What does good leadership look like? For most Christians, “Christian leadership” is something practiced by the pastor and church staff. But there are many opportunities in everyday life where leadership is called for—and it may be that you, whether you’re a trained church minister or just an average Joe, are the one called to step forward and lead.

I was prompted to think about this sort of everyday leadership while browsing through the StudentSoul.org site. In an article called The Making of a Leader, Bob Fryling talks about the many different character qualities that go into being an effective leader—maybe the leader of a local Bible study, or of a discussion group, or of the local church baseball team.

As it turns out, there’s more about leadership at StudentSoul, and it applies not just to student groups but to anyone who’s ever called to take any sort of leadership role:

• You’re asking me to be a leader? If we’re honest with ourselves, all of us have made mistakes or have flaws that make us less-than-perfect leaders. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be effective, Christlike leaders when the situation calls for it.
• Should you say yes or no to leading? Ever been asked to take charge of a project or group, and wondered whether or not to commit? This article walks through the questions you should think through before saying either “yes” or “no.”
• Choosing new leaders: does your Bible study or student group work to cultivate future leaders? Here’s what to look for in potential leaders.
• The high cost of leadership: thoughts on the real challenges of any leadership role, and what you need to know before you step forward.

What’s interesting about all this discussion of leadership is how applicable these leadership qualities are to any Christian. You may not have a full-time job as a leader, but chances are you’ll be called on to lead at some point in your life—maybe even for just a short time. If you’ve given some thought to the qualities of a strong Christian leader, you’ll be ready to say “yes” when the opportunity and need arises.

By: Andy. This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 at 4:09 pm and is filed under Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.