Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul

by John F. MacArthur Jr.

According to Christ, then, the truest kind of leadership demands service, sacrifice, and selflessness.

Leadership for the Christian always has a spiritual dimension. The duty of leading people carries with it certain spiritual obligations. That is as true for the Christian president of a secular company as it is for the stay-at-home mom whose sphere of leadership might extend no further than her own children. All Christians in every kind of leadership are called to be spiritual leaders.

A true leader inspires followers. Someone who has no followers can hardly be called a leader.

leadership is influence.

Real leadership seeks to motivate people from the inside, by an appeal to the heart, not by external pressure and coercion.

true spiritual leadership is all about character, not style.

What we learn from the apostle Paul is the same thing Jesus taught: that character—not style, not technique, not methodology, but character— is the true biblical test of great leadership. Entrepreneurship is wonderful, but the most skilled entrepreneur in the world without character is no true leader. Strategic planning is important, but if you don’t have leaders whom people will follow, your strategic plan will fail. The clarity of a well-drafted purpose statement is crucial, but the true spiritual leader must go beyond merely clarifying people’s focus. The real leader is an example to follow. And the best example to follow, as Paul knew, is the one who follows Christ.

Scripture, not the corporate world or the political arena, is the authoritative source we need to turn to in order to learn the truth about spiritual leadership.

In the post-Clinton culture, a serious moral indiscretion seems to be no significant impediment to candidates for public office.

Paul was not (especially in this situation) a man of high position. He was, however, a man of great influence—a natural leader.

Here is the first principle of leadership: A leader is trustworthy.

How does a leader build trust? When people are convinced you will do everything in your power for their good and nothing for their harm, they’ll trust you.

A true leader is someone who demonstrates to everyone around him that their interests are what most occupy his heart. A real leader will work hard to make everyone around him successful. His passion is to help make the people under his leadership flourish. That is why a true leader must have the heart of a servant.

If you can show people you truly have their best interests at heart, they’ll follow you.

This is a second foundational principle of true leadership: A leader takes the initiative.

he took the initiative and tried to bring clarity to the situation. That’s leadership. Leaders rise in times of crisis by taking the initiative.

But he knew how to identify and solve problems. He was a careful planner. He thought through the whole venture, anticipated the difficulties, and worked out solutions in advance. He wasn’t winging it. He wasn’t making things up on the fly as he went along. He had carefully counted the cost. He had a well-formulated plan, and he stuck to it. All this flowed from his willingness to take the initiative.

Here is a third vital principle of leadership: A leader uses good judgment.

Too many young men in ministry make impetuous and ill-considered decisions. They lead without looking where they are going. They don’t count the cost. They aren’t cautious enough. You might think that young leaders would make the mistake of being too timid, but in my experience, it is much more common for young men to fail because they are impetuous. They aren’t sensitive. They don’t seek wise counsel.