I heard someone teach not too ago that “Leadership is stewardship — it’s temporary and you are accountable.”
There’s a lot in that one sentence. But the word that draws me in is “temporary.”
I believe that leadership is at God’s discretion, not ours. I serve at Good Shepherd in spiritual leadership because it was God’s idea long before it was my idea. In a sense, I hold this leadership position “in trust” — I simply manage the leadership that ultimately belongs to God.
So this leadership position is not mine. It is God’s.
That’s why I remind myself and other leaders to hold on loosely as the old song says. Leaders who hold on to their positions too tightly or too long mistakenly believe that leadership is theirs more than it is God’s.
In the short run, this outlook helps me not to define my identity by my occupation (I’ve got a ways to go there, though).
In the long run, it ensures that God rather than a single individual leads and guides His church.
Leadership is stewardship — it’s temporary and you are accountable.