In recent days, I’ve begun re-reading Dan Allender’s book Leading With A Limp—a book that was given to me about a decade ago by a good friend. As I read, I was reminded of a concept Allender introduced that resonated with me at a deep place then and still resounds now … namely the idea of “reluctant leadership.”
Allender talks about how leadership is not a walk in the park. While there are some wonderful benefits and blessings that come with the territory of leadership, it is itself a costly and exhausting endeavor. If you lead, you will eventually encounter a Peter—someone you were counting on who lets you down at a critical time. You will encounter a Judas—someone you’ve journeyed with and considered a friend who chooses to betray you and actively work for your downfall. You will periodically find yourselves in situations where you have to summon emotional energy you don’t feel like is within you to offer. There will be moments where you will want to run for the hills.
A great biblical example of a reluctant leader is Moses who, when God appeared to him in the burning bush, expressed great reticence and offered up every excuse in the book as to why He wasn’t the right man for the job. Moses had a hunch that when God tapped him on the shoulder for the task He had in mind, He wasn’t necessarily doing Him any favors.
That’s because leadership, by its very nature, is a very public enterprise, as it involves influencing and mobilizing people in pursuit of a vision or goal—something that cannot be done in a hidden or private manner. In leadership, your weaknesses will be exposed … your flaws will be uncovered … and your insecurities will be brought to light. The leader will periodically find him/herself in situations where there is no clear-cut right and wrong, but yet a decision is required—a decision that will disappoint some people he/she cares deeply about and will often result in relational rupture as they detach or distance themselves. The leader will find him/herself in situations where his/her character will be questioned and actions will be misunderstood, and where to try to correct those misperceptions or inaccuracies will come off as defensiveness and to not respond will be perceived as detachment and indifference. Leadership is a most taxing venture that is not for the faint of heart.
Which brings me back to Allender’s idea of “reluctant leadership.” It is his belief that leadership, while having some distinct difficulties that come with the territory, also has some unique temptations—namely power, pride, and ambition. But he believes the person who steps into the arena of leadership reluctantly and warily—who has done his/her best to not be there but simply cannot escape the feeling that God, for whatever reason, wants him/her to embrace this responsibility—is one who will not easily be enticed and seduced by these things, thus helping to safeguard and protect the character and quality of the leadership he/she has to offer.
Part of the reason I resonate with this concept is because I can identify with these feelings. I wasn’t one of these kids who was active in student government or always running for class officer when I was in school. I wasn’t feeling disincluded if I wasn’t the captain of the team … or in charge of the event … or able to have a seat at the table where my voice could be heard. And growing up in church, I saw power misused by a few exploitative folks who utilized the church to build a personal kingdom. It always left a nasty and unseemly taste in my mouth to where I wanted as little to do with church politics as possible.
But in some ways, reluctance may make one a better leader, for he/she won’t be as likely to be sucked in by the pull to accumulate and hoard power. In fact, I think reluctant leaders are probably better at empowering those around them and giving power away—because they are uniquely sensitive to power’s contaminating and corrupting ability. They are more immune to pride’s tantalizations, for one of the characteristics of prideful people is they require a community of folks to idolize and congratulate them. I’ve seen people enter ministry not so much because they were called by God but because it gave them a context where their pride could be nurtured. And what inevitably happened is when some of the aforementioned difficulties came, they bailed … typically leaving confused and bewildered people in their wake.
In 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, the apostle Paul wrote, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (NIV). I’m convinced a relevant application and pertinent example of this principle lies in the fact that God often does some of His best work not through naturally gifted leaders, but through reluctant ones—those who at some level go kicking and screaming into the arena. For, as Allender says, “The more passionately a leader tries to flee but is cornered by God to serve in leadership, the more clearly she understands that her service is an exposure of her weakness and a revelation of God’s goodness” (p. 23). And that, at least in the local church and Kingdom circles, is what we should want our leadership to be.