Desiring To Lead

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being Lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭

The Church of God is a place where diverse people from different locations, ethnicities, and ways of life come together to pray and to hear the Word of God.

People of such diversity have various ideas as to what their church should be like or what it should do.

Often, a Christian thinks, “I would like to be a leader in my church because I can do this well or I can help my church a certain way.” Also, if a believer has been a part of a congregation for a while, such a person might say, “I want to be a pastor,” or “I want to be a deacon,” or “I want to be a Women’s Ministry Director.”

This is true in big or small churches. Whatever the size of a church, the question is: how does one become a leader in a local congregation?

First of all, the Bible tells us that when we want spiritual leadership, we want a noble thing.

It is good to desire to be a leader in a church. However, before we aspire to such authority, we need to ask ourselves why we want a leadership position.

Leadership is a noble task and we must desire it in a noble way.

Do we desire leadership to represent a life of spiritual maturity, character, and Christlikeness? This motivation is noble because such are the qualifications of a spiritual leader, a pastor, or a deacon, according to the Scriptures. 

Good character is a prerequisite to spiritual leadership.

For me, it is important if I am a good daughter and a good friend. I need to submit to God’s authority and follow where He leads. I need to have spiritual discipline in my life and be a good example to God’s flock.

Do I want to lead to model a character that honors Christ?

Do I want to serve Christ and the ones He love? Such are the right reasons to be a leader. 

So, we need to examine our hearts first. Do I want to be a leader to have power and influence? Do I want people to think highly of me? These are bad motivations to be a church leader.

Leadership in a church is for the honor and glory of God; it is not for our personal promotion or elevation.

We must test ourselves and make sure that we not only desire the noble task of leadership but that we desire it in a noble way.