Although childhood experiences, physical strength, failure, successes and even birth order can impact general leadership abilities, there is an added dimension to the personal growth of a spiritual leader not found in secular leadership development. That is the active work of the Holy Spirit…Without the Spirit’s presence, people may be leaders, but they are not spiritual leaders.
Blackaby, Henry & Richard Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership.
The following is an excerpt from the pastor’s preparation from lesson three of RE Cohort as they seek to apply Biblical Truth and Wisdom in their unique context. We offer it to pastors and leaders to facilitate a devotional conversation to encourage and equip them to lead well. We recommend pastors invite a peer to join them in working through the exercise before joining them to share their responses with one another.
Moses was called to lead God’s people to a place they had never been before. The task wouldn’t be easy due to both external and internal challenges, but he wouldn’t be leading in isolation for both God and Aaron were with him. Pastoral leadership today is tremendously challenging and even more so for churches in need of revitalization. But God is always at work among His people, so let’s reflect on a couple of passages and trust God will prepare you for the task at hand.
Read Exodus Chapters 3-7 & 18
o  Based on your reading, what 4 words would you use to describe Moses’ leadership? Briefly explain why you chose these words.
o  What challenges did he face? How did he overcome them?
o  How did God demonstrate His faithfulness to Moses?
o  What leadership characteristics or insights did you glean from these chapters?
The stories of Biblical leaders are preserved by God for our benefit as we seek to lead others to accomplish God’s mission today in communities that need the hope of the gospel. Take a few minutes to apply what you read as you answer the following questions about your opportunities to lead today.
o What similarities exist between your current context seeking to lead God’s people today and Moses’ context?
o  What 1 or 2 things have you learned about leading God’s people as you reflect on these passages?
o How have these passages challenged or encouraged you as a leader of God’s people?
o  What next steps for continued leadership development have you identified during your reflection time?
Every leader has God-given strengths that he can leverage for leading himself and others to accomplish God’s mission. We invite you to consider how God can use you to revive the voice of God’s church so that your community and ultimately the world will hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
If the world is to hear the church’s voice today, leaders are needed who are authoritative, spiritual, and sacrificial.
J. Oswald Chambers, Spiritual Leadership: Principles for Excellence for Every Believer
