How Can I Become a Leader in My ChurchShembull

Desiring to Lead in a Noble Way 

The Church of God is a place where diverse people from different locations, ethnicities, and ways of life come together to pray and to hear the Word of God. People of such diversity have various ideas as to what their church should be like or what it should do. Often, a Christian thinks, “I would like to be a leader in my church because I can do this well or I can help my church a certain way.” Also, if a believer has been a part of a congregation for a while, such a person might say, “I want to be a pastor,” or “I want to be a deacon,” or “I want to be a Women’s Ministry Director.” This is true in big or small churches. Whatever the size of a church, the question is: how does one become a leader in a local congregation?

First of all, the Bible tells us that when we want spiritual leadership, we want a noble thing. It is good to desire to be a leader in a church. However, before we aspire to such authority, we need to ask ourselves why we want a leadership position. Leadership is a noble task and we must desire it in a noble way. Do we desire leadership to represent a life of spiritual maturity, character, and Christlikeness? This motivation is noble because such are the qualifications of a spiritual leader, a pastor, or a deacon, according to the Scriptures. 

Good character is a prerequisite to spiritual leadership. It is important for me to be a good parent and a good spouse. I need to have my family in order. I need to have spiritual discipline in my life. Do I want to lead to model a character that honors Christ? Do I want my life to count to the greatest degree? Such are the right reasons to be a leader. 

So, we need to examine our hearts first. Do I want to be a leader to have power and influence? Do I want people to think highly of me? These are bad motivations to be a church leader. Leadership in a church is for the honor and glory of God; it is not for our personal promotion or elevation. We must test ourselves and make sure that we not only desire the noble task of leadership but that we desire it in a noble way.