Leadership that Inspires

To do anything out of the ordinary, people need to be inspired. Whether it’s to write a poem, climb a mountain or call an old friend, someone or something has to serve as a catalyst. Inspiration has been overlooked in Christian leadership because it seems too emotional, too shallow—lacking theological weight. But the truth is, much of the New Testament is just plain inspiring.

Written to a community of suffering Christians, in a century of persecution and religious confusion, the New Testament is forged in the fire of unusual circumstances. Each writer asserts a magnificent vision of the people of God taking their place alongside the Son of God to set up the kingdom of God. As we read it, we see our lives as something greater than what they appear to be. We see the glory of God, the evangelization of the world and our ultimate victory over hell, sin and death. If you stop to really think about it, it takes your breath away.

Certainly, there is more to Christian leadership than inspiration, but not less. Inspiration is not the content but rather the character of leading in the kingdom of God. For this reason, we should take a closer look at what it takes to inspire people to live for Jesus, what that inspiration can accomplish, and how we can integrate it more fully into our ministries.

Concentrating on the Truth
In Romans, Paul writes, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:17-18). Wow. Is Paul just exaggerating for effect? Are we really co-heirs? Will our suffering really be swallowed up in glory?

When one is given the task of talking about heaven, or the glory of God, or the righteousness of Christ or the weight of sin, is it really possible to exaggerate? Can we ever hold in our minds the infinite, unfathomable depths of, say, the love of God? If I am moved by some metaphor or story or combination of words and it generates awe or amazement at something that is too wonderful for words, am I not merely coming closer to the truth? If I am talking about the grace of God, if my emotions are engaged in such a way that I am overwhelmed with amazement, am I not in that moment truly sane? Aren’t all of the other moments of ambivalence or intellectual assent less real, less true? We have a responsibility to share the truth with fellow students and faculty—but it is truth that would stop their hearts with delight if they could really take it in all at once.

Any attempt to inspire our audience with the greatness of God, the darkness of sin, or the awesome task of co-laboring with God in the kingdom is an attempt to shed light on what really is. You cannot exaggerate what is beyond the scope of words or human dreams. So go for it. Certainly some so-called inspirational speeches are hollow and full of flattery, mostly because they rest on the potential of human beings, drawing on a bankrupt account of human goodness. However, if the character of God and his kingdom is the central theme of your attempt to inspire (which is the case for Christian leadership) then those things cannot be overstated. For that reason we ought to love the truth enough to blow it into proportion for the sake of all who are listening.

Expanding our Perspective
Ninety percent of leadership is about helping people see things differently. Leading is an exercise in changing perspective. Most of what we do as leaders is draw on what people already know in order to show it to them from a different angle.

After the rich young ruler went away saddened because he could not see his own moral poverty, the disciples mused, “Who then can be saved?” They thought giving all one has to the poor was a big request, a big risk. This, of course, is what they had already done. But what did it all mean? They were worried about the choices they had made. Was it really worth it? If a freshman gets a B instead of an A or loses time because he or she responded to God’s call and chose to lead a Bible study, what does that mean? Is it a loss never to be regained? Jesus replies, ”I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:28-29).

Now that’s inspiring. It makes you want to give more for Jesus’ sake. For a hundredfold return . . . in this life? Gladly. This is not just hype—it is truth from Jesus’ lips. But it is also very inspiring to anyone who has given up mother or father for his sake (as some students have). Jesus helps expand the view of the sacrifice from the immediate cost to the value it has in the kingdom, in this way Jesus leads through inspiration. Concentrating on truth and then being willing to shift our perspective to the big picture (eternity and the sovereignty and economy of God) are two crucial elements to inspiring the people we lead.

Communicating Faith
Try an exercise in inspirational leadership sometime. Take something that you know is true (a promise or affirmation in scripture) such as, “You are forgiven” or “You are God’s beloved” or “You don’t need to be afraid,” and just look someone in the eyes and tell them. Tell them like you really mean it. Don’t offer disclaimers or crowd it out with lots of other words. Just let the truth riddle their heart.

If we believe that this is a greater reality than the one that we see—if we can expand our perspective and learn to be in awe of the God we serve and the cause we are a part of—then we can begin to communicate faith. People will begin to believe because we do. Often our leadership is boring because we do not really believe in the bigness of the story, the ultimate nature of the choices we make and the part they play in the great story of God and this world. We are partners with God and players in the great unfolding of history; if we understate this, we cripple the mechanism of faith. Faith is believing in things hoped for; that is why we inspire. We do it to generate belief in something that is not seen but that we dare to hope is true.

Getting Personal
A part of why the exercise above will work is because it is personal. People are inspired by incarnation, not by proclamations made from ivory towers. I want to know if my leader is right there in the fight with me, seeing the things I see and still believing that we will win. Inspiring people is not simply expressing cold, calculated truth. Rather, it is a burning in the heart that warms the words that flow from it. We care about what we are saying, putting our own lives on the line, acting as though our own words are true, so that if they lose we lose. Inspiration should be done in a way that communicates directly, one heart to another.

Inspiring to Act
I am convinced that the Holy Spirit will empower this kind of leadership because he is always looking to inspire faithful action. By its nature, leadership is a call to do something, often different from what a person is already doing.

Inspiration should have action as its subject. Inspiration is the tool of those who would lead people who have said yes to leadership positions and made commitments to serve and sacrifice for the kingdom. Even leaders need to be inspired, and this is something they cannot live without for long, lest they grow tired, forget why they are leading and eventually give up. Inspiration is fuel for the labor we are asked to do.

Inspired people can do anything if it means moving forward into something greater than what they’re experiencing now. It is our joy and responsibility to remind them that all they do for Jesus Christ will last.

—Brian Sanders is the divisional director for Florida. He and his wife, Monica, have five children, ranging in age from two to ten years old.