Becoming a Strong, Visionary Leader

What are the qualities of a strong Christian leader?

            This weekend (February 8 & 9), we will explore what makes a strong Christian leader.  To focus our examination, we will look at the Apostle Peter as a case-study.  Peter offers a fascinating example of leadership.  On the one hand, there are times when Peter appears to be an awful leader.  He is sometimes confused, misguided, and cowardly.  Yet, on the other hand, there are times when Peter can appear to be a great leader.  At those times, he is strong, compassionate, and visionary.

            Consider the night in which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane and then turned over to the authorities for crucifixion.  In the Garden, Peter draws his sword and cuts off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the High Priest.  Jesus rebukes Peter for this act of violent resistance, and it is clear that Peter is completely muddled and confused about Jesus’ understanding of what it means to be the Messiah.  Later that night, Peter shows incredible cowardice by denying Jesus three times.  During these times, Peter appears to be a weak, poor leader.

            Yet, at other times, Peter exhibits strong leadership.  For instance, he is the first disciple to recognize that Jesus is the true Messiah, and Jesus declares that he will be the “rock upon which I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).  Later, after Jesus ascends into Heaven, it is Peter who preaches the first sermon, and Peter is one of the first to be arrested and thrown into jail for his Christian faith.  Along with Paul and a few others, Peter has the vision to see that the Christian Gospel is not just a spiritual reform movement within Judaism, but rather is open to all who come to Christ through their faith.  At these times, Peter appears to be strong, courageous, compassionate, visionary leader.

            In my message this weekend, I will suggest that what we see in Peter is a human person who is learning and growing into becoming a strong, visionary leader.  Great leaders are not born.  Instead, they learn and grow into leadership.  Further, they lead not just with their thoughts and words, as important as that is.  They also lead by their actions and their example—just as Peter does when he is willing to be beaten and jailed for his faith.  Finally, I will suggest that Christ calls all of his followers to be leaders, sometimes.  The most important form of leadership is what we do and what we say and how we live our lives.

 

Come, join us at Meriden United Methodist Church this weekend as we explore what it means to be a strong, visionary Christian leader.  Our church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.  We have two worship services each weekend:

Ø  Our contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings.

Ø  Our classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.