A church rises or falls on the quality of its leadership.  There can be no substitute for good leaders.  There are those who try to substitute other things for good leadership and they fail every time.

Paul’s leadership and authority was being attacked by others in the church at Corinth, so in his second letter to the Corinthians, he has to defend his Apostleship (10:1-12:13). In 2 Corinthians 10:1-18, he not only defends his authority, but he gives us eight characteristics of a good leader.

1.  A good leader is humble and gentle, not proud and harsh (v. 1).  He puts other people and their interests before himself; that’s humility (Philippians 2:3-4).  He learns to control his emotions and does not use his authority to beat people down.  He is a servant leader, not a dictator (Matthew 20:25-28).

2.  A good leader does not depend on the world’s tactics, but upon the Word of God (vv. 2-6).  The devil controls the world system through lies.  Leaders are to expose the lies and bring every thought captive to the Word of God (v. 5).  This is what real spiritual warfare is all about.  You may be able to bring more numbers into the church by putting on a show, but you cannot impact the world system through pragmatism.

3.  A good leader uses his authority to build up others, not to tear them down (vv. 7-9).  Leaders are to help others become devoted followers of Jesus Christ, not promote themselves or their own agenda.  Bad leaders tear others down who disagree with their personal agenda.

4.  A good leader conforms to Christ, not other men (vv. 12-13).  This is not to say that we cannot learn from other leaders.  But, we need to make sure those leaders are conforming to Christ in their personal lives and ministry.

5.  A good leader does not take credit for the work of others, but expresses appreciation for others (v. 15a).  Bad leaders are constantly promoting themselves, even to the point of taking credit for what others have done and what the Lord has done.

6.  A good leader focuses on what is important to God (vv. 15b-16).  It is easy for leaders to give a lot of time to things that are not that important just to please certain people and make themselves look good.  Leaders cannot give in to that temptation.

7.  A good leader boasts only in the Lord, not in himself (v. 17).  When you see a leader who is always the hero of his own stories, there is something seriously wrong in his spiritual life.  A good leader uses every opportunity to magnify and boast about the Lord.

8.  A good leader seeks to be commended by the Lord, not men (v. 18).  The Lord’s approval is much more important than man’s approval.  We should always make it our goal to please Him instead of men.

How we desperately need these kinds of leaders in the home and the church.  May there be a revival of true Christian leadership in the church of Jesus Christ.