How to Lead Like Jesus and Give Away Authority

 BY GREGORY GIBSON

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Leadership is an interesting thing. It is sort of an oxymoron for the follower of Jesus. In our flesh, we want more leadership, because that means more power, more resources at our disposal, and yes, even more authority (both in an organization and in the lives of other people).

Ironically, the more authority we hold onto, the less we are actually leading like Jesus. We become afraid to lose power and lose control. We are always tempted, in our sin nature, to hold onto authority—even to the detriment of others that we are leading. But when it comes to giving away authority, the opposite begins to unfold in our lives and leadership. When we give away authority as leaders, we actually begin to flourish as leaders. And the more authority we give away, the more we are looking like Jesus in our leadership. In fact, we do this with our lives. We give all authority in our lives to the Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16). And when we do, it leads to the path of flourishing. 

Here are a few more thoughts on giving away authority:

ONE: Jesus was given all authority

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said that “all authority” has been given to him by the Father. This was clear in the mission that he gave to the church. No person, no pastor, no church leader, and no theologian has decided upon the mission of Christ’s church. It is Jesus himself that has created the mission, because he was given authority to do so by the Father. 

Furthermore, Christ demonstrated authority in his earthly ministry. He healed the sick, he casted out demons, and he performed miracles—even raising Lazarus from the dead. In this way, he was showing his authority over both this world and the Kingdom of God. Jesus is also the head of the church. He is our chief shepherd. He is our conquering King. He is the alpha and omega. He is the Lord of lords. All things were made for him. All things were made through him. He was in the beginning with God. He is, in every way, the most authoritative person in the history of the world.  

TWO: Jesus gave away authority everywhere

However, he did not keep this authority for himself. He demonstrated it, but then he gave it away. In fact, I would argue that Jesus has also given more authority away than any person in the history of the world. 

World leaders keep their authority like it is the most precious of metals. 

Jesus gives away like it is the most precious of gifts. 

Beginning with the disciples, he gives them (through the power of the Holy Spirit) authority to perform miracles, authority to preach the gospel, authority to plant churches, and yes, authority to carry out his mission in the world. He also gives authority to you and to me. As our Great Mediator, we have been given this beautiful doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. This show that we are all equal and that we all have access to God through Christ. We have also been given unique gifts to build up the body of Christ, each person given permission to use their gifts for God’s glory and our collective good. 

THREE: We want to give away decision-making authority 

We know that we are supposed to give away authority, but how do we do so? I think the model of our leadership should always be after Jesus himself. Jesus gave us what is known as “Commanders Intent.” In other words, our mission is to go and make disciples of all nations. We know our mission. He modeled it for us. However, he never told us exactly how we are supposed to do so. This “Commanders Intent” puts the onus on us. In this way, Jesus gives us authority to make decisions regarding philosophy of ministry and even contextual matters.

In the same way, we should be liberally giving away decision-making authority. In our teams, people should understand commanders intent, but they should always be given the ability to navigate to the end goal on their own. This is empowerment in leadership. When you create the path for your team, you are clipping their wings. When you allow them to figure out “the how,” even if it is different than how you would do it, then you are releasing your team to its greatest collective potential. 

FOUR: We want to receive more spiritual authority

As I mentioned above, Jesus is the most authoritative figure in all of history. He is the Chief Architect, but not the Chief Micromanager. In fact, what we are after is what Jesus is all about. Our desire as pastors and leaders (and this is where the pastor-leader relationship comes together) is to have spiritual authority in the lives of our teams and people. 

This comes with the right posture of humility. It comes over time. And it comes with a servant’s posture. We can have spiritual authority in the pulpit (especially if this is all our people see of us), but that is not, nor should be, the desire of our leadership. Our people should hear us in the pulpit and watch our lives in real time. These two things coming together will create a spiritual authority in our leadership. 

FIVE: The more authority we give away, the more authority we receive

This is the irony of leadership for me, and I have seen this over and over again in my life. The more authority I give away, the more spiritual authority I receive from others. The more I allow others to make decisions, to feel heard, to have their voices and their vote matter, the more I have seen my authority rise in my teams and the people I lead. 

Again, I can’t help but bring our attention back to the model Jesus has put before us. All authority has been given to him, but he gives us all authority to act in his stead. In this way, we are truly his vice regents on this earth. We are citizens of a greater Kingdom, who have been given authority to take more ground for this greater Kingdom. In this way, when we liberally give away authority, we are truly leading like Jesus leads.