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Ministers Network Canada

In becoming more like Jesus, the Spirit produces and we participate. The wind blows; we raise the sail.

We are going to use two title descriptions, a towel/servant leader or a title/positional leader. Let us be clear. A towel posture doesn’t mean having no boundaries, no authority, or no voice. Jesus served from security in who He was, not from a need to be needed.

Serving that leaves no room to rest, say no, or raise up others can be its own form of people-pleasing. Secondly, in many cultures, using honouring titles is an expression of respect, not status-seeking. Having a title isn’t the problem, and honouring the titles of others can be a beautiful form of respect. The question is what your leadership rests on: the position, or the person Jesus is forming in you.

From the book of Acts, after the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit, we’ll look at four tests every Christian leader faces in leading like Jesus. 

Two qualifications:

  • The tests are sometimes sequential, but not always. 
  • You can face more than one in the same season.
  • There is no neutral space. In the life of a leader, all space is contested space.

Why this matters:

  • 4 in 10 Christian leaders finish well. (Dr. J. Robert Clinton)
  • 1 in 40 who enter vocational ministry retire from vocational ministry. (Peter DeHaan)
  • The average person loses 7 significant relationships in a lifetime. The average minister loses 5–7 every year.

Acts paints a startlingly different picture of resilient leaders who finish their course.

We believe God desires every leader to be a wholehearted leader.

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Wholehearted Leadership Defined

Wholehearted leaders steward well all that God has entrusted to them. They use their time, gifts, and treasure to serve others, with an unwavering commitment to God’s purposes above their own. For a wholehearted leader, the towel matters more than the title.

Workshop Downloads

Workshop Talk

The research is sobering: only four in ten leaders finish well. So how do you start well, stay well, and end well, in the Spirit? Wholehearted leadership holds two truths at once. The Holy Spirit has gifted you to lead for His Kingdom purposes, and sin is crouching at your door, desiring to master you (Genesis 4:7). You lead in contested space. Neutral ground doesn’t exist, it never did, whether you feel it or not.

So let’s not shy away from either reality. Let’s learn to walk honestly, with the Spirit, in both. Join us in the book of Acts as we explore four tests every leader faces, and make space for the Spirit to move in your heart today.

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Assessment

This assessment is designed to reveal posture. It isn't a test to pass, and it isn't a checklist of experiences every leader should experience. Some of these questions describe situations you may never have faced: being passed over, serving under someone you struggle to respect, leading people who are working against you. That's okay. You don't need to have lived every scenario for a question to be useful. If one doesn't fit your story, think of the closest version you've experienced, or ask yourself, "If this happened tomorrow, what would rise up in me first?"

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Group Exercise/Addendum

Complete the Wholehearted Leader Assessment on your own first. In the group, share only what you’re ready to share, keep what’s shared confidential, and listen more than you fix. The goal is noticing patterns, not scoring well.

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