When considering the question, “What is a leader?” I move beyond titles, roles, or hierarchical positions. Leadership, especially in a Christian context, is about influence, service, and guiding others closer to God.
True leaders inspire change not by demanding compliance but by modeling faith, humility, and love. Jesus Himself exemplified this servant-leadership, washing His disciples’ feet and inviting them into a life of deeper purpose and connection with God.
While exploring this idea, it becomes essential to shift focus from “leader” as a title to “leading” as a behavior.
Leading is something everyone can practice, regardless of position or recognition.
If leadership is continually framed as a role or status, those around us may hesitate to embrace leading as an active way of living.
Additionally, some who are already leading as a behavior may not recognize or embrace that they are doing so.
The behaviour of leading is the ability to serve and lead people closer to Christ, and it is accessible to every follower of Christ.
What Defines Leading ?
Influence Over Authority
Leading influences hearts and minds. Influence grows not from wielding power but through integrity and alignment with God’s will.
Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Servanthood as Strength
True leading begins with service.
Jesus taught, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).
Leading serves others in love, creating trust and empowering those they guide.
Vision Anchored in God
Leading requires a clear sense of direction rooted in God’s Word. Those who lead guide others toward Kingdom purposes, using wisdom from scripture to inform their vision.
Empathy and Relational Wisdom
Leading listens to and understands the needs of others. As Paul encourages in
Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Examples of Leading I’ve Seen
Leading can take on many forms in everyday life. Here are some examples that show how people actively lead others closer to Christ:
- A cell member teaching another person about the Holy Spirit, encouraging spiritual growth and understanding.
- People encouraging each other during down moments by praying together, offering strength and hope through shared faith.
- Perspectives shifting as individuals share their life stories, inspiring others to see God’s hand in their own journeys.
- People inviting others to church events, creating opportunities for them to encounter Christ.
- People sharing the Word of God with others, planting seeds of faith through scripture and testimony.
As someone who is a leader, I demonstrate leading people to Christ, as well as leading using the consensus, in hopes of inspiring others to do the same in the future.
Promoting Leadership vs. Raising Leading Individuals
Promoting people is often perceived as raising leaders. However, this approach can go against the spirit of internal control.
When members say, “I became a cell leader because someone asked me to do so,” it lacks the personal conviction of “I became a cell leader because I wanted to do so.”
True leadership arises from a desire to lead others closer to Christ, not from external appointments.
For clarity, I prefer to call Raising Leading Individuals as Inspiring Leading Individuals, as it better reflects the intent and spirit of encouraging others to lead out of personal conviction.
Inspiring Leading Individuals
Inspiring those who lead involves creating an environment where others can grow spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. This is not about replication but about nurturing God’s unique purpose for each individual.
Model Leading in Action: Aspiring individuals learn best by observing seasoned ones. Demonstrate consistency in prayer, humility, and decision-making. Be transparent in struggles and victories to show the reliance on God that true leading requires.
Empower Through Discipleship: Invest in others by teaching, mentoring, and encouraging them to pursue God’s calling. Like Paul did with Timothy, build up their confidence and knowledge in scripture (2 Timothy 2:2).
Encourage Ownership and Responsibility: Allow emerging individuals to take initiative and make decisions, even when mistakes are inevitable. Such experiences develop resilience, wisdom, and dependence on God.
Pray for Their Growth: Regular prayer for those you mentor is foundational. Ask God to equip them with spiritual wisdom, perseverance, and the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Cultivate a Culture of Accountability: Leading flourishes in environments of mutual encouragement and accountability. Surround those who lead with others who will challenge and uplift them to stay aligned with God’s purposes.
Why Inspiring Leading Individuals Matters
God’s Kingdom advances when individuals are developed to spread His message and disciple others. Leading is not about amassing followers but creating more who can lead their peers closer to Christ.
The ultimate vision is to see individuals actively leading people closer to Christ, shaping lives for His Kingdom. Jesus’ Great Commission in
Matthew 28:19-20—“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”—
reminds us that leading is a multiplication process.
Those who lead people closer to Christ build others up so that the mission of leading people closer to Christ continues and grows.
A Call to Reflect
In organizations, we are appointed a leader based on our skillsets and perhaps our job experiences. In His Kingdom, we are leading people to Christ as a result of our lifestyle.
I do not believe in appointing people to leadership positions simply to increase capacity in hopes they will eventually lead others closer to Christ.
Instead, I believe in increasing the number of individuals by leading people closer to Christ who are actively leading people closer to Christ before they are appointed to leadership, as their commitment to doing so is already evident.
Are you ready to lead people closer to Christ where God has placed you?
Are you intentionally inspiring individuals within your family, church, or community to lead people closer to Christ? The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few (Luke 10:2).
Step into your role in leading and invest in others who will continue God’s work.
For a more detailed exploration of internal control in leadership, see External and Internal Control: Leadership in the Church.
Afterthoughts
To me, a leader is someone who is in the active business of leading people closer to Christ.
Of course, I think each of us have our own bandwidth and experience in leading people closer to God, and there are qualifiers in various ministries.
Leadership starts from leading someone else, apart from myself, closer to Christ. And instead of defining a leader, I think it is more helpful to define leading.
And you may be already in the business of leading people closer to Christ.