Dare Great Things For Christ

St. Paul the Apostle was an incredible leader in his own right.  Before dying he left his legacy in writing both to St. Timothy and to St. Titus.  In this second part of this series on his First Letter to St. Timothy we see Paul express the importance of leadership and the specific contribution to Christian leadership for everyone in the world.  As Paul encourage Timothy so also he encourages us today.

Sacred scripture is replete with references to leadership.  And the wisdom of the Saints such as St. Paul can have great impact for the leaders of today.  What does St. Paul leave behind him?  In this series on the First Letter of St. Paul to Timothy I want to examine the lessons in leadership that Paul bequeaths to his young follower.  In chapter one we see Paul leaving a legacy of character based leadership that must both maintain the old and bring it to the new.

Even though written fifteen hundred years ago, Pope St. Gregory The Great’s landmark treatise on the rule of shepherds continues to provide valuable insight to us today on what it means to lead.  Notably he says that leaders have to be virtuous.  Why is this?  What’s the role of virtue in leadership?  This last class in this series closes out our treatment of this great document by comparing the virtuous rule with the rule of the wicked.

Leaders know that they’re talented.  You know that you have gifts that you are called to share.  But how do you stay humble?  Is it ever okay to refuse the honor of leadership out of a sense of deference or humility?  And on the other hand is it ever okay to accept to lead because you know that you are the best one for the job?  These are the questions that St. Gregory The Great treats in chapters 5, 6, and 7 of his book, “Regula Pastoralis”, that is, “A Rule For Shepherds.”

Leadership is a challenge for all of us for many reasons but almost every leader complains of being distracted.  Not being able to focus on what they have to do and sometimes being overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of the problems before them.  You might be interested to know that the same complaint was shared by a pope, Pope St. Gregory The Great.  In his book, “On The Rule Of Shepherds” he writes about this and about how to overcome it by the grace of God.

St. Gregory The Great lived a very long time ago but his words remain important for us today.  Even though he was a Pope and a Bishop he was first and foremost a leader.  His book, “On The Rule Of Shepherds” is a hallmark on leadership from the middle ages to today.  Looking at this book can give us insights into what Christ asks for those that follow Him by leading others.

One of the biggest challenges a leader has is the fact that everyone of us is responsible for the decisions that the people under us will make.  How can I help the people that I lead make good decisions?  St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica writes a great deal about making choices.  By following his teaching we can have an insight that will help us to make good decisions.

Of all the kings of the Old Testament King Solomon stands apart.  His reign was stupendous.  His wisdom very deep.  His success by worldly standards was unparalleled.  And yet he fell and he fell mightily.  What can we learn from his example?  An example of a talented man, extremely wise and extremely successful, but whose lack of virtue gets the better of him.

Among the saints in the New Testament Saint Paul stands apart.  He was successful in ways that we can’t even measure.  He was the apostle to the Gentiles, the founder of churches, and the model for evangelizers.  But Saint Paul also knew hard times: riots, anxieties, afflictions, imprisonment.  What can we learn from the things the Bible shows us where Saint Paul knew not only victory but defeat.

Sometimes leaders feel like they have to be perfect.  It can be good, however, to study the times that leaders aren’t perfect.  Seeing that God shows mercy to us even when we are imperfect can encourage us to continue to lead even during difficult times.  In Part 3 of our series “Where Leaders Fail” we read about Moses.  Just like we can learn from his wonderful deeds, we can also learn from his weaknesses.