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A couple weeks ago I was a guest lecturer for a course on the Holy Spirit at Carey Graduate School in Auckland, New Zealand. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the pleasure of travelling there, but I did join the class via Skype. The professor invited me to share on the topic of the Holy Spirit and Leadership.

I wasn’t immediately sure of what to talk about. If you’ve read many books on the Holy Spirit, you will know that they don’t include chapters on leadership. Likewise, as Carmen Kampman notes, books on leadership generally have little to say about the Holy Spirit.

So, I set my mind to thinking about where in the Bible the Holy Spirit is related to leadership. I thought of people like Moses, Joshua, the Judges, Saul, and David, all of whom the Bible describes as having the Spirit upon them and all of whom served as leaders in the nation of Israel. In the New Testament, I thought of the apostles, Stephen, and, of course, Jesus.

As I reflected on people like these, here are some observations I made:

1. You can be a leader without the Holy Spirit

When Moses needed help with providing leadership, God told him, “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people” (Numbers 11:16). Note, they were already leaders, but God “put the Spirit on them” so they could help Moses “carry the burden of the people” and he would “not have to carry it alone” (verse 17).

2. Typically, the Spirit doesn’t come and go from leaders

This is true of these new leaders in Israel, as well as Moses, of whom God said, “I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them” (Numbers 11:17). We can say the same thing of King David.

3. The Spirit empowers leaders to deal with mundane matters

Spirit-empowered leadership isn’t always flashy. The new leaders of Israel were empowered by God to look after the daily needs of the people. Likewise, in the New Testament, Stephen was chosen as a Spirit-filled leader who would help look after the needs of widows (Acts 6:1).

“ Spirit-empowered leadership isn’t always flashy.

4. The Church looked for leaders who were full of the Spirit

With respect to Stephen, when the apostles were looking for people to look after the widows, they specifically looked for people who were “full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3). And Acts explicitly informs us that Stephen was “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (verse 5).

5. Leadership can be a gift of the Holy Spirit

For Pentecostals and Charismatics, the gift leadership may not have quite the same allure as the gift of miracles or speaking in tongues, but the apostle Paul lists leadership in a list of gifts right alongside, for example, prophesy (Romans 12:6-8, see also 1 Corinthians 12:28 in the NRSV or NLT). This of course means that leaders are to act for the well-being of others, since the gifts of the Spirit are “given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

This observation doesn’t mean that only those who have the gift of leadership can lead. Instead, just as the Spirit of God can use any Christian to teach or to give, there are some who have the gift of teaching or giving (Romans 12:6-8). In the same way, the Spirit can use any Christian to lead, but God gives the gift of leadership to some specific Christians.

6. Spirit-empowered leadership is servant leadership

Jesus was a leader empowered by the Spirit, and he exemplifies servant leadership. Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). This should help keep leaders from becoming self-absorbed. And as Paul Tillich observes, the Spirit “fights against the ambiguities of power and prestige.”[1]

7. The Holy Spirit shapes the character of leaders

Though not unique to leadership, this is also integral to leadership. On this point, José Comblin observes of his Latin American context, “in the Christian communities, leaders emerge who cannot be either intimidated or bought.”[2]

What does it look like on the ground?

While I had prepared all of these biblical and theological reflections, when it actually came time to discuss the topic in class, one student piped up right at the very beginning and asked, “So what the heck does the Holy Spirit and leadership look like on the ground?”

My answer is that it can look very different in different contexts. Not every Spirit empowered-leader will look the same way, because the Spirit does not shape every leader in the same way. Some leaders will be very exuberant, others will be quieter in their leadership. And the Spirit will enable leaders for the specific tasks to which God calls them in their own unique situations.

Finally, and perhaps most important for those influenced by the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement, we shouldn’t expect that it will always be obvious if the Spirit is at work in a leader. Or at least, we shouldn’t expect it always to be obvious in the same way that it is obvious if a person speaks in tongues or not. Instead, we might observe the discreet presence in the Spirit in a leader. We might, for example, be like Pharaoh, who recognized Joseph as one “in whom is the Spirit of God” because Joseph was “so discerning and wise” (Genesis 41:38-39 ESV).

“ We shouldn’t expect that it will always be obvious if the Spirit is at work in a leader.

If you want to look further into the matter, I recommend the book Spiritual Leadership by David Huffstutler. I found it shortly before I went online with the class—where was this book when I went looking in the past?!

You might also be interested in these posts:

• 3 Lessons and Questions from my Visit to a Tourist Church
• Pentecostal-Charismatic Theology of Worship
• On Training Competent Pastors: A Professor’s Perspective

Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit (forthcoming) as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

Endnotes

[1] Tillich, Systematic Theology, vol 3, 207.

[2] Comblin, The Holy Spirit and Liberation, 24.

The post The Holy Spirit and Leadership: 7 Biblical and Theological Observations appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

Guest Post by Carmen Kampman

I searched high and low in my book collections to find a book that was specifically focused on the Holy Spirit and leadership. Embarrassingly, I found none. (If you know of one, please comment below.)

It is not to say that no authors touch on the topic in Christian leadership books, I am merely pointing out that I could not find a book that’s single focus was on how the Holy Spirit and leadership were linked.

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. (Luke 4:1a)

When Jesus arose from the waters of baptism he was not full of himself, he was full of the Holy Spirit. And from the murky waters of the Jordan River, to the Spirit leading him into the wilderness where he was tested for 40 days, to his return to Galilee, we find our Saviour “filled with the Holy Spirit’s power.” (Luke 4:14).

From that moment forward, Jesus was filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

As leaders, we are often told that we need to “lead like Jesus,” we need “to behave like Jesus.” But here is a sobering truth: If you do not have and are not filled with the Holy Spirit’s power you cannot, you will not, give leadership like Jesus did.

“ If you’re not filled with the Holy Spirit’s power, you will not give leadership like Jesus did. —CARMEN KAMPMAN

Here are two critical areas in my life where leading with the Holy Spirit matters.

1. Communication in Leadership

Leadership is about influencing people and some, like Jenni Catron, would say that “leadership rises and falls on communication.” Leaders need to know how to speak with people in a variety of contexts and in a variety of ways. Sometimes conversations are one-on-one; other times they are in larger groups.

“ Leadership rises and falls on communication. —JENNI CATRON

Learning to communicate well has been one of my steepest learning curves. Why? Because I am a developer personality. A mover. A gap seer and closer. A driver towards excellence and positive outcomes. And I am a quick processor.

Imagine my shock when I realized the world is not all like me! That not everyone processes in exactly the same way I do!

To affect positive change, Spirit-led, Spirit-empowered communication matters and almost daily, I find myself asking the Holy Spirit to help me in communicating as a leader. In this area of my life, answered prayers abound.

For the last number of years, the Holy Spirit has been showing me how others are wired, how others need to be engaged in conversation and choices, how others need time and the ways in which they need information presented to them.

2. Leading as a Parent

My husband, Albert, and I have been married for over 26 years, and we have six children. Each of our children are image-bearers of God in unique ways and God has entrusted the responsibility of leadership in their lives to Albert and I. (Yes, there are times I have seriously questioned God’s judgement in that!)

I am an extreme extrovert and one of our children is an extreme introvert. There was a season in parenting where I felt completely defeated and lacking in wisdom and tools for how to lead (be the parent) in this relationship where we had very different personalities.

What did I do? I asked the Holy Spirit to empower me, for wisdom to flow through me, and for the Holy Spirit to shape me as a mom and a leader.

What came as a result of that prayer was this: Creative ways to communicate and having meaningful conversation with my daughter, the realization that she needed a space to call her own and to retreat to (we created this together), and the ability for me to model a Spirit-empowered way of leading in my own home.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, help me to understand that I lead with you, not apart from you. Fill me afresh today. Empower me today to lead like Jesus. Amen.

Carmen Kampman is a passionate and inspiring speaker and leader. She is a licensed minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and the Executive Director of Advancement at Horizon College and Seminary. Carmen seeks to help others encounter Christ, develop their God-given gifts, grow their leadership skills, and develop their confidence in knowing God’s voice and keeping in step with the Spirit. Check out Carmen’s blog at www.carmenkampman.com.

You might also be interested in the blog series, “Questions People Ask about the Holy Spirit” (#HSQuestions).

The post One Key Emphasis Missing from ALL my Leadership Books appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.

By C. Tracy Reynolds

Secret Sauce

After nearly forty years of marriage to my sweet bride, it occurs to me that part of our secret is our uniqueness. You might say our secret sauce is the weirdness we bring to the relationship. Those things that once drove me crazy about her (though they still mildly irritate me at times!) are fond reminders of what makes her different from all the rest and uniquely special to me. Our differences make us distinctive.

Photo Credit: Jack Randall Photography (used with permission)

In 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul celebrates our differences and urges us to lean into the distinctive grace God has deposited into each of us: “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.” While God does use each of us to “rub off the rough edges” and slowly shape us into greater conformity to the character of Jesus, He also gives us the power to trust our differences and become more of who He has uniquely created us to be.

Could it be that those seemingly annoying irritants are, in fact, gifts to be fanned and opportunities for mutual growth and benefit?

Spirit-Empowered Marriage

Spirit-empowered marriage increasingly accepts difference as strength rather than weakness. Many of the quirks and nuances of our distinct personalities are the very things that make us delightfully different as a couple. I am merely suggesting that those points of variety are gifts to be celebrated rather than projects to be completed or problems to be solved.

“ Spirit-empowered marriage increasingly accepts difference as strength rather than weakness. —TRACY REYNOLDS

The flip side of uniqueness, however, lies in the ongoing opportunity to step into the voids and weaknesses of our marriage partner as a means of completing them rather than competing with them. The “power, love, and self-discipline” Paul mentions (2 Timothy 1:7) form a triple threat means of serving our beloved spouse.

What it Looks Like

Rather than getting angry when I trip over the shoes she left on the stairs or the empty toilet paper roll discovered in the middle of the night, the Holy Spirit gives me the capacity to lovingly pick up the shoes and change the toilet roll…while giggling to myself and privately rolling my eyes, of course.

Spirit-empowered marriage trusts the still small voice leading me to defer rather than demand. To serve rather than expect better service. To assume responsibility rather than pass the buck. To try to understand the perspective of the other rather than piously digging into my own and assuming it superior.

Maybe part of God’s gift to our marriage are those things that set us apart from each other and make us uniquely “us” as a couple and as a family. And, maybe, part of what gives us the competitive edge as a Spirit-empowered couple is the awesome capacity to serve the other through their weakness until it becomes a unified strength in us both.

C. TRACY REYNOLDS serves as Dean of the School of Christian Ministries and VP for Student Development at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia, and as Assimilations Pastor at Grace Fellowship near Athens, Georgia. He is married to Lisa, and they have two children, and two grandchildren. You can follow him on twitter @ctracyreynolds.

You might also be interested in the blog series, “Questions People Ask about the Holy Spirit” (#HSQuestions).

The post Finding the Holy Spirit in Marriage appeared first on Andrew K. Gabriel.