Leadership and Scripture Assessment Week 6 2
Leadership and Scripture Assessment: Vision/Mission Statement Assignment
The debate concerning leadership being a skill that can be learned or a trait that one is
born with has caught the attention of many. Leadership is now studied and taught by many. As
Christians we are taught through the bible to study the life of Jesus (King James Bible, 2012, 1
Peter 2:21-25) to understand God’s intention for his children. It is because of the birth, life,
death, and ultimately his resurrection that the believer has access to the Heavenly Father. It is
because of this that we study the greatest leader that ever lived because he has led more people to
eternal hope after his time on Earth than any other ever will.
Simeon Sinek in a book he wrote said “start with why” (Sinek, 2011). Understanding
why an individual as a leader is leading is crucial to the success of their leadership. The “why” is
that person’s purpose. In Mark 10:45 Jesus shares with his disciples his purpose (King James
Bible, 2012). His purpose was to minister and give his life as a ransom. Leaders should be clear
about their purpose so they can have a clear plan to fulfill it. Jesus told his disciples several times
how he would accomplish his goal. He told them that he would be condemned to death, mocked,
scourged, spit on, killed, buried, and raised from the dead (King James Bible, 2012, Mark 10:33-
34). Leaders must ask themselves what their plan will produce.
Every leader should identify what it is that they want to accomplish. This gives them
goals to strive toward. The first verse in the book of Mark identifies Jesus as the “Son of God”
(King James Bible, 2012, Mark 1:1). By identifying him as such we are also told the goal of
Jesus. We can connect this identification to another text in the Gospel of John. God loved the
world that he gave his son to save the world (King James Bible, 2012, John 3:16-17). As
Leadership and Scripture Assessment Week 6 3
teachers we set learning targets and success criteria. By having a clear understanding of what the
teacher wants to accomplish they can develop a clear plan to do it.
What a leader values most gives insight to their true intentions (King James Bible, 2012
Matthew 6:21). It is no secret that teaching is not a profession that yields extreme wealth. It is a
service job. It comes with a lot of stress, long days, customer service and much more. Most
people do not go into it for the money. Jesus reprimanded his disciples for valuing monetary
profit over acts of service in Mark 14:3-9. Jesus valued people. He said in Mark 10:14 encourage
children to come to me do not push them away (King James Bible, 2012). Jesus was successful
because his values were not misplaced. They aligned with his purpose.
Leaders should be clear about how their purpose can benefit others. The benefit may lead
to a better quality of life for those that follow. Some leaders provide jobs and opportunities that
help meet the daily needs of their followers. Some simply restore hope and faith. Jesus said that
those that denied themselves and followed him would gain the ultimate reward of eternal life
(King Hames Bible, 2012, Mark 8:34-38). By understanding how one’s purpose can benefit
others they can also see how others can contribute to the purpose. Delegating responsibility is
essential to the reach, longevity, and success of any vision. Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs to
be an extension of his ministry (King James Bible, 2012, Mark 6:7-13). By doing so more people
benefitted from Jesus’ ministry and continue to do so. Delegating responsibility is part of
understanding how to accomplish the goals of the leader. Jesus had a clear understanding of how
to reconcile mankind to the Father through his sacrifice on the cross (King James Bible, 2012,
Mark 9:31). Without a clear plan to accomplish one’s goals it will be difficult to accomplish them
effectively.
