What Leaders Really Need
“Every leader needs someone who will ask them hard questions and who can see ahead on the path where they are heading.”
We all want to finish well, yet many in leadership do not. I recently heard an internationally known apostolic leader make an assertion that I thought was insightful. He spoke about the many godly leaders who have fallen in the last few years and how those scenarios could have been prevented. He said, “those who fell all had boards, but none of them had a relationship with a spiritual father”. He observed that boards, in themselves, do not ensure that a leader will stay on track spiritually or personally. A board certainly can help steer an organization; but it alone rarely gives a leader someone to be honest with, especially when they are in trouble. Every leader needs someone who will ask them hard questions and who can see ahead on the path where they are heading. Sometimes, we need outside help to make course corrections in our lives. This apostolic leader was making a case for having spiritual fathers in addition to a board of governance.
Obviously, boards are necessary. Often, it is a legal requirement for a church or non-profit to have one. But many leaders prefer to function without real accountability. Sometimes, boards focus on keeping the organization strong rather than taking care of the leader personally. And a board also can become a place for a leader to hide. Boards often empower leaders to do what they like as long as the metrics show that the organization is growing and finances are sound. But organizational growth is not always indicative of a healthy leader. There are many leaders who start out living godly lives, but in time they struggle when they don’t have anyone close enough to them to see into their hearts.
One of HarvestNet’s values is “Health”. We say “Healthy Leaders Create Healthy Organizations”. Organizational health and personal health both have many components. Of course, leaders can benefit by having several individuals on a board to give them perspective and advice to help them grow. But unless these members have a deep concern for the leader as a person, it can become all about organizational success, which can lead to moral failure.
When I became a leader in the Jesus Movement of the 1970’s, there were many entering ministry roles. I noticed that some who had unhealthy relationships with their earthly fathers unknowingly carried that dysfunction into their ministry. Many of these leaders were well-meaning and very talented, but since that generation’s motto was to “Question Authority”, many of them launched out on their own with no spiritual fathers to guide them. Several of these later ended up falling when success became a trap for them.
Today, our younger generation is very different. Emerging leaders want fathers to walk with them. The Bible repeatedly states what Ephesians 6 says: “Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may turn out well for you, and that you may live long on the earth.” I think this can be applied to both our earthly fathers and spiritual fathers. The Bible speaks about the church as a “family” more than a modern organization. Young leaders often start out as spiritual sons and daughters, but end up later with only formal organizational relationships. Sometimes, leaders have a fear of being controlled by those above them. But someone with a true father’s heart will release and empower a leader without manipulation or control. In this day and age where we see more and more leaders falling, we need to remember what the Bible has shown us is deeply important for thousands of years – a relationship with a spiritual father.
