Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1
Great Commission Leadership.....................................................................................................1
Comparing Leadership Principles................................................................................................3
Kingdom Leadership Principles...................................................................................................4
Bibliography....................................................................................................................................6
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Introduction
In order to disciple well, those seeking to make disciples who make disciples must figure
out how to lead well. God leadership is crucial to the success of any discipling endeavor. Good
leadership produces healthy discipleship meetings, which fosters good conversation, which leads
to spiritual growth. Disciples should understand that leadership skills are not something that
some have and others don’t. Rather, good leadership skills are something that are cultivated and
improved upon over long periods of time and numerous trials and errors. For a disciple to be able
to lead well, however, there are some basic concepts that need to be understood. This paper will
examine several key leadership issues and address how the personal leadership skills of the
author can be improved. This paper will analyze Great Commission leadership and note the
similarities between developing disciples and developing leaders, compare and contrast the
leadership chapters in Early/Dempsey with Putman and explain how a healthy church is the goal
for discipleship, and discuss some principles that need attention in the author’s church based on
the ten kingdom leadership principles.
Great Commission Leadership
Possibly the greatest, and also simplest, command for any Christian leader can be found
in Jesus’ great commission given in Matthew 28:16-20. It is in these verses that Jesus tells his
disciples to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. These commission is important
for two reasons. First, Jesus is commanding his followers to spread the gospel to more than just
Jews and to bring it to every part of the world. Second, he is telling his disciples to go and make
disciples. These two simple commands inform so much of Christian theology. The great
commission reassures Christians that the gospel is in fact for everyone, and it provides a model
1
for how spiritual growth and discipleship are to take place. This may seem irrelevant to the topic
of developing Christian leaders. However, developing good disciples and developing good
leaders go hand in hand. Jesus informs his disciples in the great commission that they are to now
go and make disciples. What this told them and what this tells Christians today is that no
Christian should remain in the position of being discipled. In fact, all Christians should move
from being discipled into discipling others; they are to be disciples who make disciples.
Knowing this, one might ask the question “How are we to be good disciples? What is the
process?”. Good discipleship, and good leadership, uses Christ as an example. “Discipleship is
commitment to Christ…Christianity without the living Jesus Christ remains necessarily a
Christianity without discipleship; and a Christianity without discipleship is always a Christianity
without Jesus Christ. It is an idea, a myth. A Christianity in which there is only God the Father,
but not Christ as a living Son actually cancels discipleship.”1. Good discipleship sets it’s focus on
growing together to become more like Christ, sacrificially bearing one another’s burdens the
way Christ bore the cross, serving one another in the way that Christ came to serve, and loving
one another unconditionally the way that Christ loves his church. This kind of sacrificial servant
love is the same kind of love which creates world-changing and life-altering leaders as well.
“Christian leadership, then, is fundamentally about giving, not taking. Christian leaders are not
empty, immature individuals looking to prop themselves up with new privilege. Rather, they are
men and women who are secure enough, and mature enough, to empty themselves for the good
of others.”2. What one will learn from examining good leadership and good discipleship is that
both are focused on making those looking for leadership and discipleship capable of leadership
and discipleship themselves, and that both use Christ as the example.
1 Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Discipleship p.59
2 David Mathis. “True Leadership Is Sacrifice, Not Privilege.”
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Comparing Leadership Principles
While the foundations for Christian leadership and discipleship are straight forward,
finding their core in the words of the great commission, the application of these principles can
vary depending on the personal beliefs and inclinations of individual leaders. However, while it
would be wonderful if everyone agreed completely on this subject, having different ideas and
opinions is not necessarily a bad thing. Understanding the different viewpoints and application
techniques of various leaders and authors can lead to a more holistic view on Christian
leadership This section will compare and contrast the leadership principles discussed by Earley
and Dempsey with those of Putman.
The main area in which Earley and Dempsey agree with Putman is that good leadership
helps people grow (in the same way that good discipleship helps people grow spiritually).
Putman says “The solution involves a fundamental shift in our thinking — from informing
people to equipping them.”3. What Putman is getting at here is that the role of leaders is not to
subjugate those beneath them, but to equip them for future leadership. This kind of growth
mindset is similar to when Earley and Dempsey make the assertion that “Our job as Christian
leaders is to help individuals grow, develop, and serve the King and His kingdom. We lead
people as we share the truth with them and help them discover and accomplish His will.
Ultimately, they become “fruitful” as they grow in Christian character (by walking in the Spirit)
and discover and use the gifts God has entrusted to them.”4.
While the idea of individual growth is very similar between Earley and Dempsey and
Putman, there is a notable difference. Putman’s idea of good leadership is that which equips
3 Jim Putman, Bobby Harrington, and Robert E. Coleman. DiscipleShift : Five Steps That Help Your
Church to Make Disciples Who Make Disciples p.97
4 Rod Dempsey and Dave Earley. Disciple Making Is p.203
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people for future leadership, similar to the way that good disciples make disciples. However,
Early and Dempsey take a different approach. Earley and Dempsey’s idea of leadership is that “a
leader influences others to follow God’s plan for their lives.”5. What the two authors are getting
at here is that not everyone is called to be a leader. Earley and Dempsey tend to focus more on
leadership that improves people’s abilities to use the spiritual gifts that the Lord has already
given them. However, while the two sets of authors have slightly different ideas on discipleship,
both of their processes lead to what is most important for Christians today, cultivating a healthy
church. Equipping people to lead and to use their spiritual gifts in an effective and Christ-
glorifying way will undoubtedly strengthen the church for years to come.
Kingdom Leadership Principles
Now that I have given a good definition of what good Christian leadership is and how it
relates to discipleship, I think it would be good to examine where the church I currently attends
needs some work in regards to the ten Kingdom Leadership Principles. I want to start this
critique by saying that I think the church is getting 80% of this list right. Crosspoint has never
seemed to me like one where personal gain or glorification has ever been part of the equation.
The pastor and leaders of the church clearly have their eyes fixed on Christ and want to serve
hime well. For this reason I think they are doing quite well on principles 1 through 8.
That being said, I think crosspoint could use some more work on principles 9 and 10. As I
stated in one of my previous papers, the area of the church I feel is the weakest is their ability to
connect the people in the church with each other and to connect them to the mission of the
church. While the laid back attitude is nice on Sunday morning, there is definitely not enough of
a push to get people involved in the things that are going on in the church. This doesn’t mean
5 Ibid p.201
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that things like small groups and outreach opportunities are not happening, rather that there is
little done to make sure new members and visitors are getting connected with these things. When
my wife and I first attended almost no one spoke to us the first few times we attended church
(which was admittedly nice for two very introverted people). When we used the church’s website
to try and connect with a small group it took over a week to hear back from anyone and there
wanst anyone from the church connecting with us to see how our first small group experience
with the church went. Small groups are one of the best ways for people to exercise spiritually and
to focus their attention on Christ and more importance needs to be placed on it. “the goal of
spiritual formation is transformation into the image of Jesus. The point of practicing a spiritual
discipline is to position yourself so the Holy Spirit can transform you. Practicing the disciplines
is not an end it itself. The goal is Christlikeness. The disciplines are merely a means to the end.”6.
Crosspoint needs to improve it’s ability to connect people with one another and to connect them
to the mission of the church.
Bibliography
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Discipleship. Vol. 4. Minneapolis, MN: Fortresser Press, n.d.
Dempsey, Rod, and Dave Earley. Spiritual Formation Is. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018
Dempsey, Rod, and Dave Earley. Disciple Making Is. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2018
Mathis, David. “True Leadership Is Sacrifice, Not Privilege.” Desiring God, Last modified June
4, 2019. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/true-leadership-is-sacrifice-not-privilege.
6 Rod Dempsey and Dave Earley. Spiritual Formation Is p.85
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