Grow, Serve, Lead

Spiritual Practices Of A Christian Leader Pt.1

Jan25
2012 27 Comments Written by danonleadership

I consider having and doing spiritual practices, as one of the most important things a Christian leader can do because they determine the effectiveness and impact a leader will have. I’m convinced if a Christian leader is growing spiritually then the followers, ministry, and entire organization will function better. The opposite is also true, if a leader is not growing spiritually then leading becomes very difficult and ineffective. Having spiritual practices allows us to follow the successful formula when it comes to leading.  Here are some spiritual practices every Christian leader should have:

Drawing close- The desire of a Christian leader should be to draw closer to God. The book of James says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” This happens when a leader is intentional about connecting and walking closer to God. A leader’s potential is maximized when they are in close unity with God.

Reading- The most important book a Christian leader can read is the Bible. Taking the time to read, meditate, and study the Bible is a practice every leader needs to have. Reading the Bible allows God to speak, change, and develop us. This allows us to become more Christ like. It only happens when a leader takes the time to daily read the Bible. Along with the bible Christian leaders should read books that grow their faith.

Praying- This is such an important spiritual practice. The Bible says, “Devote yourselves to praying with an alert mind and a thankful heart” and “always be praying.” This goes past just praying in the morning into praying throughout the day. Christian leaders should pray in every circumstance and situation. Practicing continuing prayer allows us to be guided and directed by the wisdom and insights of God.

Drawing closer, reading, and praying are things every Christian leader knows are important. Often what can happen is we become so busy in leading and living our life that we lose focus of these simple spiritual practices. Regularly taking the time to do a self check and see how you’re doing in these areas is important.

Questions: What are some other spiritual practices of a Christian leader? Have you taken the time lately to evaluate your spiritual practices?   

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  • http://www.theanalogoustruth.wordpress.com/ Arny

    wow…great points Dan!

    I think taking a huge aspect in growing as a leader…is to know who you’re leading…

    make an effort to take your peeps out to lunch…or open your home doors for a little get together…and get to know you followers…

    make sure they know the We are all following Christ Together!…

    maybe they might be struggling with something and You can help! or know someone that can help!

    a leader grows spiritually when he invests in people…

    • Anonymous

      Arny,
      People is a huge factor when you want to grow spiritually. God often uses other people to speak into our life. Great points, thank you for sharing.

  • http://talesofwork.com kimanzi constable

    “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these will be added onto you”
    I think as Christian leaders we should seek our Lord and his Will for us and he’ll direct our path! One practical thing as a Christian leader is our testimony, we wouldn’t want to be a stumbling block to anyone else

    • Anonymous

      Kimanzi,
      What a great point, their is power in our testimony. Seeking God first is a must for any Christian person.

  • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

    Good points!
    I am always blown away about how God works similar things in all this people, God has been speaking to me lately about not being so busy leading and doing good things that I forget the fundamentals. He has also been speaking to me about prayer, in fact I just finished writing a post for next week about prayer!
    God is so awesome!

    • Anonymous

      Remembering the fundamentals is so important. I think we can forget some basic practices like praying or reading the bible because of busyness. But these are things we should daily practice and do. Looking forward to reading your post next week:)

      • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

        Thanks, I’m excited when I see God working and speaking in his people.

        I agree that it can get easy to grow lazy, it takes diligence.

        “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;” 2 Peter 1″5 KJV

        • Anonymous

          So true and what a great passage. I think it takes being intentional about daily focusing on and growing closer to God. It’s amazing how God uses His people. Thank you for discussion this topic with me.

          • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

            There is a book out that I am purchasing my husband for his birthday, it’s called “Becoming George Washington” by Glenn Beck. It is supposed to help teach people how to be a person of virtue- regardless of how the “world” wants to portray Washington, he was a spiritual man. Anyway, if you go to becominggeorgewashington.com there is a one year challenge on there that comes from the scripture in 2 peter. Glenn Beck is taking this challenge with everyone, it is designed for men to teach their sons how to live virtuously in this world (and how to be leaders). You might be interested.

            • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

              Sorry, I got the web address wrong. It’s http://www.beinggeorgewashington.com/

            • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

              Sorry, I got the web address wrong. It’s http://www.beinggeorgewashington.com/

            • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

              Sorry, I got the web address wrong. It’s http://www.beinggeorgewashington.com/

            • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

              Sorry, I got the web address wrong. It’s http://www.beinggeorgewashington.com/

            • Anonymous

              This sounds like a great book and study. Looking forward to checking it out. Thank you for sharing this resources.

              • http://tcavey.blogspot.com/ TCAvey

                You’re welcome. I only recently heard about this and its sounded so good I want to share it with everyone (I sure hope it is good)

  • http://www.wantonsoul.com/ Nowhere Man

    What if one does not know how to pray? Is there some alternative like.. I dunno, really strong wishful thinking or something..

    • Anonymous

      In this post I’m talking about a Christian leader who would know how to pray. Praying to me is like having a conversation with God. This is what I would say if I was talking to a person who does not know how to pray. I would not consider their to be an alternative to praying. Does this answer your question?

      • http://www.wantonsoul.com/ Nowhere Man

        Well, sort of.. conversation would suggest two-way communication of which I doubt many people are having with God no matter how spiritually-inclined they believe themselves to be. So, I was wondering if it would satisfy him to perhaps shape that precious energy in the form of thoughts aimed directly at his presence. Or does it have to be the whole get-down-on-your-knees and clasp your hands together bit. Since I am pretty much a raw heathen and still on the fence with this whole religion thing, I don’t think I am quite qualified to do that. So, I will not attempt to belittle this God with a fake prayer from a book I know nothing about. If instead he/it can somehow meet me halfway and perhaps accept me for who I am.. that would be sweet.

        • Anonymous

          Personally it feels like a conversation when I speak to God, though he does not speak to me(Through words) I feel Him listening and know he hears me. I think you have a right preservative when you “shape that precious energy in the form of thoughts aimed directly at his presence.” I know this is true with myself. I would not recommend the get-down-on-your-knees and clap approach:) It might scare some people.

          Bro, God is here for you. No matter if you know that fully or not. He is totally wanting to get to know you and show you who He is. I don’t know if you know this or not but God sent Jesus to this earth so He could die on a cross for our sins( Everyone’s) and he want to know you. I think it might help if you take time to study the bible and get around Christian people(The down to earth one’s) I know as you draw closer to your understanding of God, He’s going to meet you.

          Feel free to ask me any more questions or share about anything. Looking forward to connecting more with you.

          • http://www.wantonsoul.com/ Nowhere Man

            For the record I consider myself neither Believer nor Atheist. I’m just good ol’ fashioned raw heathen. God/No God, who cares. It is all a pointless endeavor to discover an enigmatic truth that will forever remain a mystery to all. Through my travels I encountered a small bible group in Malibu that has quite simply stolen my heart. They have accepted me for who I am despite our vast theological differences. It is for this reason only that I have decided to give this book a try. I wouldn’t get too excited about it, though. I apply the same effort into discovering the Atheist point of view. If I ever choose a direction it will be a fair and deliberate decision based on information gathered equally from both sides. I don’t want any holes in my belief. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions which I am sure are considerably beneath your level of teachings. I really appreciate it, and it has given me a lot to think about.

            • Anonymous

              Great to hear you have found a group of people you can learn from and who do not judge others. Hope you enjoy your discovery journey. I hope my blog can help you become a better leader and person. Have a great week.

  • http://www.thedeterminedchristian.com/ Susan

    I would add listening to your list. Look at your reply to Nowhere Man – you listened and were able to answer him with love and leadership. Listening is paramount to being able to lead. God bless you Dan!

    • Anonymous

      Susan,
      Good addition and thank you for the complement.

  • http://billgrandi.com/ bill (cycleguy)

    Sorry I am late to this party Dan. Was at a one day gathering called The Elephant Room. I do not have time to read all the comments so I am adding Take counsel with others. If it has already been added my apologies.

    • Anonymous

      Bill,
      Your not late, your right on time. Getting counsel with others is so important. It’s going in the next part of the series. Thank you for adding to the discussion.

  • http://About.me/marcmillan Marc Millan

    These are crucial and essential. Sitting in silence, sometimes we have so much to ask and share with God but don’t take enough time to sit and listen to God.
    M_

    • Anonymous

      Marc,
      what a valuable point. Taking time to wait and listen to God is so important. I found this is hard for me (leaders) to do because so much about what leaders do is saying and doing that it can be hard to stop and listen to God. Thank you for sharing.

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