The Blog

Thoughts and Musings from City of Refuge Church

Being a Leader


As a young boy, I was told that there were two types of people in the world: leaders and followers. Only I could decide which one I wanted to be. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what it meant. Soon it was apparent that following the wrong people led down the wrong path. If I just followed anyone then I would be headed where they are going and that often proved unwise. We must eventually become our own person and not depend on everyone or go along with just anyone.

It was not until my late teens that I began to realize that the only way to be a good leader is to follow the right people or person. It’s common that the primary individual we follow is ourselves. Yet, our hearts are deceitfully corrupt. Following the voice within leads to destruction because it ends in self-absorption. Many believe that looking out for number one is the best policy. Trust no one. Lead yourself. Do whatever seems right. This can result in the belief that there is no right or wrong. Whatever I want to do is the definition of right. Of course, all of this thinking is what is wrong with the world.

Years ago some young guys (known as the twelve disciples) that were nobodies began to follow a Person (Jesus Christ). Actually, they were asked to follow although He knew that they were not prestigious in society. In fact, the invitation was to leave their entire way of life behind. No more following the voice within. The beauty of the situation is that none of them understood until the very end of the three-year journey that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Through their loyalty to Him, the whole world changed.

Rather than speaking to the entire planet in an arena at one time or taking several lifetimes to talk to thousands one on one, Christ chose a dozen young men to pour His life into for a few years that they would lead a movement of love, grace, and truth. Each Christ follower is a minister/missionary. As the City of Refuge, we seek to equip everyone to maturity in the faith. We know that being a mature leader means following. Not following self but the Savior of the world. We can never stop developing as a leader, but we can follow the wrong voice. Do you want to learn more about becoming a leader in order to make an impact in this world? Contact us.