Leadership is a dynamic process in which a man or a woman with God-given capacity influences a specific group of people toward God’s purposes for that group. Leaders are shaped by deliberate training and by experience. Leaders influence followers in different ways through direct, indirect, and organizational influences.
The Leadership development theory is a set of well-integrated ideas that help us to: organize what we see happening in leaders’ lives, anticipate what might happen in future development, understand past events so as to see new things in them, and organize our lives better.
According to Clinton, God develops a leader over a lifetime. That development is a function of the use of events and people to impress leadership lessons upon a leader (processing), time, and leader response. Processing is central to the theory. All leaders can point to critical incidents in their lives where God taught them something very important. The Leadership development theory begins with the concept of formulating a timeline. The phases in the leadership development process include:
Phase 1: Sovereign Foundations
In this phase, God providentially uses both the good and bad experiences in leaders’ lives to prepare them for their future purpose under his lordship. All leaders are created to serve specific purposes and God steers the life of each leader according to the purpose for which he was created. Moses, for example, was born as a slave but raised in the Pharaoh’s palace in privilege so that he can understand the pain that God’s people were going through and how the worth of a comfortable life. He was exiled to Medians and lived a life of a shepherd in hardship, where he married Zipporah, daughter of Jethro, a man who didn’t have a son of his own, meaning that he had to take up a position of leadership in that family. All this prepared him for the long hard journey of delivering God’s people from Pharaoh’s hand and leading them through the desert to the Promised Land.
The story of David is another good example, where despite having been overshadowed by seven older brothers and having a father who did not have any faith in his abilities, David felt he was destined for a greater purpose, so much so that when Goliath challenged God’s army, David felt that the experiences of having to encounter wild animals while caring for his father’s sheep, had prepared him to take on the challenge of Goliath. He recognized that he was purposefully created and that all events in his destiny were determined long before they came to pass, as he writes Psalm 139:14, 16, that “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. … All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
Phase 2: Inner-Life Growth
Leaders seek to know God more intimately through the use of spiritual disciplines. Formal involvement in ministry often occurs in this phase. God patiently develops discernment and obedience through tests; each successive test building on the previous one. If a leader fails or skirts a test, God graciously provides another opportunity for him or her to succeed. In the book of Genesis for example, Abraham was tight obedience when he was instructed to leave the land of his ancestors and go where God will lead him. And even when he strayed and had a child out of wedlock (Ishmael son of Haggar), God set him back on his path by giving him a legitimate son (Isaac) in his old age. God guided Abraham in his spiritual journey and he successfully became the ‘father of all believers’.
Phase 3: Ministry Maturing
God helps leaders foster their spiritual gifts and navigate relationships within the body of Christ. God is working in the leader rather than through the leader, and at times the ministry benefits as a result. In this phase, leaders learn to increase their skills for increasing effectiveness. Though the leaders attempt to maximize their impact during this phase, God is trying to teach them that they minister out of who they are. The Disciples of Christ in the books of the Gospels provide a good example of ministry maturing when throughout the time they spent with Christ, witnessing His great works and wonders, seeing Him overcome obstacles and challenges. In some instances, their journeys benefited Christ’s work, for example when they were sent out to preach and returned to report a multitude who had been converted (Luke 9:10). However, the focus of Christ’s work was being done within them, strengthening them and preparing them to persevere even after His departure.
Phase 4: Life Maturing
At this phase, leaders are now mature enough for God to begin to work through them. They have also gained enough wisdom to prioritize their spiritual gifts and understand where to focus their efforts. Times of isolation, crisis and conflict provide perspective on ministry’s role in their lives; that the success of the ministry itself is not as important as their relationship with God. The depth produced in this stage gives the leader the insight into knowing what they should not do. The story of Simon Peter provides a good example of this, where he progressed from being a fisherman, to denying Jesus three times, to becoming a leader when Jesus commanded him to take care of His church (John 21:15-16).
Phase 5: Convergence
In this phase, God opens a distinct role for leaders that showcases the best of what they have to offer. There is a clear fit between the needs of the ministry and the gifts of the leader. By this phase, leaders are unencumbered by a need to please everyone at all times. They are not encumbered by having to do things that they simply are not gifted to do. This phase is the culmination of the previous four. Many leaders never reach this phase, because they are unable to move beyond the earlier stages. Leaders need to reach this stage in order to fully realize their full potential, having gone through the process of growth in the previous phases. David became God’s friend after being subjected to all sorts of conditions.
As Clinton writes in his book, “…..In the long haul, God is preparing you for convergence. He is conforming you to the image of Christ (see Romans 8:28-29), and He is giving you training and experience so that your gifts may be discovered. His goal is a Spirit-filled leader through whom the living Christ ministers, utilizing the leader’s spiritual gifts. The fruit of the Spirit is the mark of the mature Christian. The gifts of the Spirit are a mark of a leader being used of God. God wants that balance. His approach is to work in you, and then through you.”
The sixth phase of leadership development according to Clinton is:
Phase 6: Afterglow
Leaders receive recognition for a life well lived. They enjoy a wide range of existing relationships spanning a long life, and have accrued a great amount of wisdom that benefits younger leaders. Their impact is indirect through the many leaders they influence. Between each of these stages there is often a boundary, or a time of isolation. There is also a change of influence when transitioning from one stage to another.
A lifetime of ministry and growth culminates in an era of recognition and indirect, broad influence. Leaders continue to exert influence in these relationships through a large network of contacts built over a lifetime. Their consistent track record in following God causes others to seek out their storehouse of wisdom. Biblical figures such as King David, Simon Peter, Moses, prophet Elijah among others, reached this stage where they did great things and also nurtured other leaders. King David nurtured Solomon his son, Moses nurtured Joshua, prophet Elijah nurtured Elisha.
Explain the major observation that “Ministry flows out of being.” Do you agree or disagree and why or why not? Explain how obedience can be first learned then taught. Give an example from the Bible.
Just like in ministry, what we are as leaders directly determines what we do. A leader can only offer what he/she has. Therefore it’s true and I agree that ministry, and in this case, leadership flows out of the inner being of oneself. And just like ministry, mature leadership results from a mature relationship with our Lord. For a leader to be effective, he/she needs to be mature within himself, have the required skills and expertise, and most important, have the self-belief about his/her capability to fulfill what he has been called upon to fulfill. If a leader has the essential leadership skills and belief within him/her, then he/she will have the courage to explore all the knowledge within him/her to ensure that he/she succeeds in his/her leadership endeavors. A leader who does not have what it takes, or the belief that he has it, cannot lead effectively. A good example of this is David, when he believed he had the ability to defeat Goliath, and when he was asked for 100 foreskins of the Philistines as the price to marry the king’s daughter, he believed he had it in himself to achieve it.
Obedience is an important virtue for all leaders. As a leader, you have to ensure that your subordinates obey your instructions and directives. But before a leader can command obedience, he/she must have it him/herself. In the book of Genesis, we see that in order to be a leader who is able to teach others about obeying God, Abraham had to first demonstrate his willingness to obey God’s directives, first, to leave his ancestral land and go to Canaan (Genesis 12:1), when he was commanded to circumcise all the males in his household (Genesis 17:12), and when he was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac (Genesis 22:1). After demonstrating his capacity for obedience, Abraham was then qualified to be equipped enough to teach others about obedience, for example, his son Isaac.
Another example is that of King Saul who was disobedient to God when he was commanded to kill all the Amalekites, men, women, children as well as their livestock (Samuel 15:3). King Saul refused to obey God and instead plundered the livestock for himself and his men. Prophet Samuel confronted him about his disobedience, and told him that since he had been disobedient to God, his Kingdom had been given to another person. When King Samuel summoned Prophet Samuel, he refused to obey the king’s summon because God had rejected him for his disobedience (Samuel 15:12).
Using the Holy Bible, explain the three test checks and give biblical examples/stories of the three test checks and why they are important to an emerging leader today.
Integrity check: Integrity is one of the key elements of successful leadership. Leaders who have integrity will ensure proper use of the power and resources given unto them. Without integrity, the leader cannot achieve his/her goal, since he/she is overshadowed by greed and self-seeking. In the book of Genesis 39:1-11, Joseph is seen to have served his master Potiphar with integrity even amidst pressure from Potiphar’s wife. He was vindicated with utmost trust from his master as well as elevation in position from the Pharaoh later.
When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were faced with the possibility of being thrown into a burning farness, their confession that ‘…..King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up’ (Daniel 3:16-20). This unshaken faith in their God showed their utmost integrity and enabled them to survive the farness and also go on to be elevated to greater positions of leadership.
Obedience check: great leaders inspire obedience from those they lead, but in order to do that, the leader must be obedient him/herself. Obedience enables leaders to adhere to the commandments and directives of God, always seeking God’s ways and this helps them to succeed. When God called Saul of Tarsus, a chief persecutor of Christians on his way to Damascus and directed him to go to the house of and follow whatever he is told to do, he obeyed and followed God’s instructions. Paul is seen as one of the key apostles of Jesus. In Philippians 4:3, the Apostle Paul, confesses his obedience that ‘…..i can do all these through Him (Jesus Christ) who strengthens me’. With this obedience, Apostle Paul was able to reach vast lands with the gospel than even the original 12 disciples of Jesus. When Abraham was faced with the toughest test, when God instructed him to sacrifice his son Isaac, he passed it through utmost obedience. Even if he loved his son very much, he was willing to obey God. This made him to be renown as the ‘father of all believers’.
Word check: Successful leaders are also required to pass the word test, that is, being careful with what they say and how they say it. Polite language on the part of the leader can be imposing in that it elicits willing responses. If a leader is harsh or cruel, he/she will only instill fear among his subordinates and this will lead to failure and resentment in the long run and consequently, doom for him/herself and those he/she leads. For example, whereas King Saul was all powerful and commanding, his son Jonathan chose to ally with David, who was his father’s enemy (Samuel 18:1-3). Consequently, Saul’s blood line was spared from distinction through Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth (Samuel 21:7). Also, in the book of Daniel, when King Belshazzar spoke ill of God and disrespected the holy items taken from the House of God in Jerusalem, a hand writing appeared on the wall foretelling his immediate death (Daniel 5:1-30).