A Better Leader – Shared Purpose and a Mission for All

Primary Scriptures and translation

Primary biblical texts: Ephesians 4:1–16; Acts 6:1–7

Bible translation: New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE), unless otherwise indicated.

Introduction: A field where everyone waits for one farmer

Imagine a village with a large field belonging to the community. The rains have arrived and willing hands are ready. Yet the planting stalls. Why? Every worker waits for the landowner to point out where to dig, how much seed to sow, and even when to take a drink of water. Both sides have grown accustomed to the arrangement.

This is an imagined scene, but it resembles situations that can develop in a church, school, home, community organization, or business. A well-intentioned leader carries every responsibility. Eventually the leader is exhausted, other gifts fall silent, and the work stalls in their absence.

The first two articles in this series explored Good Leadership: Calling and Jesus and the loving heart of a shepherd. Here we ask a different question: How does a leader equip God's people to act together without making them dependent on the leader for everything? Scripture does not begin with a delegation technique. It begins with Christ, the head of his body.

Listening to Scripture in its setting

In Ephesians 1–3, Paul describes God's purpose to bring all things together in Christ and to bring Jews and Gentiles into one reconciled community. When Paul turns to leadership and gifts in chapter 4, therefore, he is not introducing an unrelated management seminar. His instructions belong to God's work of reconciliation.

Christ gives the church different gifts and ministries “to equip the saints for the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12, NRSVUE). The body grows as “each part is working properly” (4:16, NRSVUE). Pastors and teachers must help the whole body mature in truth and love, not do everything themselves.

Acts 6:1–7 offers a living example of a similar concern. The Jerusalem church is growing, yet widows from the Greek-speaking Jewish community are being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. The apostles gather the disciples, propose the selection of seven people of good reputation, wisdom, and the Spirit, and publicly entrust them with the responsibility. The apostles continue in prayer and the word.

The narrative neither prescribes exactly seven appointees today nor ranks feeding below preaching. The transferable principle is that a shared mission requires attention to neglected people, responsible distribution of work, and the recognition of many gifts. The word proclaimed and the meal delivered belong to the same witness to Jesus.

Purpose begins with God, not the leader's personal dream

Simon Sinek's Golden Circle invites organizations to begin with WHY—their underlying purpose—before moving to HOW they work and WHAT they do. Yet a church's deepest purpose cannot come from a founder's ambition. It must listen to the story of what God has done in Christ and what Jesus calls his people to be.

Ephesians 1:9–10 sets the larger horizon: God's purpose is to bring everything together in Christ. The church does not exist chiefly to protect its institution's name, as though the institution were the goal of history. It exists to worship God, announce the good news of Jesus, make disciples, and show—through the Spirit—signs of the life inaugurated by its King.

Sinek's three questions can serve that purpose when we place them under Scripture. WHY: We are witnesses of Jesus in our community. HOW: We teach truthfully, listen carefully, practice justice, and protect the vulnerable. WHAT: We organize worship, Bible study groups, assistance for neighbors, and leadership training. Activities can change without losing the calling.

Consider a Christian school. Its success includes more than exam results: truth, dignity, responsibility, and care matter. In business, purpose can encourage fairness to employees and customers. But a business is not a church, and we should not give every successful organizational project the name of God's kingdom.

Question for examination: If I leave tomorrow, can people explain our purpose in their own words, or can they repeat only my personal goals?

Equipping people means more than assigning tasks

John Maxwell distinguishes leadership grounded in a position from leadership that develops relationships, produces worthwhile results, and raises up other leaders. Developing people extends an organization's capacity. Ephesians 4, however, gives it a deeper direction: people are not instruments for higher output. They are members of Christ's body, recipients of grace, and participants in a shared calling.

Equipping others means teaching Scripture, forming character, offering opportunities to practice, and helping people grow in judgment. Leading public prayer is not the same as listening to grief, handling disagreement, or admitting error. And a young adult handed a microphone without preparation may appear empowered while actually being left unsupported.

Picture a teacher inviting a student to lead a classroom discussion. They prepare together; the student leads; afterwards they review what worked and what needs support. That is formation, not merely the transfer of a burden.

In a congregation, leaders can intentionally recognize and nurture gifts, including those of people who are rarely invited to the front. Elsewhere, the parallel is training, clear expectations, bounded decisions, and ongoing mentoring.

Question for examination: Who is growing because of my leadership—and who has stopped growing because I insist on making every decision?

Complaints can expose the distance between our vision and reality

In Acts 6, the number of disciples was increasing. Yet the growth did not mean everyone was being treated justly. The overlooked widows became a critical test of the community's faithfulness. Reconciliation must reach the daily meal.

A report that challenges a system is not necessarily rebellion against the mission. It may reveal people left at the margins. Leaders must ask: Who is not being heard? Who is afraid to speak? Who benefits from our decisions, and who bears their costs?

Sinek connects strong teams with an environment where people can admit mistakes or ask for support without humiliation or retaliation. The church also needs fair reporting and safeguarding procedures. A report of abuse must never be silenced in the name of unity. Where appropriate, ensure immediate safety, document concerns, use independent reporting channels, and involve the proper authorities under applicable law.

Forgiveness differs from reconciliation, which requires truth and accountability. Trust takes time to rebuild; an apology does not guarantee reinstatement. A community that calls Jesus Lord cannot treat a harmed person as an acceptable cost of preserving the ministry's reputation.

Question for examination: When someone says our system has hurt them, what happens first—safe listening or a defense of our name?

Christian influence points people to Christ rather than binding them to a personality

Maxwell treats influence as central to leadership. But influence is not automatically good. It can teach truth or encourage unhealthy dependence.

Paul gives us a test in Ephesians 4:14–15. Growth means no longer being vulnerable to manipulation and learning to speak truth in love. A Christian leader should not be pleased when people cannot distinguish the leader's voice from the voice of Christ. The goal is to teach people to test teaching against Scripture, seek wise counsel, and ask sincere questions without fear of punishment.

Imagine a youth group with a remarkably gifted speaker. No one dares to disagree. Meetings may be crowded while genuine maturity remains thin. By inviting young people to study Scripture, prepare lessons, and question assumptions, the leader makes influence a bridge rather than a fence.

This does not abolish authority. It means authority is exercised with transparency, appropriate boundaries, and accountability. In business or public service, the equivalent is fair decision-making and safe channels for feedback. In the church, the ultimate question is sharper still: Are people growing into Christ, who is the head?

Question for examination: Could people follow Jesus faithfully when I am absent, or have I trained them only to follow me?

Measure today's work in the light of new creation

In his discussion of new creation, N. T. Wright reads Ephesians as a call for the church, in its unity and holiness, to become a sign of the life Jesus has inaugurated through the power of the Spirit. His resurrection calls forth witness and service now. That is the theological claim Wright develops. The leadership application offered here is my own: assess our work by whether people are strengthened, truth is honored, and justice is practiced.

Sinek's infinite mindset asks leaders to look beyond the next short-term victory and consider the people who will inherit the work. The analogy has limits. God's kingdom is not an organization trying to survive indefinitely. Christian hope rests on Jesus' resurrection and God's promise to renew creation, not on the uninterrupted existence of a logo, a building, or the founder's legacy.

So a church that gains members, income, or property should not announce that God's kingdom has reached completion. The reign of God has entered history through Jesus, yet its fullness awaits God's final renewal. Christians live between Christ's resurrection and the promised day when creation is set right (Romans 8:18–25; Revelation 21:1–5).

Ask more than attendance: Are disciples learning the gospel and living it? Are neglected people heard? Are families, neighbors, and colleagues experiencing truth, mercy, and justice? Are new leaders being formed without exhausting those who have served longer? Are financial decisions transparent and open to review?

Question for examination: When someone reads our records five years from now, will they see only an expanding institution or also flourishing people?

A difficult question: Won't shared leadership create confusion?

Not everyone is ready for every responsibility, and churches need accountable pastors and teachers. Even in Acts 6, the apostles gave direction, the wider community participated in selection, and those chosen received a public commission. Participation did not mean the absence of order.

Boundaries become harmful when they silence gifts or hide misconduct. A leader can establish training standards, supervision, and evaluation without manufacturing fear. A person may also need to step away from a role when safety or trust has been compromised, provided the process is fair and the reasons are handled responsibly.

Delegation must not overburden others. Moses learned to accept help (Exodus 18:13–23). Leaders, too, need rest, counsel, support, and relationships in which they do not have to perform strength. Exhaustion is not proof of weak faith. Grace strengthens our faithfulness; it does not remove our human limits.

Life Application

1. State the purpose in one sentence. Root a church's purpose in Jesus' call, not the founder's popularity. In nonchurch institutions, articulate service to people and ethical obligations without pretending the institution is the church.
2. Map overlooked gifts. Identify five people whose abilities are underused, and ask what training or support would help them contribute.
3. Delegate responsibility with authority and support. Clarify what decisions someone can make, when to seek advice, and how progress will be reviewed.
4. Create a safe route for concerns. Protect people from retaliation and provide an independent route when leaders themselves are implicated.
5. Measure more than numbers. Include safety, participation, discipleship, financial integrity, and the experience of vulnerable people in regular reviews.
6. Prepare successors. Ensure each essential role has a developing colleague, accessible records, and room for honest questions.
7. Protect prayer, study, family life, and rest. Never make frantic busyness the measure of someone's worth before God.

A weekly exercise: Moving from “me” to “we”

Goal: Remove one unnecessary barrier that prevents someone else from participating responsibly in the mission.

1. Day one: Read Ephesians 4:11–16 and Acts 6:1–7. Write down one task that must currently pass through you without a compelling reason.
2. Day two: Speak with two people affected by that task. Ask what they need and what has prevented them from participating. Listen without rushing to defend yourself.
3. Day three: Choose someone suitably prepared. Agree on a manageable task, its boundaries, and the support available. Do not assign work requiring expertise the person does not yet have.
4. Days four to six: Let the person act. Request appropriate updates, but do not retake every decision. Invite a trusted learning partner to help you notice controlling habits.
5. Day seven: Review together: Who gained a voice? Who was heard? What protected quality and safety? What change should become permanent?

Measure of learning: Success is not merely that your workload shrank. It is that another person grew in ability and agency while receiving appropriate care and support.

Reflection and Discussion Questions

1. Why does Paul connect leadership gifts to the maturity of the whole body rather than the status of its leaders?
2. What does Acts 6 teach us about hearing complaints from people easily overlooked?
3. How is a church's purpose under Christ different from a founder's personal vision?
4. At what point does healthy influence turn into dependency or control?
5. What decision in your family, school, business, or community could be shared without abandoning accountability?
6. Can those we lead speak truth and report harm through a genuinely safe process?
7. Which of our usual measures might hide spiritual immaturity or wounded people?
8. Whom will I help move one step from passive observer to capable participant this week?

Conclusion: The field flourishes through many hands

Return to the field in our opening scene. Planting requires people who know their purpose, use their gifts, ask for help, and work together. A wise landowner is not proud that every hoe waits for his command. He rejoices when workers flourish.

The church is not a monument to one personality. It is Christ's body, joined to its risen head and made alive by the Spirit. We believe the good news of the King; we become people shaped by his truth and love; then we go out to bless others. Believe. Become. Bless.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the head of your church. Heal our desire to control everything. Give us the humility to listen, wisdom to equip others, courage to do what is right, and grace to depend on your Spirit. Let your people grow, and let the world glimpse the goodness of your kingdom. Amen.

Bridge to the next article: Making room for others is a beginning. But how can they use that room if they are afraid to tell the truth? Next we will explore A Better Leader – Trust That Makes Room for Truth.

Sources

1. The Bible, New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE): Ephesians 4:1–6, 11–16; Acts 6:1–7. See also Ephesians 1–3, Romans 8:18–25, Revelation 21:1–5, and Exodus 18:13–23.
2. N. T. Wright, “Beginning to Think About the New Creation”, N. T. Wright Online. The application to leadership measures is an inference offered in this article, not a quotation from Wright.
3. John C. Maxwell, “The 5 Levels of Leadership”, August 30, 2016.
4. Simon Sinek, “The Golden Circle”, The Optimism Company.
5. Simon Sinek, “The Infinite Game” and “Simon’s Top Tips for How to Build Trusting Teams”, The Optimism Company.
6. Maisha Kamili, Good Leadership: A Shepherd’s Heart, and Good Leadership: Calling and Jesus.