, 2025
General Superintendent
Max Edwards
Spiritual Leadership Lessons from the Apostle Peter
1 Peter 5:1-4 (nlt)
1 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you:
2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.
3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.
4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.
1 – We must be LEADERS but never LORDS. As godly leaders “care for the flock that God has entrusted” to us. We must never forget that Christian leaders are stewards rather than kings. There is one, and ONLY ONE, King, and that is God. Those who are following us are the Bride of Christ. As Christian servants, we get the chance to be in the wedding party as the “best man” or the “maid of honor,” but we should be very, very careful that we do not attempt to fill the shoes of the groom. He LOVES His bride passionately, and will not stand for someone else to steal the bride’s affectionate attention away from Him.
2 – We must be PEOPLE-ORIENTED. Peter notes that it is “the flock” that God has entrusted to us. Good stewards are responsible to not waste assets, and to properly attend to the facilities, but we should always remember that Jesus didn’t die for bricks, sticks, stones, and bank accounts. Please don’t misunderstand me –Christ-like leaders do not mishandle finances, nor are they slip-shod in their management of resources, but people are our primary mission. In museums, things are protected from the people. By contrast, in daycare facilities, we protect people from the things. Assets are important - just not as important as Jesus’ kids.
3 – We must be DRIVEN BY LOVE not by LUST. Our work in God’s vineyard will be tainted and, on the whole, unfruitful if we are only doing it for the personal benefits. We are to “Watch over [the flock] willingly … not for what [we] will get out of it ” That is blunt enough for us all to grasp. If we are focused on money, the prestige, the ‘power’, or the praise of others, that’s “lust,” and we are mis-aligned with the heart of Christ. We must serve out of love for Christ, that is, out of a willing heart. Indeed, there is a “crown of never-ending glory and honor” promised in heaven to true, Christ-like leaders, but only to those who serve out of a passionate love for him.
4 – We must be EXAMPLES OF GODLY BEHAVIOR, not DICTATORS of it. Peter’s plea is this “… lead them by your own good example …” “Do what I SAY, not what I DO,” is an entirely unacceptable axiom of leadership. You can try to fool yourself by thinking that people will listen to your good teaching over and above your bad behavior, but that is not reality. No matter how right and righteous our words are, our actions will be the bedrock of our legacy. We have sadly witnessed scores of church leaders whose misdeeds have undone years of Biblical teaching from their lips. This world desperately needs Christ-like examples to follow. Be one!