What Does Godly Leadership Look Like?
by Doy Moyer
In short, it looks like the love the Lord shows. The husband is to love his wife “just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her” (Ephesians 5:25). Leadership that does not do this is not godly, but selfish. Godly leadership is not tyrannical. It is not abusive, controlling, or domineering. The standard is Christ, not their own desires.
How did Christ love the church? By giving Himself up for her. Philippians 2:3-8 shows what this means because it is what Jesus did. The godly leader (as all should) will do “nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important” than himself. In the case of a husband and wife, he will, in humility, consider his wife as more important. He won’t act out of selfish ambition or empty conceit. This is the mind of Christ, who emptied Himself for us. The godly leader will seek to do the same, emptying himself for the sake of his family whom he serves. His concern is God’s will for his family, and in this, he will stand firm.
This coincides with Peter’s point about shepherds who exercise oversight of the flock among which they serve (I Peter 5:1-5). They do not lord it over or domineer those in their trust. Notice how this passage moves into humility toward one another. Leaders will seek to be examples in all that is godly and holy, knowing that they answer to God. The judgments they make will never be seen as rising to the level of God’s revealed will, but all that they do will be done in the manner described: humbly and lovingly, they will put others first while staying true to God’s revelation.
Somewhere along the way, culture has co-opted the concepts of headship and submission to mean what Scripture does not mean. Society sees these as tyrannical, resulting in doormat-style fear and shame. In Scripture, however, headship and submission (both exercised by Jesus) are always built around love, compassion, and seeking the best for others. Men who are controlling and selfish are nowhere near what Scripture describes. Those who act that way will answer at the judgment seat of Christ. They do not compromise truth and what is right, and this requires that they don’t run roughshod over others (which compromises what is right). They will protect the flock, which will include protection from those, even from within, who are savage wolves (see Acts 20:28-32). Those with depraved ways are not to be tolerated (II Peter 2:1-3).
Scripture shows us something rather different from worldly conceptions, and when we see how it is supposed to work, it is beautiful. Really, this is a working out of the principles espoused in the two greatest commandments. With love for God, we love one another and treat one another as we would want to be treated. Leadership, whether in the home or church, that does not operate on these principles is anathema.
