“Thundercats roar!!!” “To infinity and beyond!” “I stand for truth, justice, and the American way.” “Cowabunga!” “Make it so.” All of these catchphrases freshly bring to mind great heroes of my childhood. From Lion-O to Captain Picard, I can’t help but be mesmerized by their ability to lead their team through challenges to a victory by the end of an episode. I understand that this is just fantasy. Real heroes make a life-changing difference in others’ lives. Real heroes lead us all to a higher plane of understanding what is truly important.
It would be wise for us to pick out a few Biblical heroes to model. Personally, I can’t help but pick Peter. I identify the most with Peter as a leader for several reasons. Peter had his high successful moments and his low, struggling moments. That’s me, and it might be you too. I believe Peter possesses leadership qualities that we should implement into our own leadership context. Let’s examine three different stages in Peter’s life that demonstrate his development as a leader.
Stage 1: Peter the Protagonist – When reading all four Gospels, its evident Jesus is the main protagonist; however, Peter also stands out as one of the leading characters in the fourfold narrative. When Peter is called to follow Jesus, he and his brother immediately leave their nets and follow Him (Matthew 4:20). Thus begins Peter’s discipleship with Jesus. Subsequently, also beginning Peter’s leadership training. While Peter’s leadership among the apostles is not an official position, we can notice Peter’s leadership within the group. Peter was always the first on the list of apostles. Always present in pivotal moments and was always one who would speak up with questions and comments about what unfolded around Him. At some level, Peter must have had the ability to influence others and lead. This characteristic may have been why Jesus called him. Jesus’ ministry was all about “seeking and saving those who were lost” (Luke 19:10). Peter must have had the ability to reach people who were lost, and Jesus wanted to develop it further. Peter provides a great example of someone possessing the ability and being willing to refine it and train to develop it further. We would be wise to follow his example of continuing to develop our abilities as leaders.
Stage 2: Peter the Preacher – When reading the book of Acts, we notice how Peter is a significant player in the efforts of preaching the gospel. Peter’s preaching demonstrates excellent leadership. He usually seems to be the most vocal; however, we should notice that he never preaches alone. On Pentecost, “Peter stands up with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them” (Acts 2:14). After healing the lame man, Peter and John address the people, “why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?” (Acts 3:12). When the Sanhedrin demanded them to stop preaching, “Peter and John answered and said to them, “…for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19). When Peter travels to Caesarea to preach to Cornelius and his family “some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him” (Acts 10:23). This stage of Peter’s life is where we can see him in his prime as a gospel preacher, but it’s never a role he does alone. Peter provides a great example of how a leader needs a team with him accomplishing the task together. We would be wise to follow his example of forming a team to achieve goals together.
Stage 3: Peter the Pastor – When reading the letters of Peter, we notice perhaps a new stage in his life, that of a pastor. In 1 Peter 5:1, he describes himself as a “fellow elder” when exhorting the other elders among his readership. Furthermore, Peter provides guidance for how an elder should fulfill this role. Peter understands that shepherds are given a high calling. Based on what He writes throughout 1 Peter, I believe he provides us with a solid foundation for who is to lead the church and how it is to be done. Peter provides us a great example of how a leader can influence other leaders in being effective leaders. We would be wise to challenge other leaders to improve as leaders.
There is much to learn from Peter as a leader. These three stages in Peter’s life demonstrate how leadership is a process. No one should ever evaluate their leadership efforts and feel a sense of finality. Good leaders look to move to various stages to further develop their power of influence. An excellent question to consider would be: What stage are you in? Are you continuing to develop your abilities as a leader? Are you forming a team to accomplish goals together? Are you challenging another leader to improve as a leader?
I love you,
Alex