The Need for Leaders

One thing that arises when the church starts to grow is the need for leaders. Leadership is a very necessary part of God’s design and structure for the church. As we see throughout scripture, God has used many different leaders to accomplish His will throughout many generations. From Abraham to Paul, we see extraordinary examples of God using leaders to accomplish His divine will in the lives and countries of the world. While there may be a distrust of leadership that has emerged in the last couple of decades as a result of scandal in the business world and the church world, the need for leaders does not go away.

They called on God to establish leadership in the outposts.

²¹ They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, ²² strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. ²³ Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. (Acts 14:21-23)

It’s natural to respond to the negative scenarios we see being played out in the world by thinking we shouldn’t bring leadership into the church. The thing is, leadership started with God and it is His design for us as church (and every church) to be led by leaders. Even with Adam, God put him in charge of everything. Abraham was told he would become the father of uncountable people. Joseph was blessed by God to become the second in command in Egypt. Moses was called by God to lead millions out of slavery in Egypt. Those are just a few highlights in the first couple books of the Bible.

One issue that has come about in many churches takes place when there are doers in leadership roles. Of course, I think we all lead and influence someone. But, we don’t all have the gift of leadership and leading groups of people or ministries, etc. There are people we all should be leading (starting with ourselves), but that doesn’t always mean we’re going to be good at leading more and more people. And even though the heart of the doer is golden, we can often find disgruntled followers in their wake because they haven’t been leading the people, they’ve just been doing the work.

Today’s prayer focus is one for our church as well as all churches. We should pray this prayer for us, but we should pray this prayer for any other church we can think of too. We don’t just need God to raise up some leaders in our midst, we need God to raise up leaders in every church around the world. We need God to raise up leaders in every church in America. So many churches are fraught with poor leadership, and as a result of that bad leadership, the mission of the church suffers. We need God to raise up leaders who are willing to take the world by storm, to go after the mission God has given us without any reservations and be the gospel and preach the gospel to Billions of people on this planet who still need to hear.

So, will you join me today in prayer for God to establish leaders in our church and in the churches in our town, country and world?

The Three for Morning, Afternoon and Evening.

“Now for Next” Prayer

What do we need to do now as a church to be ready for what God has for us next.

“What’s My Role” Prayer

Pray for God to show us the role we will play individually in accomplishing that mission.

The Conclusion

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.