use their weakness in the most powerful and dynamic ways.

4) Jesus’ skills
A leader must be skilled. Jesus’ skills, among others, include: teaching, vision casting, delegating, and helping people to find solutions to their problems. As important as these four qualities are in leadership, God is still looking for more, as we see in Jesus’ restoration of Peter, “Do you truly love me?” All of us Christian leaders, and all who claim to follow Jesus, must ask ourselves, “Do I love him, do I truly love him?” As we lead, as we serve, may our love for Jesus be supreme.

*Note: This article was originally published in Serving In Mission Together, issue 128.