Leading Through The Jesus Model

We often run so breathlessly through our routines that we miss the sacred Selah moments — the pauses necessary to understand how God is shaping our days. True learning, and true leading, is rarely just about accumulating authority; it is about shifting our perspective to understand the quiet mechanics of the world around us.

When we examine the most enduring legacy of leadership in human history, we find a quiet architecture built on relationships, observation, and shared life: the Jesus Model.

The Jesus Model of leadership teaches us the complex layers of identifying, inspiring, influencing, and impacting those we lead.

Identify: Seeing Beyond the Surface

Jesus had a remarkably keen ability to identify potential. He didn’t headhunt from the elite academies or seek out the culturally powerful. Instead, he chose twelve men from incredibly diverse backgrounds — fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot. He understood their capacity for growth and commitment long before they did.

Action Steps:

• Diversify your team intentionally — choose individuals from various sectors and backgrounds.
• Map the landscape of the individual — identify specific strengths, weaknesses, and passions.
• Value posture over pedigree — look first for a teachable attitude and a willing, learning spirit.

Inspire: The Alignment of Word and Deed

Inspiration in the Jesus Model wasn’t manufactured through hype; it was cultivated through profound authenticity. Jesus inspired his disciples through a seamless alignment of his actions, teachings, and personal example. He consistently displayed love, compassion, and humility, which naturally motivated his disciples to follow him.

Action Steps:

• Lead by example — never ask your team to go where you are not willing to walk yourself.
• Impart wisdom — teach not just the how of a task, but the why behind the mission.
• Share experiences — allow your own journey, including your failures, to be a textbook for your team.

Influence: The Power of Proximity

Influence cannot be exercised from a distance. Jesus exerted a profound influence on his disciples precisely because he invested heavily in building relationships with them. He spent significant, unhurried time with them: eating, traveling, teaching, and mentoring.

Action Steps:

• Prioritize relationship building — make time for connection that exists outside of pure productivity.
• Commit to mentorship — walk alongside your team members, offering guidance tailored to their specific life stages.
• Balance discipline with love — correct gently when necessary, ensuring every challenge is rooted in care.

Impact: Creating a Lasting Ripple Effect

The ultimate goal of the Jesus Model is not to create lifelong followers, but to forge impactful leaders. Jesus’ leadership had a lasting, transformative impact because he consistently challenged his disciples’ limiting beliefs, pushed them out of their comfort zones, and called them to a higher standard.

He didn’t just give them a philosophy; he gave them a job. Jesus empowered his disciples to continue his mission, granting them the authority to heal, restore, and proclaim the good news.

Action Steps:

• Deploy your team — send them on short mission trips or focused projects to test their wings.
• Delegate real authority — give them meaningful tasks required to actually finish the work.
• Foster accountability — challenge them to maintain and review personal and spiritual goal sheets.
• Create platforms for growth — provide consistent opportunities for them to stretch and improve their gifts.

Impartation: The Testimony of Youth Alive

The principles of the Jesus Model aren’t just ancient history to me; they are the living, breathing foundation of my life’s work. I serve as the youth pastor for the largest youth group in the country, a vibrant community called Youth Alive. Every single Saturday night, 700 young people gather together.

Over the years, we have had the profound privilege of shaping countless young lives for Jesus. But this harvest is not an accident. The incredible leaders who came before me dedicated themselves to mentoring the next generation, meticulously following the Jesus model of leadership. I am a product of that mentorship. Because they took the time to identify, inspire, influence, and impact me, I am now equipped to model that exact same rhythm for the hundreds of young people walking through our doors today.