Spirtual Leadership: Introductions

I'm still working out the format for how I want the blog to go, so I'm having trouble formulating how I want to explain my thoughts. I guess that's not really the point of the blog, now that I think about it. So let's jump right in.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the difference between Spiritual leadership and Natural leadership. To be honest, this subject comes to mind quite a bit, so I guess that it's only fair that it is the first thing I really write down here.

I see a vital importance to Christianity and the Church body (and when I reference that body, I'm not talking about my church specifically, but THE body) in finding spiritual leaders rather than natural leaders. When I was a teenager, one of the people I respect most in the world (Butch Entrekin) took our youth group on a retreat to Tocca Wilderness Camp. That weekend I learned about spiritual leadership, and it had more of an impact on me than any other camp or retreat I ever went to. I'm going to have to split what I learned over a couple of posts, but I'm going to try to introduce the concept here.

Basically, it is our natural tendancy to follow natural leaders (makes sense, right?). Natural leaders are charasmatic, entertaining or passionate, usually have forceful, inspiring personalities, and generally can convince people to do or believe something just by saying it.

I've always been jealous of those leaders. That seems SO much easier than what God has called me to - leading with an introvertistic personality, struggling with inspiring people because "excitement" is difficult for me to display, and always being so annoyingly self concious! That is the person that God created in me, and I have always been a little annoyed that He then expects me to lead people.

That weekend is literally what keeps me going. If for nothing else, I hope God recognizes Butch and the people leading the camp for the impact it had.

You see, they taught me that while natural leadership is an amazing gift, and something to aspire to, it also has a huge failing. Natural leadership, by default, outside of God's grace, points toward one person - the leader.

I think you can see where this is going. Spiritual leadership, in its very heart, ALWAYS points toward God as its head, its leader, its guidance. It doesn't point toward self, it doesn't depend on a charasmatic personality, and it many times will go against everything that natural leadership is about (try telling a natural leader that the first will be last sometime!).

In other words, it is difficult, frustrating and impossible outside of the grace of God.

The GOOD news is, it doesn't depend on me. I can be a spiritual leader, and in fact I know that it comes easier to me than trying to be a natural leader.

More to come!