Pass It On!

It is impossible to consider the nature of our Lord Jesus’ leadership without the scope of its long lasting effect. Jesus imparted Himself in the lives of His followers in a way that ensured the plan of the Father would be fulfilled. David DeSilva supports this in his book (An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and ministry Formations) with his observation: “After Jesus’ ascension his disciples, whom Luke describes as “eyewitnesses and servants of the word” (Lk 1:2 NRSV) and who were clearly not limited to the twelve (see Acts 1:15,21-23), proclaimed his death and resurrection, and sought to make disciples through passing on Jesus’ teachings and example. Sayings of Jesus, parables, stories of his confrontation with members of various groups all served this catechetical purpose (that is, the task of instructing and shaping disciples and communities of disciples). Stories about Jesus’ acts of healing and miracles both enhanced the community’s appreciation of Jesus’ authority to prescribe a way of life and opened them up to the possibilities of God’s power in their midst to heal and deliver.” This progression prioritizes impartation as a major factor in understanding Jesus’ leadership and its support of the over-arching purpose of God. The nature of our Lord’s leadership style was to duplicate Himself in respect to plan and purpose.

It's all about "LOVE"

The nature of our Lord’s leadership can be summed up in one word. That word is “Love”. We see this in Mark 12:30-31. In response to the scribe’s question of priority, Jesus places the emphasis on love. He also prioritizes our application of love in the order He presents the commandment.
Notice:
“Love” God with all your heart
“Love” God with all your soul
“Love” God with all your mind
“Love” God with all your strength
“Love” your neighbor
“Love” yourself
The repetition of the word “Love” shows the importance while the progression of the application shows the priority: God first…others second…me last.
Love as a leadership style is supported by Bruce Winston in his book (Be a Leader for God’s Sake) who declares that “Leadership is first of all love”. It is further supported by John Hoyle in his book (Leadership and the Force of Love) who goes as far as to assert: “If you can’t love, you can’t lead.” Jesus used many leadership styles during His earthly ministry; however, in identifying one that can qualify as the “Nature” of our Lord’s leadership, it would have to be love. Love embodies the very essence of God’s plan and purpose. This is personified through Christ as He imparted this into His followers.

How We Treat People is Key

Leadership is all about how we treat people. Paul emphasizes this point in his letter to Timothy. Using Socio-Rhetorical analysis we see a progression in respect to the leaders (The Bishop’s) dealing with people. The progression is in how the leader deals with:
A) One Person – “Self Controlled; Not Violent; Not Quarrelsome” (1 Timothy 3:2-3)
B) Family – “Manage his own family well” (1 Timothy 3:4)
C) All People – “Good Reputation with Outsiders” (1 Timothy 3:7)
This is, as Paul makes clear, important in the church, but it is also key in successful leadership and organizational development. This is supported by Jeffrey Pfeffer in his book (The Human Equation) as he declares: “the most important source for organizational success is how companies treat their people! This confirms what all good leaders know: people are an organization’s most important asset! Organizations need to place a premium of their people by putting them first.” Paul has a desire for his “spiritual son” (Timothy) to be successful in his leadership role as a Bishop. If we are to be successful in our organizational development we, like Timothy of old, must be mindful of how we treat people. 1 Timothy 3:2-7 is a model that can be used by leaders in any organizational construct.

Christian Leadership in Action

Matthew 9:1-7 shows the leadership skills of Jesus as he places a priority on the reason for His ministry. While He is in the process of gathering His disciples, Jesus takes advantage of a situation to place an emphasis on what He wanted His followers to prioritize. On the surface, it looks as though this is a story about healing but a deeper look reveals an emphasis on forgiveness. The inner textual approach to socio-rhetorical interpretation concerns itself with features like the repetition of words. Three times in these seven verses, Jesus refers to forgiveness of sins. They brought Jesus a man sick with the palsy in order to get him healed, yet Jesus looks beyond the temporal and prioritizes the eternal by forgiving his sins. This is real Christian leadership in action. Aubrey Malpurs, in his book Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership, states: “A Christian leader is a servant with the credibility and capabilities to influence people in a particular context to pursue their God-given direction.” Jesus establishes His credibility by healing the man, but the repetition indicates that He was most interested in the mans eternal soul as well as influencing His followers to pursue their “God given direction” which was to preach the forgiveness of sins through Christ.