Leadership Styles

Leaders have varying styles in exercising leadership duties.  In the broadest of terms, a leader can be categorized as being:

1. Dictatorial, authoritarian
2. Benevolent
3. Liaise-faire

These different leadership styles are described quite extensively in popular leadership books.  Rather than repeating the same information here, this website instead focuses on a fourth style of leadership – godly leadership – a style of leadership established by God.

God’s intended model of leadership is portrayed by a shepherd tending his sheep.  While the shepherd tending his sheep is the only leadership model required in God’s original design for His creation, mankind’s sin and rebellious nature broke the relationship between God and mankind and caused this simple model of leadership to be forfeited.  Instead of the simple model of the shepherd, God had to allow for more complicated leadership models for a more complex world resulting from a world separated from God by mankind’s rebellious nature.

Each of us, before examining secular principles of leadership in a sinful and rebellious world, should first examine God’s intended model of leadership – the shepherd and the sheep.