Christian leadership styles

How you lead people— and the way you treat them—is a direct reflection of your faith. As C.S. Lewis writes, “A man whose life has been transformed by Christ cannot help but have his worldview show through.” Leadership styles based on biblical principles are a way in which we live out our faith.

In the Bible, we find different leadership styles—some godly, some ungodly—especially in the Old Testament. As you read through the kings of Judah and Israel listed in 1 and 2 Kings and Chronicles, you can tell through their leadership if they followed God or not.

Following your calling as a Christian often means you’ll have people that you’re leading in some capacity. Whether you’re serving in your local church, leading your family, or leading others to faith in Christ, you’ll have opportunities to lead through your example.

By developing qualities of a good leader—taking the role of a servant, supporting those around you, and putting their best interest first—you can transform the environment you’re in with the love and unity of Christ.

Servant leadership

Jesus was a servant leader. This is most evident in how He came to live among us and lead us to the Father. He modeled a new type of leadership and demonstrated qualities of servant leadership that were uncommon to the people of His day. He did this by serving those who followed Him: washing their feet [John 13:1-17, NIV], comforting them, and teaching them. His focus was on his followers and equipping them to fulfill their God-given purposes.

If we’re to be like Jesus, it requires us to display that same servant leadership style and genuine love for those we’re influencing.

Think about those you lead. How can you pray for them? Encourage them? Equip them? Ask God to provide meaningful ways for you to serve them.

Transformational leadership

Transformational leaders are leaders who inspire change and collaboration in those they’re leading. Nehemiah, in the Bible, gives us a great example of a transformational style of leadership.

Nehemiah was an ordinary person—a cupbearer for the Persian king—and yet he followed God’s prompting and brought together the scattered Israelite people to accomplish an unimaginable feat—rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. By developing leadership skills while serving the king, Nehemiah was positioned to lead this assignment.

Despite many dangers, challenges, and direct opposition, Nehemiah created unity and did what many thought was impossible. How did he do this?

He provided vision of a rebuilt Jerusalem and inspired the disoriented Israelites with his passion and courage. He listened to them, made sure they had the resources they needed, and protected them from enemies. Finally, he led by example: He worked on the wall himself, donated his money to help the poor, prayed before making decisions, and held fast to God’s laws.

By being the change he wanted to see, Nehemiah’s leadership qualities helped the Israelites transform and rebuild a city that should have stayed destroyed.

Benevolent leadership

Benevolent leadership characteristics include working for the benefit of all, exemplified by Timothy, the recipient of 1 and 2 Timothy.

Though we don’t have many details about Timothy’s life, we do know that he was highly thought of. He was young when Paul is writing to him, but as the pastor at Ephesus, he showed leadership traits by actively taking Paul’s advice to “set the believers an example” [1 Timothy 4:12, ESV].

In his work as a pastor, Timothy had to defend his church against false teachers, stand firm in his faith, and lead others according to the Scriptures. This he did by example with love, wisdom, and sound teachings.

Leadership and transformation

The theme of each leadership style can be summed up in two words: Love people.

When we’ve been changed and transformed by our faith in Christ and His love, our leadership style becomes influenced by this transformation.

We now have a desire to please God by serving others, being an agent for good and real change, and generously working for the benefit of those around us [Philippians 2:3 NLT].

Whether your leadership style leans more towards servanthood, transformation, or benevolence, the focus remains the same. Love God and love the people He created.

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