The doctrine of the incarnation impacts and informs one’s leadership style because in it one sees Christ’s selflessness in serving others; which is illustrated in Christ washing the feet of his disciples (John 13:1–20).
This paper will investigate the doctrine of the “incarnation” as it relates to leadership style and method as well as how these findings relate practically to the modern leader. As we consider the importance of the incarnation as it relates to leadership we will first examine what this doctrine is, the biblical foundation for it, and why it matters? From there we will explore the concept of selfless servant-leadership seen in John 13:1-20. This paper will go on to investigate the purpose of leadership, the role of the leader, the role of the follower, leadership methodology, as well as practical applications.
A firm foundation must be established for those called by God to lead; in order to be a godly and effective leader one must examine the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Following the
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What does “Incarnation” mean? Only after one has a basic understanding of what the doctrine is can we move on to examine how the incarnation impacts one’s view of leadership. The word “Incarnation” is defined by Oden (1992) as “enfleshing, or becoming flesh, the union of human nature with the divine in one person” (p. 93). What we are told in the scriptures is that in the fullness of time God the son took on flesh, humanity (Galatians 4:4-5). God became man and from that momentous occasion onward human existence has been transformed, never to be the same again. The incarnation is the foundation from which every aspect of Christ’s story commences. Because of that fact the incarnation must be studied, and every aspect of Christian theology and practice is to be interpreted in light of that event (Oden, 1992, p.
“The word "Incarnation"comes from the Latin words "in" and "carnis" which means “flesh."" Flesh is the solid part of our being, the part that we can see and touch, in contrast to our mind, soul, and spirit” According to John 4:24, God in his natural form is a spirit. In God’s plan of salvation, “it was necessary for the Son of God to be revealed to humankind in ways that they could see and touch, and so the Incarnation was a part of the plan-- placing the eternal, immortal, invisible Son of God in a body of flesh”(Lehigh, David). According to the Catholic Church, “The Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human.
The authors then go deeper than just leading; they speak of being a leader and growing other leaders. One of the greatest challenges leaders today face is training and developing new leaders. Jesus wanted those around him to succeed. He had vision, values, and purpose, he stated them clearly, and did all he could to see they were carried out. In the book Lead Like Jesus we read how Jesus empowered and gave ownership to those around him, concerned more with their success than his own. It highlights that Jesus is the greatest leadership role model of all time, that He mandated Hi...
Leadership is a quality which cannot be acquired by any person from the other but it can be acquired by self-determination of a person. Leadership can best be called the personality of the very highest ability-whether in ruling, thinking, imagining, innovation, warring, or religious influencing. Leadership is practiced not so much in words a it is in attitude and in actions. Their actions leave a long lasting memory in the line of history and lead up to may events that occur today. To be a leader one will need many qualities. Leaders have a purpose and strategies to accomplish that purpose. They are driven and motivated. In the end they should be able to attain good results. These innate talents help to make up a leader that will succeed and be efficient in carrying out tasks. But, the purpose of this paper is determine what truly makes a leader successful. A successful leader should be considered more on their impact rather than their accomplishments of their organizations alone for they are not sufficient in determining the key to their success .
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon explained there is nothing new under the sun, so it should not surprise anyone that many times that which appears to be new was conceived earlier. As the body of knowledge enlarges in a particular discipline, that expansion sometimes bumps into something previously revealed. Great men and women from times past have provided a very rich source of material for the development of theology of leadership. These individuals applied godly principles to form deep, yet practical theologies, sometimes even during the darkest periods of human history. Two of these individuals were Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Mother Teresa, whose theologies of leadership contributed greatly to shaping the concept of God-centered leadership. Their efforts resonate throughout the church today, and impact church leaders around the world.
Although written for church leadership, everyday church members would also benefit from understanding the concepts that Dawn is directing at God-empowered leaders. Ms. Dawn's work is predominantly scholarly, and she cites several other works at great length.... ... middle of paper ... ...
God is the focal point for spiritual gifts, talents, and training for leadership. The disciples were trained by Jesus. He did not take disciples into a classroom but He taught by examples.9 Many times the disciples were put in situations by Jesus to help them learn on-the-job. Even in missions, leaders cannot be prepared for every circumstance that may arise; however; with his talents, spiritual gifts, and the Holy Spirit, one can have the resources necessary to be successful. With one’s failures, spiritual gifts, and talents, the Holy Spirit will use these things to train leaders as they continue to aspire in
In all the general aspects of this particular term one would conclude that, “Leadership” embodies different characteristics, goals, rules, and standards for different positions in society. In the text, Great Leader, Great Teacher: Recovering the Biblical Vision for Leaders, author Gary Bredfeldt states, “The nature of leadership differs from situation to situation. What is required of a leader on the battlefield is quite different from what is required on the ball field or mission field. Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all formula.” This bold statement makes minds take a deeper look at the general definition of leadership and how each individual can theoretically determine what that is for their lives. In addition, from a Christian Worldview perspective what attributes in which the Scripture provides on servitude can be applicable and relevant to becoming a successful leader.
Robert Clinton states “The central task of leadership is influencing God’s people toward God’s purposes” (Clinton, 1988). George Barna defines a Christain Leader as “someone who is called by God to lead; leads with and through Christlike character; and demonstrates the functional competencies that permit effective leadership to take place” (Barna, 1997). It is a shame we as Christians fail to recognize that Christ would have us be leaders in more than the church.
The Incarnation is a significant theological teaching of Christianity. This teaching is based on its interpretation of the translation in the New Testament. By Jesus becoming what we are already in the flesh, and then acquiring human form, God put together the love between human and creator. “Jesus as an individual human being can also represent humanity in as whole” (ALBI p.270).
The Trinity is made up of God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This concept is what many Catholics believe in, but other worldwide religions believe in other beliefs. Out of all the three Divine Persons, “Jesus is the most qualified to bring the renewal of creation because it was through him that creation came into being” (Pohle February 7th). We as humans will have to face the consequences for actions that we have done in the past, present and future. Jesus has come into the world as a human to show his dignity and save us from sin; he was the world and of all creation. As we come to read more about Jesus we get to know Jesus more, we learn about what he did, how he did it and why he had to do these saving actions.
Leadership is defined as a process by which an individual influences others to obtain goals. There are three aspects that should be addressed when explaining leadership. One aspect is that leadership is a social influence process; leadership could not exist without a leader and one or more followers. Another leadership aspect is compliance; all of the leader’s directions must be complied with voluntarily. Compliance is what separates leadership from other influence-based formal authority. Finally, leadership results in the followers’ behavior, that is purposeful and goal-directed which must be in some organized setting (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009).
When Jesus called His disciples, His invitation was simple. He invited them to follow Him. The same is true today. In Matthew 28, Jesus gave His last charge to His disciples, and the charge was simple. He called his followers to go and make disciples. Much effort has been placed by Christians to fulfill this charge, commonly referred to as the Great Commission. Jesus chose to fulfill the implementation of the New Covenant through 12 men who He called, appointed, and commissioned, and he only had a few short years to prepare them for the task (Willson, 1990). His methods were unconventional and were revolutionary for that time. His disciples were to be trained extensively by Jesus, living with Him for three years prior to His ascension. He taught about servant leadership and its meaning for both the leader and follower Matt. 20:25-28). From the beginning, Jesus put in place a careful plan, and an examination of His actions in the Gospels showed that Jesus left behind the pattern to be replicated. His methods, which included the incorporation of three different levels of discipleship, included His interaction with Peter, His closest three (Peter, James, and John), and finally the group of 12. This paper identified and analyzed the three levels of discipleship Jesus modeled, these discipleship methods were then measured against modern leadership theories, and Jesus’s level of involvement and interaction with his disciples were critiqued in light of these modern theories in an effort to determine the effectiveness of this approach.
THE DOCTRINE OF INCARNATION The doctrine of the incarnation is at the heart of Biblical Christianity as well as the teaching of Christ pre-existence is foundational to the Christian faith. The fact that Christ “became flesh and dwelt among us” is vital to the truths of His substitutionary death and glorious resurrection. Since apart from these events there is no salvation, one can quickly see how the “coming in flesh” of Jesus is so important to the Christian faith. Without the pre-existence Christ’s incarnation, resurrection, and atoning work are in question.
Leadership is an awesome responsibility, and regardless of where leadership occurs, followers want leadership that is trustworthy, inspiring, consequential, and most importantly, effective. Thus, effective leadership is often weighed in theory and common indicators such as the impact on a team or process, follower attitudes and perceptions, and even career longevity (Yukl, 2010). Furthermore, leadership effectiveness may also be determined by the leader’s title, position, skills, traits, and moral behaviors (Carolina College of Biblical Studies [CCBS], n.d.). Often overlooked in all these things are God’s purpose for leadership, and the call for the leader to remain obedient to God while leading (CCBS, n.d.). Since mankind is sinful by
In addition it is by means of that identical instrumentality that individuals should have their impact upon those they teach. The Holy Spirit’s influence on the early church and apostles conveyed teaching, friendship, the leadership and prayer into fulfillment. I feel that the real-life love revealed shouts to the 21st era Church’s should refocus on these fundamental leaders. To my understanding the book of Act demonstrate the days of the early church. Also, the four frameworks concerning the modern-church can attract knowledge to integrate these heart-felt leadership skills are historical context, learned contexts, interpretation and devotion. 2 Timothy 2:15 states, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (NKJV). Believers who overlook the Bible will definitely be humiliated at the