Rector’s Reflections Friday 9th May 2025
Christian leadership in Today’s World
We have reached the end of the current series of reflections, on the subject of Christian leadership in the modern world. As Christians, we are all called to exercise leadership, and we do so in a wide variety of contexts: in our families, in our communities, in our places of work, and in our churches. Some of us may have been given official roles and titles which provide a public recognition of our call to be leaders, but whether we have such official roles and titles is neither here nor there. We are all called to exercise leadership, and to share in the leadership exercised by others.
What might such Christian leadership look like in our modern world? The style of leadership which will be effective tends to vary according to time and culture. Styles of Christian leadership which worked back in the 19th Century are unlikely to be equally effective for us today. Life has moved on. So what effective Christian leadership look like for us today?
I have suggested that contemporary Christian leadership needs to start from a foundation of compassion. Why is this? It is because compassion is one of the most powerful ways in which love manifests itself, and our world is desperate need of love. I think many of our world’s problems would be solved, or at least alleviated, if men and women were prepared to love each other. For Christians, a spirit of compassion naturally leads on to a desire to seek the common good – to seek out what is best for everyone. And if we are to do so, we need to have the strength to look at things as they really are. This means we must be prepared to see the complexity and messiness in our world, and in our own lives. We need the courage and humility to acknowledge our own mistakes and failings, and a willingness to embrace the truth, even if we find the truth inconvenient or profoundly challenging. And we need to remind ourselves of our call to be missionaries and evangelists: to be men and women who seek to share the gospel with others, in a way appropriate to the particular circumstances of our own lives.
There is much more one might say, but let me finish with one final quality which I think should characterise Christian leadership in today’s world. It flows on from our call to be men and women who try to live lives focussed on sharing and communicating the gospel. The gospel is a message of hope. It gives hope for our lives as individuals and for the life of our world, because it tells the story of God’s love and God’s mercy. The gospel proclaims that there is meaning and purpose to our lives, and that meaning and purpose is found in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. And because the gospel anchors us in hope, we have a never-failing source of encouragement.
I think that encouragement is at the heart of effective Christian leadership. This has always been the case, but I think it is especially so in today’s world. There is much to be worried about, in the life of the church and in the life of the world more generally. I think a Christian leader needs to be a man or woman with the gift of encouragement.
We know from the pages of the New Testament that encouragement was something which was highly valued in the early Christian communities, and so let me finish the current series of reflections with the following passage from Paul’s Letter to Philemon:
“When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother” (Philemon, verses 4 to 7).
What a wonderful picture this paints of Christian leadership in action! Paul is thanking Philemon for his love, and the joy and encouragement which he has received from him. Paul has noticed that Philemon has “refreshed the hearts” of the Christian communities.
So perhaps the ideal for Christian leadership in today’s world could simply be summed up in these words from Philemon: we need leaders whose love and encouragement will “refresh the heart”. And this isn’t just about encouraging Christians. I think we need leaders who seek to encourage the hearts of all, so that all my flourish. Jesus came that all may have life, and life in all its fulness (John 10, verse 10).