In his instructions to his protégé Titus, the Apostle Paul outlined essential qualifications of a church leader:

“For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.” (Titus 1:7-8, ESV)

While I am reluctant to conflate church and state as it feeds the disastrous Christian Nationalism narrative, I believe that important elements of Paul’s criteria for elders can be extended to leadership excellence and effectiveness in the political arena.

A virtuous leader – regardless of the domain – provides an example of how we are to treat and respect others. He (or she) is not, for example, “arrogant or quick-tempered.” That is, he does not assume himself to be the smartest person in the room. He is not only willing to listen but actively seeks to leverage the wisdom of others. Importantly, he is not “violent” or abusive to those who fail to fall to their knees before him.

Instead, a leader should be “hospitable” – welcoming the opportunity to engage with those to be led in a “self-controlled and disciplined” manner – demonstrating goodness, integrity and humility.

In an earlier post, I pointed to King Solomon’s wisdom and humility as virtuous traits of an effective leader of men. Needless to say, Solomon’s humility dissipated in the face of wealth and women, precipitating the fracture of Israel. Perhaps we can see similar traits in would-be leaders of today.

Many great leaders of the Bible were indeed flawed, but were humbled and repentant when confronted with their sin. Moses, for instance, led Israel out of captivity in Egypt demonstrating faith, compassion and obedience to God’s will. Yet he equivocated on more than one occasion – his trust in God wavering as he doubted his ability to deliver on what God was commanding. Needless to say, he found that trust.

From his youth, King David maintained a deep connection with God. He was gifted with bravery, conviction, compassion and faith. And, like most, he was burdened by pride. David was both an adulterer and murderer. He needed God’s help to see his sin. But once he did, David was repentant. He found God’s mercy and grace to be prodigious. David was promised that his descendant would sit on the throne over God’s people for eternity.

The Apostle Peter was a flawed man. Yet Jesus calls on Peter to “Feed my sheep.” Peter was asked to carry the Gospel to the Jews – the very people who crucified the Son of God. Why? Because despite his many missteps, Peter did not wallow in self-pity. He did not blame others or circumstances. He accepted responsibility and grew. That is what virtuous leaders do.

Perhaps the greatest lesson – the most powerful example ever given in leadership – is that provided by none other than Jesus Christ. That lesson is this: ultimately, leaders are servants – whether such service is as humble as washing the feet of His apostles, or as momentous as satisfying God’s wrath as the propitiation for the sins of His creation through death on the cross.

Scripture is clear that virtuous leadership is a function of character. Integrity, faithfulness, trust, humility, self-control, truth and compassion are among those qualities that make a leader virtuous and effective. Arrogance, greed, self-righteousness, falsehoods and a lack of repentance do not.