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What Makes a Leader?

‘Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.’ Heb 13:7

The well-known adage, “Leaders are born, no made” is only true to a certain extent. Every person born is not necessarily a leader, but everyone has the potential to develop into a leader, given the opportunity. It all depends on how we respond to the social and cultural influences around us and how we rise up to meet the challenges of society and humanity. Historical and world-renowned leaders in their respective fields of endeavour throughout the centuries would not have made their mark in society had they not been given the opportunity to develop their latent talents and leadership skills. However, most leaders have an innate quality, called ‘character’ that makes them stand out from the crowd. This is the hallmark of most leaders we know today.

The biblical definition of a leader according to Robert Clinton* is that of a person with God-given capacity and God-given responsibility to influence a specific group of God’s people towards God’s purposes for that group. This can be seen in the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and many others in the Old Testament. The whole chapter of Hebrews 11 is dedicated to these heroes of the faith. In the Christian context, leaders with ‘godly’ character are the people we should emulate. They should be people of integrity and without reproach, people ‘walking the talk’ and setting themselves as exemplary models for others.

The other area the makes leaders stand out is their spiritual giftedness. Church leaders especially those who operate in the gifts of the spirit such as healing and prophecy are much sought after in charismatic circles while those gifted in preaching and teaching are very much in demand in most mainline churches. These are the people who have made good use of their endowed giftings to influence God’s people for the purpose of exalting and glorifying God’s name and edifying the body of Christ.

*Dr. Robert Clinton is Assistant Professor of Leadership and Extension at the School of World Missions, Fuller Theological Seminary.

Adapted from FGA newsletter 18 JAN 09