18 Nov The Spiritual Gift of Leadership (Part 1)

Ron Ramsey, Bishop
I talk about leadership frequently as I represent the United Brethren church. When I interact with other denominational leaders, we collectively acknowledge that spiritual leadership is probably our number one problem.

If you check with the local Christian bookstore, you will find numerous leadership how-to books. Go to any Barnes & Noble and look at all their titles about leadership.

I recently flew to an engagement. The free magazine in the seat-back pocket contained several ads for books, CDs, DVDs, and college courses on the subject of leadership. Often, the instructors were people I recognized as having a reputation for leadership.

I have read Jim Collins’s book Good To Great. I have even read the monograph to accompany the book, Good to Great and the Social Sectors (which would cover churches). Oh, if I could lead like that, this church would have been revolutionized.

And then I fall into the trap that many others fall into. The trap that says to me, “Because I don’t have the gift of leading, I can’t and shouldn’t be in leadership. If I don’t have the gift of leadership”–and in Christian circles we say spiritual gift of leadership–“God wouldn’t ask me to lead.”

In other words, since I lack a perceived spiritual gift of leadership, I’m excused from practicing leadership. That is wrong. It is dead wrong. Here’s why.

If you lack the spiritual gift of evangelism, does that excuse you from evangelizing? If you lack the gift of giving, does that excuse you from giving?

Heavens no! The gifts are given as a supernatural ability to do the ministry of that gift. But that does not excuse me from ministering in areas that are not necessarily my giftedness.

Leadership is one of those areas. Just because I lack the spiritual gift of leadership doesn’t mean I am excused from being involved in leadership