A working definition of leadership is the care and responsibility for a group of people, whether a large group or a small one. In it’s simplest definition, one begins to ascertain that this is an awesome responsibility, and one done not only, but with the call of God in one’s life. In the New Testament text 1 Timothy 3:1 states, “The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.” The term noble or nobility can be taken as an aristocratic term, someone of high esteem, rank, or someone of high moral and integrity. However, I believe that the author of 1 Timothy was describing the term noble as someone who was reputable, unselfish, generous. It is a term that would lead to giving of ones self.
Why would this be of concern for an aspiring leader? Part of the mission of the Visionaries of Christ Ministry is to reflect and dialogue concerning the charecteristics of leadership. In this postmodern world that we live in, new styles of leadership are forming. This is not a bad thing; actually it is a welcome addition. But leadership without the character of God can lead to secular leadership, not the upside down Kin-dom of God leadership which should be exemplified in the church.
With this in mind, I would like to focus on one character or quality of leadership that I believe have caused leaders to fail. What is our true motivation for leadership? Many have said these words, “God has called me to be a pastor” or “God has called me to lead.” I say like the author of Paul says, that you desire a noble task. But there is an other side to the call; some of us miss it, but it is there right in front of our faces.
Let us turn to Nehemiah chapter 1. It reads:
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah. In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in Susa the capital, one of my brothers, Hanani, came with certain men from Judah; and I asked them about the Jews that survived, those who had escaped the captivity, and about Jerusalem. They replied, ‘The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.’
When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. I said, ‘O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments; let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for your servants the people of Israel, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Both I and my family have sinned. We have offended you deeply, failing to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name.” They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man!’
In this text, Nehemiah, a captured Jew who became a cupbearer for the king (this is a high official position in the kingdom), had inquired about the outcome of Judah, what had resulted from the captivity. The result caused Nehemiah great trouble and shame, for the walls of Jerusalem were broken and their gates destroyed. One can learn something about this first experience of Nehemiah concerning leadership; leadership spawns out of a concern for your people, your community, and your congregation. When he hears the news, he sits down and weeps, he fasts and prays. This is no simple concern, it is a matter of great concern.
The two main issues here were that the walls were broken down, and the gates destroyed. The walls, in a real concrete sense, were a problem. Walls represented protection from the outside world. It guarded against would be attackers. Guards could stand on the wall on look out for any signs of danger. Walls were also used as a support system for building houses against it. Gates were used to allow persons in and out, open during the day, closed throughout the night. It provided a sense of safety for all living within the gates and walls. So in a real, concrete sense, Nehemiah’s response to the news was correct. To hear that his own people were alone and unprotected was a cause of concern!
What is even more powerful is his prayer. Nehemiah realizes that he himself as representing his family and Israel as a whole, have recognized their fault. They have failed to keep the commandments. The commandments total 613, ranging from “thou shalt” to “thou shalt not”. These laws were, in their core, to realize that we should love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second, like the first, “love your neighbor as yourself” (This is the breakdown Jesus uses in Mark 12:30-31). To forget these laws were to forget the relationship between God and humanity. To forget about God is to forget our reliance upon God. To forget about one another is to forget that we must care for one another, that if the other suffers, we too suffer, we to lose, we too fail. If we build ourselves and forget the world around us, we might find there is no world to interact with, and will lead to nothing. Nehemiah realizes his place, the loss. He asks for forgiveness for himself and for his people.
Last he prays for favor and success when he comes before the king. Simply put, he is going to do something about the situation. He can longer just sit in his comfortable place while his people suffer. He cannot enjoy the benefits of his high official position, while the walls of his people lay desolate. He heard the call. This parallels Mark 6:34, Matthew 14:13-21, and many others. Jesus sees what is going on around him, and has compassion on them. Then he does something about it. This parallels Nehemiah’s story: He inquires about what is happening in Jerusalem, his heart is moved, he has compassion for his people. And he prepares to do something about it.
I believe that a character of leadership, apart from the call, or in tandem with the call, is concern/compassion. There should be a love for the people, a concern for their well being. The call alone is not enough. It is coupled with an important other, ourselves. It is in our search, our participation in the world, our realization that there is a need, a need for something to be done, an action that must take place, a justice that must be served, towards the people in need, that the call becomes apparent and guided. Without a heart for the other, for the people, for a community, then the call is empty. This emptiness must be filled, and can lead to a filling of desire and greed for power, for possession of things. This is why I believe that both call and compassion, or call and concern must be joined together. We see it in Nehemiah, as well as in Jesus. Both had compassion for their people, and the desire and passion to do something about it.
To end, if you are desiring leadership, it is a noble task, a task that gives of ones self, and generously. One that moves to stop what we do to give to this task. It is a call that is joined by our insight of the world around us, our community, our people. It is a compassion for those in need, both physically and spiritually, and the passion to do something about it. That is a true character of leader.