Leadership is often tested in two very different situations: how we respond when people criticize us and how we respond when people need us. While reading Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley’s The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, these two areas stood out to me because they connect directly with what I am learning in my present leadership roles.
Billy Graham’s example reminds me that leadership is not simply about having influence. It is about developing the character necessary to handle that influence well.
Learning to Love Harsh Critics
One statement from the book especially challenged me:
“When criticism is a threat, a leader becomes defensive, but when it is viewed as a natural occurrence and a challenge, it can become a source of constructive energy.”
Criticism is unavoidable in leadership. The question is not whether people will criticize us, but what we will allow criticism to produce within us.
Throughout my ministerial journey, I have experienced criticism concerning my abilities, leadership, calling, and even character. I have learned that criticism does not have to determine my identity, but it can contribute to my development.
There have been people who did not believe I could go further in my calling. Instead of allowing those opinions to stop me, I have used them as motivation to pursue God more deeply and allow Him to have the final say concerning where He wants me to go.
Criticism concerning character requires an even different response. Rather than immediately becoming defensive, I have learned the importance of having conversations, listening to the concerns of others, and evaluating whether there are areas in my life that genuinely need improvement.
That does not mean every criticism is correct.
It means I want to be secure enough that criticism does not control me while remaining humble enough to learn when there is truth within it.
A growing leader should be able to take criticism seriously without taking every criticism personally.
Leading Through Love
Another lesson that resonated with me was Graham’s emphasis on leading through love. Myra and Shelley write:
“Sometimes love is shown by a thoughtful word, by willingness to help an employee in trouble or by refusal to retaliate when attacked; other times love is shown by simply showing up.”
This challenged me to think about leadership beyond positions, titles, and responsibilities.
Sometimes leadership is simply showing up.
In my current role working for a nonprofit youth organization, I have opportunities to mentor young people, but leadership also happens behind the scenes. I try to help with administrative responsibilities, complete smaller tasks that need attention, and assist my team when deadlines are approaching.
These actions may seem insignificant, but service can influence culture.
As I continued helping in these areas, my manager eventually began implementing rotations that encouraged other staff members to contribute in similar ways. What began as simply trying to help became an opportunity to influence how our team serves one another.
That experience reminded me that leadership culture is not shaped only through instructions. Sometimes culture is shaped through example.
Leadership Without Recognition
There is also an important distinction between serving others and using service as a way of gaining recognition.
Christian leadership cannot simply ask, What will make me look like a good leader?
Instead, we should ask, How can I genuinely help the people God has placed around me?
Jesus modeled leadership through service. Leadership rooted in love does not always need acknowledgment. Sometimes it means completing the unnoticed task, encouraging someone who is struggling, helping a coworker, mentoring a young person, or simply being present when someone needs support.
Our actions can communicate love before our leadership position ever does.
Becoming the Leader God Is Forming
These two lessons from Billy Graham complement each other.
Criticism develops something within the leader, while love expresses something through the leader.
Criticism can develop humility, self-awareness, perseverance, and maturity. Love then allows those qualities to become visible through service toward others.
I am continuing to learn that leadership development is not merely about becoming more influential. It is about becoming the kind of person who can steward influence faithfully.
I want to become a leader who can receive criticism without immediately becoming defensive, evaluate myself honestly, continue pursuing God’s calling despite opposition, and serve people without needing recognition.
Ultimately, leadership is not only about where we lead people.
It is also about who we are becoming while we lead them.
Reflections on Eugene Peterson’s Follow the Leader series
What does it mean to be a successful Christian leader? Is success measured by the number of people attending our churches, the ministries we establish, the positions we hold, or the influence we develop? Or is there a deeper measurement that challenges our understanding of leadership altogether?
As I listened to Eugene Peterson’s Follow the Leader series, I found myself wrestling with these questions. Peterson examines the leadership of Jesus in its historical context, contrasting his approach with influential figures such as Herod, Caiaphas, and Josephus. Through these comparisons, he challenges the assumptions we often bring into Christian leadership, particularly our understanding of power, success, relationships, and personal ambition.
One of the greatest insights I gained from this series is that Jesus did not simply provide a model for becoming an effective leader. He invited us to become faithful followers.
This distinction challenges not only how I approach ministry but also how I understand my calling, my ambitions, and the importance of remaining faithful wherever God has placed me.
The challenge of following before leading
Early in the third part of his series, Peterson emphasizes a distinction that caught my attention: Jesus said, “Follow me,” not “lead like me.”
Peterson explains that following is often more difficult than leading because it requires greater attention and moral energy. This challenges the tendency to focus on developing leadership abilities without giving equal attention to our relationship with Jesus.
Leadership requires skills, knowledge, experience, and preparation. However, Christian leadership must begin with something deeper: a life of prayer, obedience, and dependence upon Christ.
Before I can lead others faithfully, I must examine whether I am faithfully following Jesus myself.
This insight brought me back to my experience as a new believer in high school. At the time, I had a strong desire to become a leader on my campus and establish a Christian club. My passion for ministry was present, but my preparation was still developing.
I wanted to lead, yet I lacked the biblical knowledge and training necessary for the responsibility I desired. I also had not fully recognized the importance of receiving guidance from the leaders God had placed in my life.
Nevertheless, that Christian club had value. We served our campus, built community, and sought to demonstrate what it meant to follow Jesus.
Looking back, I recognize that even though my preaching and teaching abilities were limited, following Jesus involved more than standing in front of people and delivering a message. It involved obedience, service, relationships, and learning to live according to his example.
That experience helped me recognize that our desire to lead must never become more important than our commitment to follow.
Prayer before personal ambition
One of the ways Peterson’s teaching challenges my current approach to leadership is by encouraging me to reflect on prayer more often than goal setting.
I enjoy establishing goals, developing plans, and pursuing opportunities. These activities have value, particularly when we are responsible for leading others. However, they also present an important spiritual question.
Am I submitting my plans to Jesus, or am I simply asking him to bless the direction I have already chosen?
Peterson emphasizes that prayer is essential to following Jesus. In the third part of his series, he discusses how prayer forms us into followers from the inside out.
This means that following Jesus is not merely about outward activities. We can participate in ministry, develop leadership abilities, and accomplish organizational goals while neglecting the spiritual formation necessary to sustain faithful discipleship.
Prayer invites us to examine our motives and surrender our direction to Christ.
As I continue developing as a minister, I want to become increasingly intentional about seeking God’s direction rather than relying exclusively on my abilities, expectations, or understanding of what should happen next.
The challenge is not to stop planning. It is to allow my plans to be influenced by Jesus.
When success becomes a distraction
Another aspect of Peterson’s teaching that challenged me was his discussion of success and failure.
Throughout his series, Peterson contrasts Jesus with influential leaders of the first century. Herod demonstrated considerable political and organizational influence, while Caiaphas exercised authority within the religious establishment.
Yet Jesus did not organize his ministry around the conventional measurements of success represented by these leaders.
In the second part of the series, Peterson explains that Jesus’ life can appear unsuccessful when evaluated according to society’s expectations. He also observes that faithful individuals can become invisible because their lives do not conform to what society values.
This challenges how we understand success within contemporary Christianity.
Our Christian communities exist in a culture shaped by music, entertainment, celebrity, social media, and numerical exposure. As individuals gain influence, they may experience increasing pressure to maintain their recognition and status.
The danger arises when preserving influence becomes more important than faithfully following Jesus.
This is especially challenging for me because I desire to serve in a pastoral ministry position in the future.
As an ordained minister currently serving without a pastoral staff position, I have wrestled with the relationship between my calling, my credentials, and the opportunities I hope to pursue.
At times, it can be tempting to view a position as validation of my ministerial identity. Yet Peterson’s teaching challenges me to examine whether I am pursuing opportunities primarily to serve others or to become somebody in the eyes of others.
A pastoral position can provide meaningful opportunities to lead, teach, disciple, and develop ministries. However, it should not determine the value of my present service or become the ultimate measurement of my faithfulness.
I am learning that being faithful where God has placed me matters just as much as preparing for wherever he may lead me next.
This gives me a desire to continue praying and trusting his direction, even when the outcome of my ministry pursuits remains unknown.
The difference between ambition and energy
One of the most helpful distinctions Peterson makes is between ambition and energy.
In the first part of his series, he discusses how ambition can become connected to personal importance, recognition, and achieving our own goals. He contrasts this with the energy, obedience, and discipline necessary for faithful service.
This distinction is particularly meaningful when pursuing leadership opportunities.
It is possible to work diligently, develop skills, establish goals, and pursue opportunities without allowing personal ambition to become the driving force behind our decisions.
The question is what motivates our pursuit.
Do I want to lead because I desire recognition, or because I see an opportunity to serve? Am I pursuing a particular position because it will make me feel successful, or because I believe I can faithfully contribute to the ministry God has entrusted to me?
These are questions I want to continue asking throughout my ministerial journey.
My desire is not to lose the energy and passion I have for ministry. Rather, I want those qualities to be shaped by prayer, obedience, and a willingness to follow Jesus wherever he leads.
A PERSONAL REFLECTION
The goal is not to abandon our passion for leadership, but to surrender the ambition that places ourselves at the center of it.
Building a church culture centered on followership
Peterson’s philosophy also raises an important question about the culture we establish within our churches.
What would happen if Christ-centered leaders prioritized faithful followership over recognition, status, and conventional measurements of success?
I believe this approach could transform how we understand discipleship, prayer, and servant-hearted leadership.
1. Discipleship would become more relational
Peterson explains that Jesus used stories to invite people into relationships and personal encounters.
Rather than organizing his ministry around buildings, crowds, or prominent individuals, Jesus invested in people and invited them to participate in the life of God’s kingdom.
This challenges churches to examine how they measure their effectiveness.
Attendance, volunteer participation, and numerical growth can provide valuable information. However, these measurements do not tell the complete story of what God is doing in people’s lives.
A church may have impressive attendance while struggling to develop meaningful relationships and mature disciples. Conversely, a smaller congregation may be making a significant spiritual impact through personal mentorship, service, and discipleship.
If we implement Peterson’s philosophy, I believe our churches can develop a deeper commitment to knowing people rather than merely counting them.
The goal is not simply to attract individuals into a building. It is to help people encounter Jesus and become faithful followers of him.
2. Prayer would shape our leadership culture
A second outcome would be a greater dependence on prayer.
Following Jesus requires more than developing strategies and implementing programs. It requires leaders who continually seek his direction.
This dependence should not remain confined to the church building or formal ministry activities. It should influence how we live, work, serve our communities, and interact with others wherever God has placed us.
A prayerful leadership culture would encourage us to examine our decisions, surrender our expectations, and remain attentive to God’s direction amid uncertain circumstances.
We can still establish goals and develop organizational plans. However, we must recognize that our plans are ultimately subject to God’s purposes.
Prayer reminds us that we are followers before we are leaders.
3. Servant-hearted leadership would replace the pursuit of status
A third outcome would be a leadership culture that emphasizes service rather than personal recognition.
When leaders understand the difference between ambition and energy, ministry opportunities become responsibilities to steward rather than positions through which to establish personal importance.
This could influence how churches develop leaders, empower volunteers, and distribute ministry responsibilities.
Instead of concentrating attention on prominent individuals, churches could cultivate environments where people are equipped to serve according to their gifts, abilities, and spiritual maturity.
Leadership development would involve more than teaching organizational skills. It would include helping people develop their character, examine their motives, and grow in their relationship with Jesus.
Ultimately, this approach would encourage the Body of Christ to pursue opportunities with a servant’s heart.
Following the Master wherever he leads
Peterson’s Follow the Leader series has challenged me to reconsider what it means to pursue leadership faithfully.
I still desire to grow as a minister, develop my abilities, pursue future opportunities, and serve in pastoral ministry. However, I increasingly recognize that none of these aspirations should become more important than following Jesus.
My calling is not validated by a position, and my faithfulness cannot be measured exclusively by visible accomplishments.
I want to remain faithful where God has placed me while continuing to prepare for wherever he may guide me.
This requires prayer, obedience, humility, and a willingness to examine my motives continually.
As Christian leaders, we must remember that our responsibility is not simply to become more influential. It is to allow Jesus to shape how we exercise whatever influence he has entrusted to us.
Before we ask how we can become better leaders, perhaps we should begin with a more important question:
How are we becoming better followers of Jesus?
This reflection is based on Eugene Peterson’s three-part Follow the Leader series, particularly his discussions of followership, relational leadership, prayer, success, and the distinction between ambition and energy.
When we read the Gospel of Luke, we primarily encounter Jesus as our Lord and Savior: the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost. Yet as we follow His ministry, we also discover something about the way Jesus led people.
Jesus had a mission. He developed disciples. He gave others responsibility. He confronted issues of character and commitment. And when the pressure surrounding His mission intensified, He remained dependent upon the Father.
Reading Luke through the lens of leadership challenged me to think beyond leadership as simply having a title or position. Jesus demonstrates a form of leadership centered on mission, development, empowerment, character, and spiritual dependence.
Here are five leadership principles that stood out to me.
1. Stay Faithful to the Mission When Rejection Comes
Luke 4:18–29
Early in His ministry, Jesus entered the synagogue in Nazareth and read from the prophet Isaiah. He announced that the Scripture was being fulfilled in their hearing.
Yet the response eventually became hostile.
The people questioned Jesus because they knew Him as Joseph’s son. As the encounter continued, their skepticism turned into anger and rejection.
Still, rejection did not redefine Jesus’ mission.
That presents an important challenge for leaders: How much does the approval of others determine whether we believe we are successful?
Leadership inevitably brings different opinions. Some people will understand the mission, while others may question it. There will even be moments when rejection makes us question ourselves.
Jesus reminds us that faithfulness cannot ultimately be built upon approval. Christian leaders must continually return to what God has called them to accomplish.
That doesn’t mean leaders should refuse correction or ignore wise counsel. Rather, it means opposition by itself does not determine whether the mission is worth pursuing.
Our foundation must remain deeper than applause.
2. Develop People Intentionally
Luke 6:12–19
One of the most interesting things about Jesus’ leadership is the size of the group He chose to develop closely.
Jesus ministered to crowds, but He invested deeply in a smaller group of disciples. Before selecting the Twelve, Luke tells us that Jesus spent the night in prayer.
Jesus was intentional about who He would develop.
This challenged my thinking about mentorship. Leaders sometimes feel responsible for personally developing everyone around them. Depending on the size of the organization, that can quickly become unrealistic.
Jesus demonstrates another approach: invest deeply in people who can eventually influence others.
I see this principle even while working with students. When managing a group of more than fifteen students, every student brings different personalities, perspectives, attitudes, and needs. Trying to personally lead every student at exactly the same depth can become overwhelming.
But what happens when a leader begins developing a smaller group of student leaders?
Those students can begin influencing the culture around them.
Leadership development then becomes multiplication.
3. Give People Responsibility and the Authority to Carry It Out
Luke 9:1–10
Jesus didn’t keep His disciples beside Him forever.
Eventually, He sent them.
Luke records that Jesus gathered the Twelve, gave them power and authority, provided instructions, and sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and heal the sick. Later, they returned and reported what they had done.
Notice the progression:
Jesus called them.
Jesus developed them.
Jesus empowered them.
Jesus sent them.
Jesus received their report.
Jesus understood something every leader eventually has to learn: the mission becomes limited when everything depends upon one person.
Healthy leadership requires delegation, but biblical delegation involves more than handing someone a task.
People need preparation.
They need responsibility.
They need appropriate authority.
They need opportunities to practice.
And they need feedback afterward.
Churches sometimes become so focused on filling volunteer positions that we forget the importance of developing the person filling the position.
Imagine someone responsible for displaying lyrics during worship. It may seem like a simple responsibility, but that person needs to understand the software, lyrics, timing, pace, and transitions. Without preparation, mistakes can distract the congregation from participating in worship.
Giving someone a position is not the same as developing them for the position.
Jesus didn’t simply need workers. He developed disciples who could participate in His mission.
4. Character Matters More Than Charisma
Luke 18:18–23
When a ruler approached Jesus asking about eternal life, Jesus eventually confronted something deeper than outward obedience.
“You still lack one thing.”
Jesus identified something that challenged the man’s commitment. His wealth had become a barrier he was unwilling to surrender.
The encounter reminds us that leadership development sometimes requires uncomfortable conversations.
Someone can be passionate and still need development.
Someone can be gifted and still need accountability.
Someone can desire influence without being prepared for the sacrifice accompanying it.
This is especially important in ministry.
It can be easy to desire opportunities to preach, stand on a platform, lead worship, hold a title, or receive recognition. But what happens when discipleship involves correction? What happens when leadership requires serving somewhere nobody notices? What happens when someone identifies an area of our character that needs to change?
Charisma can attract attention, but character sustains leadership.
Healthy leadership cultures therefore cannot merely identify people’s gifts. They must also create environments where people can be discipled, corrected, challenged, and developed.
5. Leadership Requires Dependence Upon God
Luke 22:39–46
Eventually, Luke brings us to one of the most vulnerable moments of Jesus’ ministry: Gethsemane.
Jesus knew what was approaching.
He experienced tremendous anguish. Yet rather than pretending the situation was easy, Jesus prayed.
His prayer included the words:
“Yet not my will, but yours be done.”
There is something deeply important here for Christian leadership.
Jesus does not model leadership as emotional invulnerability. He does not pretend pressure doesn’t exist. Instead, He brings His anguish before the Father and remains obedient to God’s purposes.
Leadership will bring moments of pressure.
There may be misunderstanding, disappointment, difficult decisions, rejection, or even betrayal. Those moments expose the limits of leadership techniques.
Sometimes we don’t need another strategy.
We need God’s strength.
Prayer therefore isn’t an accessory to Christian leadership. Dependence upon God must remain at its center.
A Pattern of Leadership in Luke
When I put these passages together, I noticed that they form something of a progression:
1.) Mission
2.) Development
3.) Empowerment
4.) Character
5.) Perseverance
Jesus knew the mission.
He selected people to develop.
He entrusted those people with responsibility and authority.
He confronted issues that could hinder genuine commitment.
And through suffering and pressure, He remained dependent upon the Father and faithful to His mission.
That gives us a powerful picture of leadership.
Leadership isn’t merely about starting something.
It’s about knowing the mission well enough to remain faithful when rejection comes.
It’s about developing people instead of doing everything ourselves.
It’s about trusting others with meaningful responsibility.
It’s about caring enough about people to confront character issues.
And ultimately, it’s about recognizing that we cannot fulfill God’s purposes through our own strength.
The Gospel of Luke reminds me that Jesus didn’t merely accomplish a mission.
He developed people who could participate in it.
Perhaps that is one of the greatest questions every Christian leader should ask:
Am I simply accomplishing the work in front of me, or am I developing people who can carry the mission forward?
