Ministry Journey Blog

Leadership is tricky. Good leadership can be illusive and there are no set factors that will help someone be a great leader in all circumstances and contexts. As I think about the great leaders I have seen, worked with, read, listened to and learned from as well a handful of moments of good leadership on my part, I have noticed 5 key things all leaders have (and need). After sharing them in this post, I will write about each specifically in future posts.

The five things that I believe all leaders need are:

-Trust

-Teachability

-Self-knowledge

-Authenticity

-A Focus on Christ & Kingdom

Great leaders have a focus on Christ and Kingdom. The reality is that any leader can do the first four things. It takes leaders of great faith to take the fish characteristic seriously. There is a tremendous difference between leaders and missional leaders and that difference is found in their focus. Great leaders may be focused on success, but missional leaders are focused on a mission. That mission is laid out by God in their context, but is always consistent with the mission of Christ; brining about the Kingdom of God in the world.

Missional leaders recognize that the focus of their leadership is not their personality, gifts, desires, goals or even the organization they lead. Missional leaders see the bigger picture and recognize that they are a part of something beyond themselves. Rather than setting the mission, they discern there their context fits into God’s mission. Missional leaders follow Christ first. Missional leaders recognize that their ultimate goal is to play their part in building the Kingdom of God on earth. This is not possible by human effort alone, but requires the intervention of the Holy Spirit.  Missional leaders par