Jesus looked at the crowds and said they were “like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:35-38). That statement is striking because it was not spoken in a leadership vacuum. There were plenty of people in positions of authority – Pharisees, religious experts, political rulers, even the Romans. Yet Jesus said the people still lacked leadership. Not authority, not organization, but true spiritual leadership.
Why? Because true spiritual leadership is not defined by position, personality or power. It is defined by movement in the purposes of God.
Jesus was deeply moved with compassion for the people because they had no healthy leadership that was actually taking them somewhere. They were being managed, instructed, regulated and controlled – but they were not being led. So His first instruction to the disciples was not to design better systems, but to cry out to God. The need was not for more authority structures. The need was for leaders shaped by God.
Many people assume leadership means being the boss, giving orders, solving problems, or having a strong and exciting personality. Others think leadership is primarily about caring for people, keeping things running smoothly, or making sure everyone is happy. All of those things have value, but none of them define leadership.
At its core, leadership means movement. Leaders bring change. Leaders help people move from where they are to where God is calling them to be.
This is where many Christian leaders become confused and frustrated. They believe that being a leader means personally solving every problem, meeting every need, enforcing every policy, and smoothing every conflict. If that is our focus, what is the best outcome we can hope for? Problems get solved – and we stay exactly where we are. The church or ministry is maintained, but it does not advance.
Maintaining the present is not leadership. It is stewardship, administration, and care – all important, all necessary, but not leadership.
Leadership asks a different question. Not “How do we keep this working?” but “Where must we move?” When leadership is present, people do not simply feel cared for; they are being led forward. There is direction, momentum and transformation in the purposes of God.
Jesus did not deny the importance of caring for people. He was the most compassionate leader who ever lived. But His compassion always moved people somewhere – toward repentance, faith, obedience, maturity, vision and the Kingdom of God.
True spiritual leadership is not about preserving comfort, maintaining control, solving problems or meeting needs. It is about guiding God’s people into God’s purposes. When leadership is present, there is movement. And when there is no movement, no matter how busy or well-organized we are, leadership is absent.
This article is very rich in correcting many misconceptions. The point I want to emphasize most is that a leader is not merely a manager who oversees things. A healthy leader is one who creates movement led by the Holy Spirit toward people.
Leadership is about guiding people toward Jesus, His purposes, and His character, not merely producing human solutions to problems or meeting needs through human effort.
A healthy leader follows the Holy Spirit’s guidance in their personal life as well as in the lives of their spiritual children. And by “children,” I mean that I believe leadership involves being a spiritual father or mother, ready to sacrifice personal interests and time for the sake of others—not seeing people as tasks or duties, but as a calling and a ministry from the Lord.
The matter is deeper than simply “working a job for the Lord.” It is about aligning with God’s intent, vision, and purposes in the lives of people. When we are united with the heart of the Lord, we begin to see people through His eyes and receive for them from Him. This requires time and paths that are not easy.
Often, some leaders take the easier path: less effort, less risk, and less testing.
Yet, every time I felt discouraged by my spiritual children, I also rejoiced that they were my children. And when I go to Jesus, He asks me:
"If Ahmed were your child, what would you do?"
Then my heart is filled with renewed maternal compassion. I realize that these are not my own emotions, but the very heart of the Lord.
In this article, for the first time, I understood deeply what it means that Jesus was moved with compassion. It is not mere feelings, but a heart of mercy and tender care for the condition of humanity, because people do not know God’s intent. Many are lost on the earth, carrying painful experiences from ministers or Christian communities, unaware of Jesus’ mindset, and trying to reach Him from a place of depletion and human effort.
This grieves the heart. This is the true compassion of Jesus:
a compassion that leads to repentance, transformation, forgiveness, and spiritual progress.
It is not about simply satisfying someone’s needs without receiving direction from the Holy Spirit: what to do, when, and how.
Sometimes leaders serve in this way because they are faithful, but this does not produce disciples or leaders—it may even keep people stunted in spiritual maturity.
Finally, the verse that caught my attention is Jesus’ saying:
"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."
I used to hear this verse frequently in ministry programs, often used as a call to send out more missionaries, because we need more workers. But I realized that Jesus’ intent is deeper. He seeks true workers: leaders who have time to make disciples, not relying only on experience, but learning to receive from the Holy Spirit how to minister uniquely to each person.
This is a tremendous effort, and that is why Jesus said the workers are few.
My prayer for myself and for you is that we may truly be among these few leaders, and that the Lord will grant us heavenly wisdom, guiding us through His Spirit and His Word.
In Jesus’ name. 🙏
"When leadership is present, there is movement. And when there is no movement, no matter how busy or well-organized we are, leadership is absent."
This phrase right here! This is what everything boils down to. It is as simple and as hard as this. No wonder Jesus said to pray to the Lord of the harvest when he made the statement. Shepherding presupposes direction and direction makes leadership possible. When sheep are left to themselves they wander busy going nowhere. How accurately does this describe what we see in our respective contexts. Busy-ness is the reason why leaders can't build leaders and yet when you look closely, you can't help but wander where everyone is going. May God grant us the humility to seek alignment with his heart over the nice things that leadership demands.