Contributed by Elsie Froment, PhD, Director of Research, Northwest Baptist Seminary.
John Oswald Sanders was a Bible College educator and general director of the China Inland Mission, now known as Overseas Missionary Fellowship. He grew up in New Zealand in a Brethren household. Dedicating himself to missionary service, he studied at Bible college but left to support his parents. He obtained a law degree but quit his thriving law practice to join the Bible College of New Zealand. He wrote articles and many books that survive as classics today and are still sold by Amazon and ThriftBooks. Near the end of his life, he was presented with an OBE and given an honorary doctorate in theology because few scholars earned PhDs at the time.
Sanders lived in a world in which leadership was exercised by men and his language reflects that. However, Christians exercise leadership in many contexts. One example is the work of the Womens’ Missionary Society. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Sanders’ spiritual insights speak to me.
Sanders was clearly an educated man, and his treatment of spiritual leadership reflects that. He begins by saying that an ambition of “one who desires to be effective in service of God and realize the highest potential of his life” is noble, worthy and to be cherished. (9) The definition of greatness in Jesus’ eyes is a revolutionary one – to be the servant of all (Mark 10: 42-44). Spiritual leaders aim to put more into life than they take out of it. “The supernatural nature of the church demands a leadership which lies above the human.” (16) Sanders argues that “spiritual leadership is a thing of the Spirit and is conferred by God alone.” (17) Leadership is not just a talent. The spiritual leader influences as much by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as by the ability to make decisions. Leadership requires humility.
Sanders names the defining qualities of a leader. Leaders reflect the ministry of Jesus. They are self-controlled, peaceful, gentle in their ability to moderate difficult situations and interested in all peoples. They are encouraging, seeking to develop the people they encounter. They persevere in their leadership, seeking to honour God and being willing to work hard for him. Paul, who endured many hardships as a leader, has high expectations for leaders. They are above reproach. They reflect the beauty and orderliness of God. They teach the truth and are hospitable. While they are worthy of their hire, the love of money does not rule them. They are spiritually mature and lead their children well. Sander also believes Peter had many insights on leadership. Leaders are responsible to the church of which they are a part. They are to discharge their responsibility, whatever it is, gladly, setting a good example of service. Their responsibility is not too hard, because God shoulders their burdens. They are not to domineer but demonstrate humility. “Pride ever lurks at the heels of power….” (41)
Sanders emphasizes leadership qualities he believes are important. He states that God gives leaders qualities that they will need for their tasks. In arguing for discipline, he quotes Amy Carmichael: “Myself, an arch traitor to myself, My hollowest friend, My deadliest enemy, My clog, whatever road I go.” (45) Speaking about vision, Sanders says that Christian leaders see farther than other people. “Eyes that look are common. Eyes that see are rare.” (50) Leaders are wise. Their wisdom is more than knowledge. It applies knowledge in moral and spiritual matters, baffling situations, and the complexity of human relationships. Leaders are decisive and courageous. “Their courage is not a thing of the moment, but continues until the task is fully done.” (56) Spiritual leaders are content with the approval of the Lord. Other spiritual qualities of leadership include being able to laugh at themselves, exhibiting righteous wrath devoid of selfishness, demonstrating patience, and taking an interest in people, drawing out their best and inspiring them to selfless service. Leaders should have some executive ability so that they can translate vision into action.
The one quality that all leaders require is that they are Spirit-filled. Because “they have willingly submitted themselves to His control, they [are] delighted to obey His promptings and leadership.” (72) They understand that their leadership is by divine appointment.
Leaders are disciplined in prayer. They pray as Jesus prayed. In word and example, Jesus impressed on his disciples the importance of solitude in prayer. The Spirit links his supplications into their own and the result is supernatural resources. “As we patiently seek God’s will concerning our petition, the Spirit will impress us whether or not it is the will of God. It is this God-given conviction that enables us to proceed beyond the prayer of hope to the prayer of faith.” (83) This kind of prayer is the outcome of a correct relationship with God.
Sanders believes that the character of a person determines how they spend their free time. How a person spends their time determines whether their life will be commonplace or extraordinary. He uses the examples of Mary Slessor and David Livingstone to illustrate his point. Both were factory workers as children, and both educated themselves for their careers in Africa. “The secret of [Jesus’s] serenity lay in His assurance that He was working according to God’s plan for His life – a plan that embraced every hour and made provision for every contingency.” (89) Jesus knew he would finish his work within the span of his life. “Interruptions are only divinely interjected opportunities.” (91) If leaders plan their day in the Lord’s presence and fulfil it to their best of their ability, they can commit the rest to God. Procrastination may be a problem but not if deadlines are set for tasks.
Paul asked Timothy to bring his books to him. If leaders are to grow spiritually and intellectually, they should develop their minds. John Wesley read on horseback as he travelled from fifty to ninety miles a day. He read widely, from spiritual books to whatever he wanted to explore at the moment. Sanders believes reading improves preaching and teaching and inspires ideas. The lives of great Christian leaders are told through biography. Leaders may disagree with the author but disagreement challenges them to develop their own ideas. Sanders proffers his own rules for reading. Do not read what is quickly forgotten. Develop a system of notetaking. Create a permanent record of reading. Understand the meanings of words. Variety is restful to the mind and body. Coordinate reading to learn more. Leaders should give their ministries the benefit of their reading.
Leadership, especially Christian leadership, is costly. “Willingness to renounce personal preferences, to sacrifice legitimate and natural desires for the sake of His kingdom, will characterize those marked out by God for positions of influence in His work.” (105) Sanders believes that leaders will be lonely. He cites Moses and the prophets. “Moses paid this price for his leadership – alone in the mount, and alone in the plain; the crushing loneliness of misunderstanding and criticism and impugning of motive. And times have not changed.” (107) Enoch, Jonah and Paul had to proclaim judgment in the midst of unfriendly cultures. Sanders quotes A. W. Tozer: “Loneliness seems to be the price a saint must pay for his saintliness.” (108) Leaders must be able to stand alone. They often are fatigued, but they know where to go for renewal. They should take every legitimate opportunity to avail themselves of rest and recuperation because burnout can limit their ministries. How they react to criticism is important. Criticism can be turned into blessing if leaders search their hearts honestly. When leaders are rejected, they can be confident that God has accepted them. Guidance may seem far away. Sanders quotes Hudson Taylor: “He said how in his younger days, things used to come so clearly…But now I seem often to be like a man in a fog. I don’t know what to do.” However, when the time came to act, he had that guidance. Then there is the quandary of the cost to those close to the leader.
Tests to leadership, according to Sanders, are compromise, ambition, impossible situations, failure, and jealousy. He defines compromise as “the partial waiving of principle for the sake of reaching agreement.” (120) Sanders sees that the classic stand-off between Moses and Pharoah is an example of compromise. Pharoah desired that the people of Israel stay just beyond the borders of Egypt. Then he suggested that their flocks stay while they went. Moses knew the compromise suggested by Pharoah would be insufficient. He demonstrated his lack of ambition at the burning bush but showed great concern for God’s glory and the people’s welfare on the journey to the Promised Land. Impossible situations drive leaders to depend on God, like Moses at the Red Sea. Sanders argues that successful leaders have learned that ‘no failure need be final, and act on that belief, whether the failure is [their] own or that of another.’ (125) Then they may face jealous rivals. Aaron and Miriam were jealous rivals. They challenged Moses’ leadership and God rebuked them himself.
Sanders also deals with perils to leadership. These include pride, egotism, jealousy, popularity, infallibility, indispensability, elation and depression, prophet or leader, and disqualification. “Pride is a fundamental sin [that] aims at enthroning self at the expense of God.” (142) Egotism “leads one to consider everything in relation to himself rather than in relation to God and the welfare of His people.” (143) “The jealous person is apprehensive and suspicious of rivals.” (144) Sanders quotes Spurgeon on ambition: “Success can go to my head, and will unless I remember that it is God who accomplishes the work, that He can continue to do so without my help, and that He will be able to make out with other means whenever He cuts me down to size.” (146) With respect to infallibility, Sanders says that conceding an error and deferring to others “enhances rather than diminishes influence.’ (147) Making oneself indispensable does a great disservice to ministry. Sander believes that mature leaders will learn what is behind elation and depression and deal with it. Spiritual leaders must choose between being leaders or prophets. Sanders favours prophecy. Finally, he points out that Paul feared being disqualified from the race. “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (NKJV/ESV).
Leaders regard the welfare of others as paramount. They exercise discipline with love and initiate in their ministries, taking courageous, carefully calculated risks. They cannot ignore wise counsel but, at the same time, they cannot let cautious people restrain them from daring steps of faith. Instead, they should recognize leaders and delegate leadership to them. Younger leaders can feel the pulse of the contemporary. Once the delegation is made, leaders should define the task. Everyone should be left to do their own work. God chooses leaders for special tasks and the test of great leaders is how the work survives when they are no longer involved.
Spiritual leaders reproduce and multiply themselves. The most important task is developing their spiritual potential. “Paul’s exacting standards, high expectations and heavy demands served to bring out the best in Timothy and probably saved him from mediocrity.” (139) Developing leaders cannot depend on the techniques of mass production. “It will require patient and careful instruction and prayerful and personal guidance of the individual over a considerable period.” (140)
Sanders concludes with an exposition of Nehemiah as an exemplary leader. First, Nehemiah had the character of a leader. He was a man of prayer, courage in the face of danger, genuine concern for the welfare of his people, keen foresight, wholesome caution, clear decision, empathy, strict impartiality, and healthy realism. Second, he had the methods of a leader. He raised the morale of his colleagues, was generous in appreciation and encouragement, dealt promptly with potential weaknesses, restored the authority of the Word of God, and was skillful in organization. “The test of spiritual leadership is whether it results in the successful achievement of its objective.” (158) Nehemiah finished the wall (Neh 6:15).