by DR. GEORGE KALARAS
The leader’s philosophy is the core of what great leaders are made of. Therefore, speaking from a Christian perspective, to be a Christ-like leader means first to have the character of Christ as one walks in the Spirit. The “fruit of the Spirit” is what the Holy Spirit produces in the life of a believer and abundant fruit production is possible only for the one who lives in intimate union with Jesus Christ, as a branch remains in the vine. Intimacy with God, therefore, must be the primary focus of the leader’s life.
John Piper suggests that the eventual purpose of examining Scripture intimately is to “embrace the heart as well as the head.” The Scriptures target the heart, therefore one who studies the Word must believe that it is the cornerstone of the living God for their life and cannot be satisfied with simply understanding what the Scriptures literally mean but must have a desire to live it out. One must purpose, in their reading, to understand the heart of God which is the goal of Scripture. In this way, a believer examining what the Word says on leadership has a chance to know Jesus in an intimate way. When believers “consider the variety of gifts, capacities, responsibilities and opportunities given to the entire Body of Christ, then the possibilities for equipping and mobilizing people for ministries of influencing and leading multiply enormously.” However, even when leaders share the same Christ-like purpose of seeking and saving the lost, and the same commitment to principles of Christ-like strategy (such as selecting a small group for leadership development, or combining on-the-job training with periods of teaching and reflection), there are many differences in specific methodology appropriate to different culture contexts. Some examples could include urban vs. rural settings or oral learners vs. the highly educated and literate.
Christ-like leaders must welcome a variety of expressions and methods from their followers, evaluating carefully which are more appropriate for settings. Christ-like leaders in Christian organizations, as well as secular organizations, must understand that they are each part of the same Body of Christ, to be arranged and directed by Christ the head, so that there will be no competition. Emerging leaders must be given a context in which they can take initiative, make decisions, influence people, take risks and learn from their mistakes. They need opportunities for gradual increase of responsibility, including clear guidelines about the areas of their authority and financial accountability. They must have opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom and to reflect on and discuss what they have learned in the field.