By: Pastor Ty Houghtaling

I googled leadership, here is a quick summary of a source on the subject that turned up. In 2023 a joint project between U.S. News and The Harris Poll, surveyed 2,100 American adults asking them to assess the state of leadership in the country – from the government to the corporate world. The results showed that Americans are down on business leaders in society and even more frustrated with political leadership.

The overwhelming, more than 80% of those surveyed basically said that they didn’t see any leaders in their immediate environment that I aspired to be. Why isn’t there more reliable admirable leaders? Leadership is hard. There is certainly plenty of critics and not nearly enough grace and that could be part of the problem. Unfortunately, there is also a lack of interest in understanding Jesus as a leader. I am thinking through His leadership attributes.

I am trying to be like Jesus as a leader and I have found it is not easy. He knew intimate details of people’s lives. He knew the “why did they do that”; and “what needs to be said right now to address the issue?”, answers, and answers to all the other questions and concerns facing leaders. He knew because He knew. John 2:24-25 says, “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.” I am not Jesus and though I try and be like Him, sometimes I try harder than other times, leading like Jesus is difficult. The world would have leaders lead out in certain ways while Jesus gave us a different model.

I am trying to learn it, apply it, and even teach it. Maybe if we all considered His model and implemented it in our families, churches, communities, and the world, we would see different survey data, data that might indicate that we have no shortage of leaders and that would confirm that there are leaders at every business and in every church that are admirable and worth following.

Until then, I and the men I admire, will keep trying to lead like Jesus and God willing our efforts will make a difference. I’d like to know who do you admire as a leader and why? Email me at ty@fbcartesia.org, I am always looking for examples of people living like Jesus.

Ty Houghtaling is the Pastor at the First Baptist Church in Artesia.