Week 1 - Kinds of Leadership ~ Anton Folz

Kinds of Leadership
When thinking about the types of leaders that can be found in the Biblical text, one can quickly begin to identify that there is no one model or type of leader that all of them fit into. Leaders take on different forms, and in the Bible one cane see that God often had different purposes for people that were gifted in leadership in a special way for the thing that needed to be accomplished. Before discussing the types of leaders found in the biblical text however, it seems that an understanding of what leadership is would be beneficial. Thus before one can place people into leadership categories, they must first identify the key characteristics that define someone as such.
Within the context of the discussion, it is most appropriate to make a working definition that is simple and encompasses the many arms of leadership that might be found in the Biblical text. Thus a working definition of a leader might be someone that is in charge of a certain group of people or nation, and it is someone that takes charge and gives instruction to those that are under there guidance. So for the discussion of biblical characters being leaders and placing them into categories, one can use this simple information to begin to understand what it is that characterizes someone as such.
Looking then in the biblical text, it can bee seen that there are leaders throughout the entire sixty-six books of the Bible. Starting first with the first human being created, Adam, we see that he takes leadership in the form of leading his wife and sons. God appoints him in charge of naming all the animals of the created world, and thus Adam is a leader in the sense that he is the “headman.” For lack of better terms, the terms used will not be coming from any official leadership definition, but rather from a common sense standpoint. So we see Adam is a biblical figure that is a headman. There are others that have been headmen. It seems that Abraham was another man that God called into a special position of leadership to move him and his family to a new land that He promised him. Some may argue that Moses was also this sort of leader, one that carried out dominion over special groups that were headed for a new location or purpose. Thus Moses traveling through desert with the Israelites could constitute as such. Finally it seems that characters such as Noah, Jacob, and Eve would also fit into this first category. All of these individuals carried out special duties for the Lord and had special task giving to them to have dominion over.
The next sorts of leaders that can be easily identified in the biblical text are the ones that carry out the duties of spiritual leadership of many people. The term the “shepherd” is the one that makes the most sense for such a position. Paul (know earlier as Saul), Samuel, Luke, and Barnabas. These were people appointed to guide others in spiritual matters. Paul becomes the first missionary in the early church to travel thousands of miles for the purpose of sharing the Gospel message. He was concerned for the spiritual well being of many, and thus was looked up to as being an authoritative figure because of the leadership that he had in spiritual guidance. The others in the list also took on great leadership roles by directing in spiritual matters. This then leads to the next category that focuses more on relational aspects of leadership.
“Family directors” are a third category that could be possibly made of leaders found in the Bible. Of this, it seems that Joseph, James the brother of Jesus, Aaron, and Isaac could all be placed into this category. These were people that guided by help influence the main leader who were often their family member. Thus Aaron was a great leader that many look up to for guidance, but in all reality he was helping to by giving aid to Moses. In a similar way Isaac takes on responsibility that is handed down to him by his father. Thus he becomes a leader of main through the fact that he was the son of someone that was a great leader.
A forth type of leader category that seems extremely prevalent in the biblical text is the “stately magistrates.” This would include Ruth, Samson, and Deborah, along with many others. These were the judges that took leadership responsibility for a short time over certain people while a leader was desperately needed. These people did not necessarily have an in to the leadership role because of their family connections, but God called them to a specific season on leadership for a time when the people of God needed them greatly.
The fifth and final category is the “kingly masters.” This would include David, Saul, Jeroboam, Solomon, and others that had kingly leadership of large people groups in the biblical text. These people, mostly men in the biblical text, would have been appointed as a leader is a legal sense more than any of the other groups that have been mentioned previously. These would have been the highest authority in the land other that God and the occasional prophet or two, but nonetheless, these would have been in charge of hundreds of people and would have given rules and regulations that would effect how everyone and everything functioned in the land.
In conclusion, one can see that a leader is indeed one that takes on the responsibilities of guiding and directing others. This can manifest itself in many ways; however, it can be seen in specific ways throughout the biblical text. God appoints some to lead people in a king-like authoritative manor and others to lead the people spiritually. Thus it can be seen that leaders take on many roles and responsibilities, and can be used for different lengths of time. God calls only a select few to leadership roles, but when they are called, they carry with them heavy responsibilities.