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The All New Christian Leaders

Answer the question: ‘Whose leadership has inspired you?’

Blair Hunwick of Christis

“Whose leadership has inspired you?” I’m not sure I can answer this question as I don’t remember ever identifying with any leaders! I can empathise with Moses, who didn’t know what to do or what words to say and needed to rely on God and other people, but that’s as far as it goes.

Hilary Dalwood of MethAng

One man I have found a real inspiration is a Church Army worker who was placed in a church near me. Not only was he always hardworking, humble and always focussed on the aim of his work — to serve God, he also put up with a lot of stick from his Vicar who resented his presence. Despite the problems and discouragement he faced he was never bitter, just all the more determined to achieve as much as he could in the time he had. Very cool bloke.

Phil Maltby & Kay Nuttall of the Christian Union

Well, forgive us for being completely unoriginal, but it has to be Christ. We don’t doubt that there have been many exceptional leaders through time (people like Martin Luther King) but they have only been imitators. It took God to send His Son to earth to demonstrate how it should be done and sadly though ‘He came to that which was his own, … his own did not receive him’ John1v11. Few of us have seen the light, even fewer have responded to it and no-one can understand it. Yet here is leadership re-defined in the life of one man. And what a re-definition and an impact it has had on millions of lives. ‘This is my command: Love each other’ John15v17. Not a call to arms, not a seductive coercion or a despotic display of power but a simple request that we, as followers of Christ should heed. A servant King. Whoever heard of one of those? It was a radical leader who chose to lead in such a paradoxical way. Our aim, our passion, our delight must be to walk as Jesus walked. We as Christians leaders do not claim the glory for ourselves as worldly leaders are apt to do but: ‘… to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine … TO HIM be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.’ Eph 3vv20-21. We follow Christ and we endeavour to give him glory. Who or what could be more inspirational than that?

Kate Hodgson of CASSOC

An influence on the way I approach leadership has been Nelson Mandela. Despite being imprisoned for many years, on his release and subsequent Presidency, rather than attempting to ‘beat’ his opponents he sought ways of including and reassuring them. This has shown me that a leader is someone who, whilst proposing and defending their own views, tries also to understand where other people are coming from, and if possible to include them.

Last modified: 25th November 2005