Christian Leadership : A Christian Leader

1048 Words5 Pages
If anyone has the authority to speak on Christian leadership, it is Henri Nouwen because of his professorship at Ivy League Universities and long-standing role as a priest. Yet Nouwen leans not on either of these credentials; instead, he shares his reflections on leadership that he learned while serving at Daybreak community for handicapped people. What is more, Nouwen learned the most amazing leadership principles when he was asked to speak in Washington D. C. on leadership and Daybreak sent a resident named Bill Van Buren with him. Out of this experience, Nouwen creates a pattern of Christian leadership based on Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. Nouwen believes that all leaders are similarly tempted. Therefore, Nouwen follows the pattern of task, question and discipline, which give great insights into a true Christian leader. Furthermore, Nouwen shares many amazing leadership lessons and the most impactful lessons are: the need for prayer over competence, embracing brokenness within a leader’s life and the role of community in leadership. First of all, Nouwen addresses the influence of culture upon Christian leadership. His assessment is that the culture seems to think that competence is all that is needed to deal with problems in life. He shares the culture’s sentiment by eloquently stating,
The problem is not lack of faith, but lack of competence. If you are sick, you need a competent doctor; if you are poor, you need competent politicians; if there are technical
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