Recipe for Church Leadership

Posted by Jennifer Baldwin

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Some suggest it would be simple to be a leader in a church. Pray a lot, look pius, make sure people aren’t doing bad things, argue over the songs to be sung, make sure the place is clean. As we venture further into Paul’s letter to Titus, chapter two does give us a good recipe for being a good church leader. Take a few moments right now and read Titus 2:1-10. In many ways, the guidance Paul was giving Titus was rooted in the lives of many leaders from the time before Christ.

“For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.” Ezra 7:10

Now, let’s consider some of the ingredients in our recipe for church leadership.

First, a good leader in the church today will teach from the Bible. Like Ezra, today’s church leader will have a biblical message which examines the Word of God and provide guidance from the scriptures and nothing else.

Second, in all that he does, a good church leader will complement God’s plans. By examining God’s plans first, man’s plans can better fit in and complement them.

Third, his ministry will bring healing and help to the people within the church. By following God’s Word and not trying to bring glory to himself, a good church leader will shine the light on God and thereby comfort people in the church.

Fourth, a good church leader’s life will be openly transparent. If his motivation is to glorify God, then the leader can live a life that’s open to inspection by those around him. And, as people inspect the leader’s life, they’ll see God reflected in what he says and does.

Fifth, the actions and teachings of a good church leader will calm troubled waters, not stir them up. Like a shepherd tending his sheep, a good church leader will seek to comfort people in the church so they can be free to live their lives in God’s will.

A sixth part of our recipe isn’t so much an ingredient as it is a taste test. When a church leader makes a statement or takes an action, can you test their statement or action by searching the Scriptures to prove or approve it?

The proper mix of these ingredients will result in a good church leader. The sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve find their lives when they embrace Christ’s death on the cross. They are not what they once were, they are sinners that become saints in the hands of God. The proof is in the pudding.