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Managing a group that is made up of mostly non-Christians is usually very challenging. This is so because their views of how things should be run are very different from the Christian perspective and thus make leadership with God in mind a very tricky business.
As the President of the Overseas Students’ Association, I chair a committee that is ten members strong, with a mandate to cater to the needs of international students here in the University of York. The Association exists mainly to provide overseas students with activities such as trips and parties to allow them to socialise with each other. We also do large scale events like the Fiesta that we open to both overseas and local students, which we hope will allow our members to get to know more local students.
Leading an organisation of such a nature is usually very complex and delicate, and is more complex with different expectations and ideals that are sometimes contrary to Christian beliefs. In such a situation, I have always taken comfort in the examples I find in Moses and Daniel. They are two Old Testament figures that I can relate to, as the problems that they faced then are the very same ones that many other Christian leaders, and I, face today.
As Christians, we are constantly under pressure to deliver the goods and usually there is a higher expectation for Christian leaders to ‘do the job better’. Dissent within the group you are leading is not uncommon and Old Testament heroes like Moses and Daniel were frequently attacked from within the groups that they were leading. For example, Moses was frequently treated quite unreasonably by his fellow Israelites, and Daniel frequently had to put up with power plays from people who resented his leadership in the Babylonian Court. Christian leadership under these circumstances is very trying and more often than not, God is sacrificed for a convenient truce between the opposing views and your own Christian beliefs. This is done mainly out of cowardice and fear, and I must confess that I am sometimes guilty of that.
However, the point that I am trying to make is that the above should not have to be the case. In fact, the Bible has many vivid examples of how leaders of God are expected to lead and to be firm on doing His will. Take Moses for example. In Exodus we read that he had the courage to stand up to the Pharaoh, a man who could have his life with one word. Yet Moses stood firm, sure and steadfast to God’s will, and insisted that the Pharaoh free his fellow Jews. Daniel is another Christian leader who comes to mind: he possessed great leadership skills and courage when he was serving as leader in the Babylonian Court during his time in exile. He did what he had to do and when things came to a crunch (as a result of jealous colleagues trying to make life as difficult as possible for Daniel), he chose to stick to his principles and beliefs rather than to compromise.
The answer to our dilemma is often painfully simple: it is surrendering to God. All Christians, and especially Christian leaders, have to learn and cultivate the discipline to listen to and trust God. To keep asking God what He wants us to do and what is pleasing to Him. To cultivate patience for the answers that might not usually come very quickly. One thing I find particularly useful when I am stuck, or confused, or unsure of an issue with no clear-cut answer, is to ask for prayer. I find that, as Christians, our most valuable weapon is prayer. Paul in Ephesians asked us to “pray at all times” and I find that to be very sound advice. I believe that with a good prayer life and being close to God, Christians everywhere can enjoy a very fruitful time when they are in leadership positions.
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Last modified: 25th November 2005