A Faithful Leader

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28:19

How can ineffective churches change their mode of operations? This is a mystery to most traditional institutions. Let’s focus on the apostles’ transformation into leadership. Acts provides an eyewitness account of the early inception of the church. The Holy Spirit was critical to the early church; Luke manages to mention the Holy Spirit 57 times in the book of Acts. Furthermore, Christians have the Acts of the Apostles to provide a story of the establishment and growth of the Christian church.

In the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the disciples did not understand Jesus’ mission. Acts 1:6 reads, “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” If an assumption is drawn that the disciples were called to establish the early church, then the question must be asked, what was their vision? Vision relates to the ability to look beyond physical constraints of the natural ream and a shared vision denotes that followers have bought-in on the leader’s vision. Jesus provided the Great Commission, and the Holy Spirit gave exhortation to Believers. Let’s review then the impact of a shared vision.

To understand the Apostle Paul’s personal record as a visionary leader, one must understand the different populations he visited, the Greek and Roman civilization characteristics, and the social and cultural influences. From his point of conversion to his apostleship, Paul’s role as spiritual leader allowed him to communicate a shared vision to diverse cultures. Paul was intimately engaged with instructing the early church leaders.

This is the place Paul found himself, defending the faith and guiding the early Christian leaders. Today’s churches are in a crisis. When leaders understand their constituents and churches embrace a shared vision, followers are more willing to change. Therefore, exemplary leaders of the Faith must provide a shared vision for followers in any organizational structural change.

References:

Conybeare, Howson, (1976). The Life and Epistles of St. Paul. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Schultz, J. (2002). Commentary to the book of acts. Bible-Commentaries.com, 1-26.
© 2008 by Daryl D. Green

Examine the importance of leaders with a focus on vision.

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making and leadership. Mr. Green is an author of several books, including More Than A Conqueror. He has been noted in USA Today and AP. For more information, you can email him at www.darylgreen.org.

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