I recently finished working through the book "Gospel-Centred Leadership" by Steve Timmis for the second time and was once again incredibly impressed with it's straightforward, not pulling any punches, gospel-centered approach to Christian leadership! Whether you are already a Christian leader (pastor, planter, missionary, program director, etc.), you are a young man aspiring to leadership, or you are simply looking for a good basis and criteria on which to evaluate those you would like to invest in as future leaders, this book is for you!
Since the book is well divided I will cover the basic content of the book but want to assure you that there is much, much more to delve into. Don't just take the parts that I share and leave the rest, buy the book and grapple with it's contents.
Here's what you get:
The book is divided into three sections; "Principles", "Distinctives", and "Practicalities".
Part 1: Principles
Under "Principles" Timmis presents us with three foundational principles to recognize.
First, "the people of God belong to God."
In this chapter we see that "self rule is a central part of human nature. Essentially, we all want to be "god" of our own worlds - we all want to lead ourselves." Yet it is God who rules! "God is the Leader!" Therefore Christian leadership, "must be leadership that gives expression to the continuing leadership of King Jesus over His people. True leadership does that in two ways: 1. Faithfully expounding God's word so that it is God's voice that is heard; 2. Conforming to the servant-hearted, cross-shaped leadership of Jesus Himself."
Second, "God rules through His servants."
Here we see "examples and (broken) models" of leadership throughout the old testament and how these examples point toward the perfect or complete example of leadership that can only be seen in Jesus. He covers Adam, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, the Prophets, priests, kings, and judges, and Nehemiah. "The central point of this chapter is that God's rule is mediated. God rules through His servants. The role of leaders is important in that they: teach God's people, protect the people of promise, deliver God's word to God's people, exemplify subservience, reconstitute the people under God's word, and point to the need for another leader."
Last, "Jesus is the ultimate Ruler."
In this last principle Timmis clearly lays out that, "everything that the Old Testament says about leadership finds it's glorious fulfillment in Jesus." Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we can take two things away from that truth: "1. God has graciously given His Son to shepherd His sheep." and "2. Leadership among the people of God, in any context, should be modeled on that of Jesus." He closes out the section by looking at the topic of headship. "Headship is all about creating an environment in which those in our care are able to flourish and thrive, becoming all that God intends them to be as they use their gifts for His glory and the good of others."
Part 2: Distinctives
The next section of the book covers 7 distinctives of leadership! Below I will simply give the distinctive with the principle and a quote or two that really stood out to me.
Character: "The chief qualification for Christian leadership is a godly character."
"Leaders influence the people of God as the teach God's word and as they model obedience to God's word in their lives."
"Many leaders are uncomfortable with 1 Corinthians 11 v 1: "Imitate me as I imitate Christ"." yet "providing lived examples of the gospel is a key strategy for discipleship." "The bottom line is this: as leaders we are called to be examples. Being an example is the primary way we lead. We are called to be intentional in how we live so that we can commend our attitude and lifestyle to others."
Aptitude: "You can't put in what God left out."
In this section he lists 6 aptitudes to look for in gospel-centered leaders.
1. An aptitude to teach
2. An aptitude for taking responsibility
3. An aptitude for influencing people
4. An aptitude for people
5. An aptitude for hard work
6. An aptitude for self awareness
Wisdom: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
"It is impossible to be wise without knowing, loving, honoring, and worshipping God."
Servant: "To be a leader is to be a servant."
"I am to exercise my leadership conscious of my duty of service to those in my care, which means that every duty I undertake as a leader should be done with a commitment to the good of those for whom I am responsible. Leadership says nothing about status or power. Leadership is not an opportunity for me to "get my own way". It is always about those for whom I have a responsibility of care."
"leadership is about providing a context in which people flourish as the people of God and become the people God would have them be."
"servant leadership is a principle, not a strategy. It is not a ploy to get my own way. That would be manipulation and that is always wrong."
"Service is integral to leadership, at least leadership in the upside-down kingdom of God."
Authority: "Leaders must exercise both functional and moral authority."
"authority is the right to make decisions and give direction."
"A leader's opinion cannot take precedence over the opinion of another simply because they are a leader."
"But experience on its own is no teacher. These men need to have learned through their experience and have proved themselves through it. Because Christians are called to humility, we should humbly submit to authority, and defer to those who have proved themselves through experience and character."
Style: "God mad me the person I am for a reason."
"Gospel-style leadership will be servant-leadership and it will seek to lead by example. These are clear and unambiguous gospel characteristics."
"The fruit of the Spirt, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" must define our leadership style."
Leadership: "Leaders should lead!"
"If the leader isn't setting the culture, he is not the "leader" - regardless of his title."
"If leaders are going to set the direction and create a culture, they need to be the people who take the initiative. They have to take the initiative by getting involved in people's lives, by teaching them, and speaking to them gently about the gospel in order that the gospel imperatives are obeyed instinctively and faithfully."
Part 3: Practicalities
In this final part of the book Timmis presents some practical application for gospel-centered leadership!
Decisions! Decisions!: "Decision making in the local church should be about seeking a Spirit-inspired consensus."
Here Timmis makes a case for the Biblical example of making decisions by consensus. He defines consensus like this: "Consensus is decision making that requires full agreement before final action; it is reliant upon the work of the Holy Spirit in His church, and intentionally uses the process as a means of discipleship and missions."
"Consensus is a God-honoring way to lead a church. It allows God to lead His church. It requires us to rely on the Holy Spirit and trust His work among His people. It requires us to be proactive and to take seriously our responsibility to pastor the church intentionally."
He does also lay out some valuable clarifications in how this model works but I'll leave those for you to discover on your own.
When it all goes wrong: "Idealism is the enemy of gospel ministry"
We live in a fallen world and, even though we are new creations in Christ, we are still sinners. Things do and will go wrong! In this section he explains some right responses when things go terribly wrong in ministry.
"The gospel antidote to this common state of affairs is clear. It starts with recognizing that you are not Jesus! You cannot save them. You are not even their leader. Only Christ is. Make sure that you recognize the signs of how this false thinking starts and establishes itself, and be quick to put a stop to it - in others as well as yourself."
Letting his people grow: "Leaders exist to serve others intentionally, to help them grow and mature in Christ."
Here Timmis presents us with 6 affirmations:
1. I won't do everything!
2. I will invest in people.
3. I won't be content with running programs.
4. I will ensure my teaching and mentoring are tailored.
5. I won't be content with numbers.
6. I will build structures with people at the center.
Where have all the good men gone?: "Invest in leadership, particularly among men."
In this final chapter we are encouraged to be watchful and invest in leaders. Keep an eye out for those who demonstrate these characteristic at work, in their homes and families, or in your church and invest in these men.
