Thoughts on leadership

Regional Minister the Revd Mary Taylor has been sharing thoughts on leadership through her local newspaper group in Wakefield:-

THE Tory Party leadership contest continues; now whittled down to two who will campaign and face examination by MPs as well as the grassroots party supporters. For those who are not Conservatives the process is not theirs to take part in but the results will be just as significant, as whichever contender wins becomes our prime minister.

A story in the history books of the Bible tells us how the famous King David was chosen. He was one of eight sons of Jesse, who were all presented one by one. The eldest, the tallest, the strongest and so on but in each case, God speaks to Samuel, the prophet, saying ‘human beings look on the outside, God looks on the heart’. This continues until David, the youngest and just a boy, is brought in from the low-grade task of watching sheep and is chosen and anointed king.

The Bible doesn’t seek to hide the fact that David was very much less than perfect. However, he remains someone whose heart turns to more than personal ambition and advancement. For Christians and for many others the ultimate example of character and leadership is found in Jesus, who attracted many followers with his wisdom, humour and compassion, yet was ultimately tested to ‘lay down his life’ for others’ sake.

Jesus regularly pointed out where human or religious systems were oppressive of the poor or the stranger and got into trouble for it. In particular, in the great reversal of what we humans see as success, Jesus became a scapegoat, putting on show the scapegoating tendency in all of us, and especially in the powerful. Leadership is a tough and complex task but when we choose our leaders we need to make sure we look on their heart.