Leadership
Love between believers is the first and fundamental commandment of Jesus, yet many leaders seem to think that leadership takes priority over love. Certainly leadership often requires difficult decisions and should not bow to favouritism, but the exercise of leadership can never justify acts that are contrary to genuine godly love.
This teaching relates specifically to developing leadership teams, and assumes that the leaders have embraced the principles set out in 'Servant Leadership'.
The familiar parable of the new and old wine is recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke. This is Luke's version:
Jesus Style
Leadership is natural. Amongst any group of children in a playground a leader will emerge. Every society in the world organises itself to have leaders. They do so because they recognise that there is some worthwhile goal that can only be achieved through common and organised effort.
NT church leadership consists of Jesus the head, elders/leaders and the saints, who are the foot-soldiers of the church.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)
Many churches find it helpful to have a “healthy c