Modern Metaphors of Christian Leadership

Exploring Christian Leadership in a Contemporary Organizational Context

Joshua D. Henson

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9783030365790
• eBook ISBN:
  9783030365806
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Ethics
• Index: Business

This book explores contemporary metaphors of leadership from a biblical or church historical perspective. It seeks to understand the cultural, social, and organizational metaphors from the Bible and the implications for contemporary organizations. Addressing issues such as communication, mentorship, administration, motivation, change  management, education, and coaching, the authors explore concepts related to both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. This book will be a valuable addition to the leadership literature in showing how biblical leadership principles can be used in contemporary organizations.

© The Author(s) 2020

J. D. Henson (ed.)Modern Metaphors of Christian LeadershipChristian Faith Perspectives in Leadership and Businesshttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36580-6_1

Begin Abstract

1. Christian Leaders as Community Organizers: Utilizing the Power Above, Within, and Around Us

Guillermo G. Puppo¹

(1)

City of God Foursquare Church, Denver, CO, USA

Guillermo G. Puppo

End Abstract

In the distinction of secular theories, sociologists exclude the possibility of the interaction between the human and the divine (Miller, 2017). The result has been a concept of spirituality that neglects the divine and reduces its instrumentation to organizational results (Case, French, & Simpson, 2012). That neglects the divine and reduces its instrumentation to organizational results (Case et al., 2012).

The organizational and social life of the church was the expression of the Spirit in it (Miller, 2017). In the same way that the Spirit offered gifts and abilities to build and organize Christ’s church, the Spirit desires to work with the God-given gifts and abilities of people in the marketplace to help them organize toward God’s plan for them (Miller, 2017). Therefore, the Spirit not only can but also must be the central element for Christian leaders as community organizers in today’s world (Adedoyin, 2016).

Nehemiah as a Community Organizer

Nehemiah was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of the Persian court in the capital city of Susa (Rendtorff, 1991). When his brother Hanani visited him in the twentieth year of the king’s ruling and described the condition of his fellow Israelites, Nehemiah broke down in tears (Neh. 1:1–3, NIV). Those who survived the captivity were living in a city destroyed by fire (Patton, 2017). Nehemiah’s spirituality was central to all aspects of his life. His relationship with God filled him with compassion and a deep desire to seek God’s help. As a result, Nehemiah envisioned a new future for his nation. He leveraged his relationship with the king to be assigned as the governor of Jerusalem and begin its reconstruction. Part of his strategy included letters of recommendation that would allow him to deal with the questioning and the resistance of the enemies of his people. Nehemiah stayed focused and, by his example, encouraged others to work hard and believe God’s promises for them. Albeit he was the governor, his attitude of servanthood and solidarity inspired many and confronted others, fighting injustice and oppression among the Israelites. In many occasions, he had to adapt to challenges and circumstances swiftly, but he persisted to the end and saw the fulfillment of his dream of rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls in fifty-two days.

Nehemiah displayed many skills similar to those of today’s community organizers (Patton, 2017). Thus, had the concept of community organizing existed in the fifth century BCE, Nehemiah would have earned the title with high honors. Eight salient themes describe Nehemiah’s leadership as a community organizer: spirituality, vision, power, strategy, servanthood, role modeling, adaptability, and endurance. These eight themes were present in the life of this godly leader and are still essential elements of contemporary leadership theories such as spiritual leadership (Fry, 2003), charismatic leadership (Antonakis, 2012), servant leadership (Patterson, 2017), and transformational leadership (Tony, 2018).

The Central Role of Spirituality in Community Organizing

When he heard the news about his people, Nehemiah sat down and wept (Neh. 1); he came before God to practice many disciplines that helped him understand God’s direction. Nehemiah fasted, prayed, read God’s word, interceded for Israel, confessed personal and corporate sins, and worshiped God. The practice of the spiritual disciplines (Neh. 2) prepared Nehemiah for his conversation with the king (McNeal, 2000). By the time he met with the king, he had a deep awareness of God’s calling and favor upon him. Nehemiah was both humble and bold before the king. He asked for permission to leave, letters of recommendation, and money, all of which were granted by the king (Hoffeditz, 2005). Of all the strategies he could use, Nehemiah began his journey with prayer (Scott, 2014, p. 2).

The book of Acts shows a church that is highly responsive to the lead of the Spirit in matters of social and legal organizing (Billings, 2004). According to Clinton (1993), a leader must know God’s purposes for a group. Miller (2017) argued that humans in a meaningful relationship with the Spirit of God are the main instrument for God to accomplish his plans. To faithfully respond to God’s invitation, contemporary Christian leaders need a variety of intelligences that include emotional intelligence, spiritual intelligence, and even pastoral intelligence among others.

In the case of emotional intelligence (EI), a study conducted by Jordan, Ashkanasy, Härtel, and Hooper (2002) demonstrated a positive correlation between EI team scores and team performance (p. 209). Bar-On described the first mixed model of emotional intelligence (EI) as follows:

The ability to be aware of, to understand, and to express oneself; the ability to be aware of, to understand and relate to others; the ability to deal with strong emotions and control one’s impulses; and the ability to adapt to change and to solve problems of a personal or social nature. (McCleskey, 2014, p. 46)

Emotional intelligence provides leaders the ability to connect with their context from a sense of self-awareness. Christian leaders and organization began to respond to EI with empirical applications such as Emmons’ (2000a) spiritual intelligence (SI). Emmons (2000b) presented the core components of spiritual intelligence as: (a) the capacity to transcend the physical and material world; (b) the ability to experience heightened states of consciousness; (c) the ability to sanctify everyday experiences; (d) the ability to utilize spiritual resources to solve problems; and (e) the capacity to be virtuous (2000a; Lamb, 2008, p. 81). Spiritual intelligence connects EI with God. Graham (2006) defined pastoral intelligence (PI) as a combination of EI and SI. He combines intrapersonal aspects of spiritual intelligence with interpersonal aspects of emotional intelligence (Lamb, 2008). Therefore, while emotional intelligence conne...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Christian Leaders as Community Organizers: Utilizing the Power Above, Within, and Around Us
• 2. Christian Leaders as Agents of Change: A Biblical Perspective with Practical Implications
• 3. Christian Leaders as Administrators: Exemplifying Leadership as an Outgrowth of Collaboration
• 4. Christian Leaders as Motivators: Prophetic Vision in Leaders
• 5. Christian Leaders as Managers: Facilitating Extraordinary Outcomes Through Stewardship
• 6. Christian Leaders as Servants: Accept the Opportunity
• 7. Christian Leaders as Artists: A Three-Ring Cord of Creativity, Imagination and Innovation
• 8. Christian Leaders as Coaches: Unlocking Potential Through Prophetic Relationships
• 9. Christian Leaders as Ambassadors: Esther as a Representative of Two Kingdoms
• 10. Christian Leaders as Educators: Leading a Culture of Learning and Innovation
• 11. Christian Leaders as Pioneers: Compassion Gives Pioneering Leaders Their Invaluable Edge
• 12. Christian Leaders as Crisis Managers: Leading When the Going Gets Tough
• 13. Christian Leaders as Missionaries: Twenty-First-Century Application of a First-Century Mission
• 14. Christian Leaders as Storytellers: C. S. Lewis, God’s Master Storyteller
• 15. Christian Leaders as Mentors: The Challenge of Emerging Leaders
• 16. Christian Leaders as Role Models: The Life of Job as an Authentic Leader
• 17. Christian Leaders as Imitators: Jesus as the Ultimate Example of Leadership
• Back Matter