Leadership Expectations (1 Thessalonians 2:5-9)

Posted on October 5, 2017 Updated on October 4, 2017

What’s appropriate behaviour & motivation for church leaders?

Sadly we live in an age of celebrity leaders spurred on by the power of media such as television, books, audio, podcasts, vodcasts & social media. With this notoriety comes the potential pitfalls of financial gain, aloofness, opulence, self-serving agendas or teachings…

We already know from 1Thessalonians 2:4 that Paul and his team as leaders in God’s church, were motivated by pleasing God, and not by trying to people-please. Now in verses 5-10 we discover that these leaders were also not self-pleasing but rather self-sacrificial in nature.

They did not flatter people so as to manipulate them for their own advancement. They did not have a motive of greed or financial gain, and they did not seek their own fame and glory, or the adulation from people. Paul writes how God is their witness in these things…

Rather as godly leaders in this context they were;

Gentle: they didn’t wield their authority but gently appealed to people’s consciences (2 Corinthians 4:2) as they lead them. (vs7)
Caring: they loved sacrificially like a mother, caring always for those they’d been charged by God to lead by serving. (vs7)
Authentic: they didn’t just share their words/ideas but shared their whole lives with those they lead. They lived revealed, transparent accountable lives with those they lead. (vs8)
Sacrificial: they were bi-vocational, preaching while also working to raise money so as to not be too much of a burden on this young church plant in Thessalonica (vs9-10)

These are the types of attitudes and actions that can be expected of godly leadership. Godly leaders are not perfect, but they are to represent Christ who was all of these things in the extreme.

There is no place for leaders in God’s church who are harsh, unloving, seeking-fame, unauthentic, aloof or self-serving. Such characteristics ought to be lovingly challenged, repented of and turned away from.

Leaders get their marching orders from Jesus Christ who is the ultimate example of sacrificial love, authenticity and integrity and a gentleness that never compromised but always cared and loved for even the most unlovely.