(LR) The Purpose of Jesus and its Impact on Leader Development

LD 512: THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF LEADING AND FOLLOWING
Complete Submission


Ricketson: Follower First: Rethinking Leading in the Church.
Willard: The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God.
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Submitted to
Luther Rice Seminary
In Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for the Degree
Masters of Divinity
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Justin Z. DuBose
152 Sherwood Street
Toccoa, GA 30577


I.D.# GC6831 / Phone: (678) 707-1491
February 6, 2012
Professor: Dr. Ricketson
Hours Completed: 24 -- Hours Remaining: 48
THE PURPOSE OF JESUS AND ITS IMPACT ON LEADER DEVELOPMENT
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A Paper
Presented to Dr. Rusty Ricketson
Luther Rice Seminary
 
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In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
LD 512: THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF LEADING AND FOLLOWING
 
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by
Justin Z. DuBose
GC 6831
 
OUTLINE
I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE LEADERSHIP STYLE OF JESUS CHRIST
III. THE LEADERSHIP MODEL FOR CHRISTIANS
IV. CONCLUSION
IV. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



INTRODUCTION
    Many people today regard Jesus as the greatest leader who ever lived.  If this is the case, his impact in the arena of leadership should be evidenced in those who seek to emulate Him.  The single greatest piece of evidence that one can understand about a leader is their purpose.  What cause were they championing?  What motivated them that made them so great as a leader?  Jesus’ purpose was self-stated in the Gospel of John.  In chapter six, verses thirty-eight and thirty-nine, Jesus plainly states that He has come down from heaven to do the will of the Father.  As Dr. Rusty Ricketson states, “What is striking about this verse is Jesus’ admission that His purpose was to follow the directives, the will, of His heavenly Father.” 1 This statement seems to fly in the face of those who claim that Jesus was a great leader, when He was clearly a great follower.  In studying Jesus’ example of leadership through followership, his impact on leader development can be better understood.




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       1 Ricketson, Rusty. Follower First: Rethinking Leading in the Church (Cumming, GA: Heartworks Publications), 19.
THE LEADERSHIP STYLE OF JESUS CHRIST
     When asked for synonyms for the word “leadership,” many individuals would likely cite the word “ambition.”  However, if we look at the life of Jesus Christ, the word ambition ought to be redefined as we understand it, suggests William D. Lawrence.  “Ambition is redefined from self-service to self-sacrifice, and included in this is instruction in how to be first.” 2 At first glance, this statement seems self-contradictory.  How can self-sacrifice lead one to be “first”?  Lawrence continues, “It is accomplished through the holy ambition of slavery in accord with the model of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.” 3 How does this leadership development theory manifest itself in Christian leaders today?  “Christian ambition, then, is the burning, even driving, desire to make a name for Christ, not self, which results in a constructive rather than destructive impact.” 4 If this theory is to be thought trustworthy, then Christ’s greatest contribution to the field of leadership development is his self-stated purpose of following the will of His Father, and seeking, as Lawrence states, “the holy ambition of slavery”.  What do
other leading Christian thinkers contribute to this topic?
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       2 Lawrence, William D. “Distinctives of Christian Leadership”  Bibliotheca Sacra 144:575 (Jul 1987), 324.
     3 Ibid.
     4 Ibid.
 
     As one may expect, the leadership style of Jesus Christ is the best starting point for this topic of discussion.  Mary Ellen Drushal states that “in developing leadership in the congregation, leaders need to examine the management model designed and practiced by Jesus Christ and the implications this presents for ministry.” 5 What style of leadership did Jesus Himself employ to accomplish His purpose of following the will of His Father?  “He included his disciples in almost everything he did and trained them to follow his example in preaching, teaching and healing.” 6 Jesus leadership style, according to Drushal, was incorporation of subordinates.  The relationship Jesus maintained with His disciples was a mentoring one, preparing them to one day replace Him in the continued execution of His self-stated purpose.
THE LEADERSHIP MODEL FOR CHRISTIANS
     The model of leader development that seems to be emerging is that of understanding the will of the Father, being mentored, gaining hands-on experience, mentoring others, and eventually being replaced altogether.  Mark Schmitz concurs that “good leadership will enlist good followers who play a significant
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       5 Drushal, Mary Ellen. “Implementing Theory Z In The Church: Managing People As Jesus Did” Ashland Theological Journal 20:0 (NA 1988), 48.
     6 Ibid, 49.
role in the ministry. Good leaders understand that every
Christian who desires to become a leader must first know how to follow.  Second men will find leaders to be excellent team leaders who first learned to follow.” 7 As Jesus followed the Father, so all Christians must first be followers before they themselves can lead others.  Even then, as leaders, they continue to ultimately follow the will of the Father, following Christ’s example.  This concept of the “second man” that Schultz highlights is perhaps the single greatest distinction between Christian leader development and leader development in other fields.  In the military, for example, the concept of leadership is evidenced in their recruiting slogan of a few years ago, “An Army of One”.  This style of leadership emphasizes that each Soldier has the ability to take command and take charge in any given situation.  Similarly, once an officer reaches the status of Company Commander, an entire company of Soldiers is his or her responsibility.  While they still receive orders from higher up the chain of command, that particular company is their responsibility – no higher authority exists within that company.  Such is never the case in Christian leadership.  Be it the president of a denomination, the pastor of a church, or a
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       7 Schmitz, Mark. “The Second Man in Ministry” Journal of Ministry and Theology 03:2 (Fall 1999), 79.
layperson within the pews, the Christian leader is always subservient to the will of the Father, always seeking His glory rather than glory for Himself.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONCLUSION
     How does this leader development model fit into Christian theology?  Paul Benware aptly states that “A Christian’s loyalty is to the Word of God.”  He goes on to write that “their first loyalty was to the revealed truth of God.” 8 Unlike the military, where the career officer is often looking to the next rung, the Christian leader is singly focused on doing the will of the Father, which is found in the words of Scripture.  This being the case, the Christian leader is always following.  From discovering the will of the Father in Scripture to eventually being replaced altogether, the Christian leader is dispensable, and is ever following.  This was the model of Christ Himself, our great leader.  Jesus’ self-stated purpose of following was evidenced by all that He did in His life, from birth to death to resurrection to ascension.  The Christian leader should be ever progressive in the process of following Christ.  The culmination of this should be when they are able to step away from positions of leadership within the Body and everything run smoothly, because the leader – God the Father – has not and will never step down from His position of leadership of the Body of Christ.


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     8 Benware, Paul. “Leadership Authority in the Church” Conservative Theological Journal 03:8 (Apr 1999), 9.
 
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
     Benware, Paul. “Leadership Authority in the Church” Conservative Theological Journal 03:8 (Apr 1999)
 
     Drushal, Mary Ellen. “Implementing Theory Z In The Church: Managing People As Jesus Did” Ashland Theological Journal 20:0 (NA 1988)


Lawrence, William D. “Distinctives of Christian Leadership”  Bibliotheca Sacra 144:575 (Jul 1987)
     Ricketson, Rusty. Follower First: Rethinking Leading in the Church.  Cumming, GA: Heartworks Publications, 2009.
 
Schmitz, Mark. “The Second Man in Ministry” Journal of Ministry and Theology 03:2 (Fall 1999)