Leaders aren’t perfect. They’re people. Being a good leader doesn’t mean you have no struggles. It doesn’t mean you don’t make mistakes. It means you don’t let struggles rule you, and you clean up your messes. It means where there’s a place of weakness, you seek the source of strength. It means where there’s the slightest brokenness in your life, you do not ignore it, sweep it under the rug, etc. You model for all the other imperfect people how an imperfect person can seek the healer and walk in transformation and wholeness. Good leaders are honest. Good leaders don’t pretend to be perfect. Good leaders don’t let the weight of expectation of the people crush them to fit into a cookie cutter mold of perfection to keep appearances. The best kind of leaders are real people with real struggles who let the Holy Spirit call them on the carpet to deal with their junk. Good leaders deal with their junk vs. pretending they don’t have any.
The church and the world are crying out for real leaders with real hearts who have the strength of character to admit when they are wrong, repent, and walk in wholeness. Leaders who lead with love and purity instead of an ego or image. Leaders who model a life of humility and grace. Leaders who lean. We need more leaders like this. And God is raising them up.