I have been at High Pointe over 14 years. One of the challenges at this church—and any church I’ve been in—is raising up qualified leaders: faithful men who are able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Over the years we have sought ways to identify such men. As I have thought through this with our elders and with the scriptural qualifications in mind, I came up with a helpful and memorable way to talk about it as elders and as a church. That’s where the leadership formula came from; it’s a concise, helpful and memorable way to talk about the kinds of men we should consider for leadership in the church.

Leadership is important because the ascended Christ leads his church through human leaders (1 Peter 5:1-4). Jesus has structured his church for mission by laying the foundation of the apostles and prophets, giving the church evangelists that spread that gospel and providing pastors and teachers who will regularly teach and preach the gospel that is used by the church to build itself up into Christlikeness (Ephesians 4:11-16).

In one sense the Lord established leadership in the world and in the church. All leadership is meant to reflect God’s government over the world—loving, caring, protective leadership. Unfortunately, the fall has affected leadership. As a result, leadership can be either passive or abusive at the extremes. 

Worldly leadership is guided by sin, primarily selfish ambition and gain. Godly leadership, on the other hand, is guided by the Spirit and operates on the basis of divine wisdom (James 3:13-18). Godly leadership leads, protects and provides as Christ leads, protects and provides for his church. 

The primary leadership problem, in any context, is sin—using leadership for selfish ambition and gain. When leadership is reflective of the fall, it will be either passive or abusive. Both extremes are witnessed in the church. 

Of course, this can happen when churches affirm unqualified, ungodly leaders. That’s why the leadership formula is so important. Not that it is a panacea for the leadership problem, but it will help identify those men who are faithful and able to teach.

At High Pointe, we utilize the leadership formula in a way that it has become the language of the elders. We also hope it has become the language of the church. So, whenever we present elder candidates to the church, we remind them of the four C’s they should be observing over time in order that these men have credibility.

Many leadership books focus on how to lead: casting vision, developing strategies, etc. “The Leadership Formula” focuses on who should lead.

My hope is that churches and church leadership teams will be better equipped to identify faithful men who will be able to lead their churches. Additionally, I hope that all men would be able to read the book and come away thinking, “This is the kind of Christian man I want to be.”