When the world thinks about great leadership, it often considers revolutionaries, innovators, and geniuses. Individuals such as Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, who helped bring electricity into homes, or Sakagawea, who assisted Lewis and Clark across the West, come to mind. Leaders like Walt Disney, who kept creativity moving forward, Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, who stood against the inhumane treatment of races, and Harriet Tubman, who led many slaves to their freedom, are renowned. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Teddy Roosevelt led the United States during difficult times of conflict and uncertainty. Queen Elizabeth led England, while Winston Churchill spurred it on through the war against the Nazis. Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of England. Neil Armstrong broke through the atmosphere to walk on the moon. Nick Saban revived The University of Alabama’s football team into a contender. Elon Musk innovated the realm of electric vehicles while also using Twitter to promote free speech. These are just a few examples of great leaders.
Most people do not gravitate towards Christianity when they consider leaders. This derives from a mindset that many people impose on Christians. They think they are either irrational and ignoring reality or that they are too wrapped up in religion to make an impact on the world.
The truth is that numerous World Christian Leaders have had an impact on the world, both in the biblical and contemporary eras. William Carey, David Platt, John Piper, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Augustine, Joan of Arc, Elisabeth Elliot, Amy Carmichael, Billy Graham, and many others. These men and women have led Christianity to mature into what it is today. They have continued to teach everything Jesus commanded so that many people from all nations will be made into disciples. God has used them to turn the world upside down and lead in exalting excellence.
World Christian Leaders know how to lead without ignoring the tenets of leadership.
They know their God. (Foundation/Grounding)
All leaders need to know their God. What is their foundation and grounding for what they are doing? Whether you are starting a family or business, or running after an ambitious goal, you have to know the core of your existence.
Jesus calls himself the “cornerstone” (Isaiah 28:16). He would be the Rock of Ages people would trip over or stand firmly upon. We must remember our foundation if we want to lead others into the fire of Christ’s battle. Jesus must be the reason we lead as World Christians. Otherwise, we labor in vain.
They know their goals. (Future)
World Christian leaders know their goals. They know what they are running after - disciples made from every nation. They run the race to finish the task. If you try to shoot a target you are not aiming for, you will miss it. “Aim small. Miss small.” If we know exactly what we are trying to accomplish in the midst of God’s Great Commission, then we can further the success for our Savior.
They know their gaps. (Fallshorts)
They understand their shortcomings. We cannot save people. We cannot have perfect strategies. We must rely on the Lord in trust and obedience. This is why the Church is so vital. Jesus yoked Himself to the Church as He calls us to yoke to Him (Matt. 11:28-30). We must recognize where we fall short and rely on Jesus and others. If we try to succeed alone, we will fail alone. If we enlist others to join us, then we succeed by making disciples who make disciples.
They know their guys. (Fellow Workers)
They know and trust those who are co-laborers with them. Paul knew that his friends had his back. He knew his boys in the boat. He knew that his brothers and sisters in the faith would stand with him. World Christian Leaders must lead others to catch the vision and implement it in their practices.
Leading as a World Christian means leading. It means doing the hard things when no one else wants to hear from you. It means going home frustrated when you feel like no one understands you. It means loving people even when you completely cannot believe their lack of understanding of the Great Commission.
In my time on a church staff, I had the privilege and burden of helping maximize the church’s strategy for missions. God put me in this place to help the Church mature in its reality of becoming a Sending Church. He used the previous pastor to dig the ditches and begin to fill in the dirt before he felt the Lord call him and his family as laborers in the Middle East. Now, here I was, a young 23-year-old with a massive ministry in my hands.
I didn’t know what to do except this - lead. I knew that I had to lead. I felt God wanted me to be the champion of this ministry. It was what He was asking me to do, so I tried to do it. It was not always easy. When we minister to and with people, there are always bumping foreheads. At times, I felt highly discouraged and misunderstood. Yet, I trusted in the Lord’s will and tried to press forward to obtain what lay ahead, as Paul often did in the midst of his adversity.
As someone who wanted to lead as a World Christian, I knew that I would have to be as innocent as a dove and cunning as a serpent. Above all, I had to take the small wins. It’s similar to when a defense in football does not want to give up the big play, so they allow the offense to “dink and dunk” down the field, making them earn it. This is how I often felt. Small wins were key for me to remember that God was still in control and He would win in the end. This made leading bearable and fun. I don’t know how prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesied when everyone else was against them, except that God was with them.
I saw wonderful things in my time as a leader. I saw men's and women’s eyes opened to the Gospel and the task to testify to His grace. I encouraged believers all around the world. I commissioned a number of our first Sent Ones. I did nothing special, but God used me as a leader. It began with trying to lead well under His foundation for His glory. I strived toward the goals and remembered my guys. Above all, I knew my gaps and relied on people who could do the work better than me.
Recently, it meant leading by leaving. I left this position to pursue a Ph.D. because I want to leverage my life for the Great Commission, and my family believes this is the best way to do it. No matter how or where World Christian Leaders must remember to lead. Leadership cannot be an afterthought or seen as too corporate. Instead, we must remember to lead well for the Lord. We must not run away from the weight of leadership. Like a weightlifter in the gym, we must put the weight on the bar, get ready, and bear it on our shoulders. It is there for the taking. If we do not embrace leading as leaders, then the weight will fall off the bar, and failure will hurt others. If the weights fall off a barbell, they can land on one’s foot or bounce up and hit someone. We must take it on and lead well, my friends.
As World Christian Leaders, we must realize that no one else will take up this mantle. It is too easy to live the American Dream as a Christian. It is too easy to allow ourselves to self-determine our lives. We must leverage our lives and leadership for the sake of the Great Commission. We must help others see what God has allowed us to see. We must help them hear what we have heard. We must help them understand what we know.
We must lead as a leader.