Leading through preaching
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There is no better opportunity to begin to demonstrate biblical leadership than as you are preaching God's word. As a retired pastor, now looking for a church home, I have visited several churches and listened to preachers casting vision, reminding us of their mission, explaining their detailed strategy and describing the culture they wish to create in the church as a result of all of this emphasis.
However, I must admit that I have been disappointed. Perhaps that is because I reminisce to earlier days of my walk with Christ that was marked by a sense of discovery of who Jesus Christ was, what He was doing, where we thought He was leading us, and what our mission was.
Biblical leadership
Charles Bryant describes biblical leadership as coming from the Greek verb proistemi which describes "the position of a seaman on the bow, in front of the others to point out the destination and ways and means of reaching the port…He is the one who sets directions and inspired others to follow."(1) A preacher who is spiritually leading his people is a preacher "who has been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). People can sense the authentic relationship that a preacher has with Jesus. That's the kind of leader they will follow.
The vision is Jesus Christ
He is the one that leaders are ultimately leading us to discover and encounter. In my early days of "discovering" Jesus, I was totally inspired by preachers who talked about how Jesus was speaking to them through His words in Scripture, how He was leading and confirming His will to them. I got the idea that Jesus Christ was alive and on the move. Preachers shared what Jesus was showing them in their personal study of Scripture and confirming in their daily walk with Him.
The scriptural reminder of "Sir, we would see Jesus" (John 12:21) was a constant reminder of the preacher's primary role as biblical leader. Referring to Paul's leadership, Brad Long writes, "The way the Holy Spirit leads others into the new reality of Jesus Christ is by letting them see and experience this reality embodied in the leader who stands before them." (2) As a young believer, hearing a preacher talk about what Jesus was doing in his life inspired me to further want to "see Jesus." The vision was Jesus: who is He, what did He achieve, what can He offer? (3)
The mission is to lead others to Jesus
We are first motivated to lead others to Jesus Christ as we encounter Him primarily in the corporate worship service. As Ralph Martin writes in his profound book Worship in the Early Church,one of the features of the early Christian worship was "the presence of the living Lord in the midst of His own. All the component parts of divine service were calculated to lead the worshippers to an awareness of His presence."(4)
They expected that Jesus was in their midst to greet them and answer their prayers. When believers regularly encounter the presence of Christ in worship, they are eager to tell others "what Jesus has done for me." The mission then becomes a joyous lifestyle of sharing personal faith with others in a captivating, convincing story of what Jesus did for them.
In the early church, the mission became a lifestyle of leading others to Jesus. A preacher demonstrates the mission of the church and naturally leads others to Jesus as he publicly shares personal stories and declares, "come, see a man who told me everything I ever did" (John 4:29).
The strategy
The strategy of leading as you're preaching is to demonstrate such winsomeness, such "bragging" about Jesus Christ that it captures the attention of the spiritually hungry. As John Piper puts it, "People are starving for the grandeur of God, and the vast majority do not know it." (5) I remember hearing my pastor talk about how Jesus had shown him truths in Scripture that changed his life, and how He answered prayer via seemingly coincidental events after praying seriously about certain needs.
I was young in the faith, certainly naïve, yet hungry for more of God's presence in my life, more of Jesus leading me to my purpose in life and career. My primary inspiration came on Sunday morning while listening to a pastor who I was convinced had a relationship with Jesus Christ that I wanted to emulate. I didn't have to be convinced about a building program or a discipleship program. The strategy that motivated and inspired me was hearing a preacher who knew Jesus.
As a result, the culture that was created was an expectation that people would naturally and regularly encounter Christ in their daily lives. The atmosphere was charged with an expectation that we had met Jesus and were now carrying out His mission. There was a sense of joyous discovery, anticipating that Jesus was always doing something new, and we couldn't wait to see what it would be.
That message radiated loudly primarily from the pulpit as the preacher led us to greater heights and depths of anticipating what Jesus would do next. In small groups and in Sunday School classes, we stood in line to tell what Jesus had done for us. And it was often in sync with what the preacher had been preaching and emphasizing in our Christian growth. It was a culture of being in close relationship with a preacher and a congregation that was experiencing Jesus Christ with "joy unspeakable."
As a preacher, you first stand and declare the vision: The vision is Jesus Christ. The mission is to lead others to Him as you share personal testimonies of His grace to you. Your strategy is to be so winsome and authentic in your storytelling that listeners want to emulate you and have a relationship with Jesus Christ like you have.
That approach can create a culture of believers whose walk with Jesus genuinely reflects your leadership from the pulpit as you intentionally share your walk of faith.
(1)Rediscovering the Charismata, Charles V. Bryant, Word Books, 1986.
(2)Growing the Church in the power of the Holy Spirit, Long, Stokes and Stickler, Zondervan, 2009.
(3)Evangelism Through the Local Churchby Michael Green, Oliver Nelson, 1992, pp. 67-70
(4)Worship in the Early Churchby Ralph Martin, Eerdmans, pp.130-131.
(5)The Supremacy of God in Preaching, John Piper, Baker Book House, 1990, p.107
 | Langdon Montgomery has served as pastor in several churches over 25 years. He now serves as a hospice chaplain and resides in Hampton Roads. He has a Masters of Divinity from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and has taught three courses at Regent in their Continuing Education and Professional Development Department focused on leadership and preaching. He coaches pastors through Ministry Leadership Coaching, Learn More » |
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