The Ultimate Leadership Style

By Dr. Ambrose e. Edebe

Servant leadership, as exemplified by Jesus, is what every Christian leader is called to. This ultimate leadership style is one of humility and self-sacrifice.

You are a leader. Whether the venue is your church, a civic organization, a company, or your family, this book shows you that adopting Jesuss leadership example will transform your effectiveness. Leadership is influence, and no leader has had greater influence on the world than Jesus Christ. The lessons of his leadership style are practical, learnable skills that you can apply.

Dr. Edebe examines the leadership Jesus modeled and uncovers Christlike qualities every leader needs, such as courage, gentleness, and truthfulness. But he doesnt stop there. With Jesus as the standard, Dr. Edebe considers how to deal with temptations and pressures you confront as a leaderfacing loneliness, handling criticism, using power wisely, and passing the torch to others.

If you are in search of excellence in developing your leadership abilities, youll find no better guide than this close-up look at Jesusthe greatest leader who ever lived.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543447620

Dr. Ambrose e. Edebe

Dr. Ambrose E. Edebe, an ordained minister, served as the general secretary of the Morning Star Church, United Kingdom, from 1985 to 1995. He was also the Minister–in-Charge of the London Borough Parish of the Church from 1992 – 1995. He served as an administrative officer with the U.K. Department of Education from 1992 – 1995. After relocating to the United States from England in 1995, Dr. Edebe served at the Baltimore City Department of Social Services in Maryland, U.S.A; and retired as the District Manager in 2009. He is the president of Trinity International Theological Seminary and Trinity Professional Services, LLC. His academic accomplishment include: BS in Business Administration, MA in Leadership and Management, MBA in general business, Doctor of Ministry in theology, Ph.D in theological studies, and a Doctor of Divinity (DD).

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 by Dr. Ambrose E. Edebe, MBA, Ph.D., DD.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2017913404

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-5434-4760-6

   Softcover   978-1-5434-4761-3

   eBook   978-1-5434-4762-0

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Verses marked NIV are from The Holy Bible. New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Rev. date: 08/31/2017

Xlibris

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To my parents,

Senior Apostle Thomas Edebe and Mother of Grace (Mrs.) Esther Edebe

my wife, Josephine,

and our children,

Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth, and Samuel

and our grandchildren

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 Definition Of Leadership

Chapter 2 The Leader As Shepherd

Chapter 3 Man’s Rules Verses God’s Principles

Chapter 4 A Leader Must Be Courageous

Chapter 5 A Leader Must Be Gentle

Chapter 6 A Leader Must Be Generous

Chapter 7 A Leader Must Be Truthful

Chapter 8 A Leader Must Forgive

Chapter 9 A Leader Must Lead

Chapter 10 A Leader Must Lead By Example

Chapter 11 A Leader Has A Positive Attitude

Chapter 12 A Christian Leader Must Have Discernment

Chapter 13 A Leader Must Educate And Encourage Others

Chapter 14 A True Leader Seeks Righteousness

Chapter 15 A True Leader Has A Heart Of Servanthood

Chapter 16 It’s All About His Will/Not Our Will

Chapter 17 A True Leader Has Integrity

Chapter 18 A True Leader Will Persevere

Chapter 19 Leadership Principles

References

PREFACE

Servant Leadership, as exemplified by Jesus, is what every Christian leader is called to. This ultimate leadership style is one of humility and self-sacrifice. Paul discussed this when he wrote about the mind-set and heart attitudes we, as leaders, need to develop:

Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Just as Christ humbled Himself by taking on the form of a man – a bondservant, or a slave, no less – and gave up His life for the human race, we likewise are to humble ourselves, set aside our desires, and pour out our lives in service to others for the sake of God’s kingdom.

Matthew 23:11-12 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

To become a great leader, each of us must first become humble enough to serve others without any thought of self.

You are a leader. Whether the place is your church, a civic organization, a company, or your family, this book shows you that adopting Jesus’ leadership example will transform your effectiveness. Leadership is influence, and no leader has had greater impact on the world than Jesus Christ. The lessons of His leadership style are practical, learnable skills that you too can apply.

If you are in search of skills in developing your leadership abilities, you’ll find no better guide than this close-up look at Jesus – the greatest leader who ever lived.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I thank God Almighty, the beginning and the end of all things, for His special grace, and for giving me the strength to start and complete this book. May His name be praised!

I acknowledge the unflinching support and ceaseless prayers from my wife, Josephine, and my children – Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth and Samuel.

I would like to acknowledge the support and contributions received from several people that made this book an eventful experience.

I am confident that this book will help many leaders and aspiring leaders to follow in the leadership style of Jesus, the greatest leader who ever lived.

For this, I want to thank the publishers, Xlibris, for their diligence and for making this book a reality.

1

Definition of Leadership

A Christian leader is someone who is called by God to lead; leads with and through Christ-like character; and demonstrates the functional competencies that permit effective leadership to take place. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership.

Another definition states: The central task of leadership is influencing God’s people toward God’s purposes. George Barna, Leaders on Leadership.

Not everyone who holds a leadership position is really a leader. Some are elected by popularity while others volunteer or are asked to fill that position.

It is disappointing to find a church that is anxious about following a leader, but has no idea in what direction it’s being led. The business sector provides leadership training to its staff over and over again to train them to be the best in the positions they hold. Businesses will assess themselves from time to time to see how successful or unsuccessful they are in moving forward. If their objectives are not being realized, they will execute new plans to bring a fast transformation so that they will not be wasting time and energy down a path that is non-productive.

But for the most part, some of our churches just exist. They will journey down a course of tradition or will do the things week in and week out never initiating a plan or teaching their leaders to be the best in the positions they hold. Most anticipate or wish for different outcomes, such as church growth, without bringing the kind of training and direction the church really needs. And we cannot understand why our churches are not developing! If we want our church to develop and become a more effective outreach in the community, we must initiate a plan of action and train our leaders to become the most effective leaders they can possibly be. We should realize, it is all about the Kingdom of God!

It is especially disheartening to visit a church where God’s vision is simply ignored or not well communicated. This is not to relegate good people, we all need to be good people. But genuine leadership means having the attributes to impact and support others to become better Christians in everyday life and let that positive influence affect everyone in their communities!

The Scripture gives us all kinds of examples of leadership and how the church should be run effectively. Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 speak of unity with us having many members all working in unity. We all know the significance of unity. Although, it looks as if at times we are more caught up in seeking our own pleasures and desires rather than trying to work in unity for the Glory of God. Unity is a key element for most organizations and with the church, it is a must! The church needs to have leaders who will stress the significance of genuine unity.

The church is also led by certain people, who are called into certain roles. God gave us an excellent example in Ephesians 4:11-13, God gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. God always works through people—people who are available, teachable, and willing to fulfill His purpose.

The Bible gives us examples of various kinds of leaders: some good and some bad. So what does a good leader look like? What attributes do they have? Is a leader a natural born leader or can they learn? Let’s look at a few examples: Moses—do you think that his wife knew that he would lead the Hebrews out of the land of Egypt? Do you think that Moses did? How about Gideon—when he was hiding from the Medianites, do you think he knew he would finally lead an army to victory over these same Medianites? Do you think that Joshua knew when he was a slave in Egypt that someday he would lead the Hebrews into the land of Canaan? How about David? Was he the original choice to be the king? He was really the 8th of Jesse’s children that was brought forward. Even Jesse could not envisage that David could be qualified to serve as a leader.

All of these individuals were not aware of their prospects until they submitted themselves to God. The biggest error leaders make is: Spiritual leaders cannot lead by earthly thinking! All leaders must be Spirit-led! We must depend upon the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. While many leaders may have some God-given talent, our leadership skills and goals are not based upon our limited thinking. Leading the church is not seeking our directive and will. To be a spiritual leader, we must seek God’s will! It’s just that simple! Leaders lead. They move forward supporting and impacting