Christlike Leaders for Every Church and SectorIhe Atụ

Christlike Leaders: Established in Love

The church of Jesus Christ desperately needs Christlike leaders in every church and sector. The church needs leaders who overcome, leaders who are fighting the good fight, leaders who are running the race, and leaders who are transforming communities.

It is a simple thing to critique spiritual leadership at a macro-level—to pass judgement on people, institutions, and systems from afar. But what happens if we bring the same metrics of judgement and use them to critique ourselves? Would we pass the test of being a Christlike leader in our church? Would we successfully portray Christlikeness in our own time or place in human history?

Chances are, you would be more kind to yourself than you were to that missionary who was exposed by the media, or that pastor whose ministry crumbled due to moral failure.

As Christians, we need to recognise that the journey of developing ‘Christlike leaders for every church and sector’ foremost begins with us and within us. Before we can demand the transformation of other leaders into the image of Christ, we first need to be sure to have established ourselves on the pathway to Christlikeness.

How do we begin the journey towards Christlike leadership? Well, we begin where Jesus began, at the Jordan River, where his Father spoke words of love, life, and identity over him.

This is the fuel and foundation of Christlike leadership.

Before Jesus began his ministry, he first went to the Jordan River to be baptised by John the Baptist. The moment John lifted Jesus from the waters, the heavens opened up, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove, and the Father spoke over His Son, ‘This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy’ (Matt ‭3:17‬).‭

Perhaps you can remember a moment in your life when your earthly father looked at you and said with genuine affection, ‘I love you.’ Or maybe you can recall a time when your dad simply delighted in your existence.

If you have experienced the love and delight of your father, then you would understand why this would be a meaningful moment for Jesus. Conversely, if your earthly father has never blessed you in this way, you might feel a deep ache in your soul—the longing to be seen and appreciated by him.

The words our earthly fathers speak over us, and even the words they do not, can be deeply formative for our identity.

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church was that God would give them the power they needed to understand God's love for them so that they could experience ‘the fullness of God’ (Eph 3:17-19).

Likewise, before Jesus led any person to God, and before he overcame the devil, he first sought the power of God to establish and root him in his Father's love.

The same is true for us! If we are to become Christlike leaders, then our journey rises and falls on our rootedness in the love of God. Paul prayed God would give the Ephesians the power they needed to understand God's love. May God also give us the same power and understanding as we humbly bring ourselves before him.