Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals<\/p>\n
to achieve a common goal<\/p>\n
-Peter G. Northouse-<\/em><\/p>\n Every five years, our denomination holds leadership elections at the synodal level called the Synodal Assembly, which has 11 positions for Pastors, Elders, and Deacons. The 11 selected individuals will lead our denomination for five years. Our denomination includes 344 local churches spread in the cities and 280 local church branches that are usually located in areas that are still difficult to reach, such as inland, remote, or state borders. One of the authorities of our Synodal Assembly is to carry out the transfer process for pastors from one local church to another. This authority is seen as a great power possessed by the leaders of our denominations. That is why, before the process of selecting a new leader, I feel that the atmosphere becomes more tense than usual. Many camps or groups that support people who are interested in occupying leadership positions have carried out various promotional actions to many people in our denomination, either openly or covertly, to choose the candidate they support to be one of the 11 people who will become the next Synod Assembly.<\/p>\n Learning from the five-year process, I thought, why in the church are there people who offer themselves to become leaders? What are the advantages of being a leader in denominations? Does not being the leader of a denomination have much greater duties and responsibilities than being a leader in a local church? Several people told me that I should prepare myself to become a leader in the future. However, I responded by saying that it would be better to choose someone else instead of me. Instead of wanting to propose myself as the leader of a denomination, just imagining it makes me feel like I have quite a heavy burden.<\/span><\/p>\n In my view, being a leader does not depend on position or title. However, becoming a leader can even be achieved through simple things. Therefore, the most important aspect of leadership in my opinion is not power but how to make our lives have a constructive impact on many people. Peter Northouse’s writing helped me to deepen my understanding of the nature and meaning of leadership. <\/span>According to Northouse, \u201cLeadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.\u201d[1]<\/a> Leadership also involves influence and giving attention to common goals. Northouse says, \u201cLeaders direct their energies toward individuals who are trying to achieve something together. By common, we mean that the leaders and followers have a mutual purpose.\u201d[2]<\/a> His statement increasingly emphasizes the meaning of leadership according to previous studies carried out in other research, which explains leadership as “a process of social influence to guide, structure, and\/or facilitate behaviors, activities, and\/or relationships towards the achievement of shared aims.\u201d[3]<\/a> Another research also resonate with Northouse\u2019s writing, which says, \u201cLeadership involves the substance of management in which the shaping of ideas, values, perceptions, and feelings is central, where the goal is to maintain, revise, or strengthen ideas, beliefs, morals, virtues, and understandings.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n In this book, Northouse mentions and describes several models of leadership. In my opinion, these models give bunches of inspiration and clear definitions of how to be an effective leader. The first model is what he calls \u201cTransformational Leadership.\u201d According to Northouse, \u201ctransformational leadership is the process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower. This type of leader is attentive to the needs and motives of followers and tries to help followers reach their fullest potential.\u201d[5]<\/a> In my opinion, the characteristics of a transformational leader are an important element in church leadership to be able to influence church members to remain optimistic and strive to give the best they can in various aspects of their lives.<\/p>\n The second model is \u201cAuthentic Leadership.\u201d Northouse describes authentic leadership as about the authenticity of leaders and their leadership.[6]<\/a> There are several behaviors involved in authentic leadership, namely, self-awareness, internalized moral perspective, balanced processing, and relational transparency. Northouse insists that over a lifetime, authentic leaders learn and develop each of these four types of behavior.[7]<\/a> This definition reminds me of Simon Walker\u2019s writing. He writes, that leadership is fundamentally \u201cabout who you are, not what you know or what skills you have.\u201d[8]<\/a> Walker also emphasizes that \u201cfreedom comes when we start to allow people to see not only the glossy image but the mess as well.\u201d[9]<\/a> In my perspective, being authentic means letting go of the ego, which has led us to prioritize maintaining a certain image rather than truly serving others.<\/p>\n The third model is \u201cServant Leadership.\u201d Northouse emphasizes servant leadership that \u201cleaders be attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them. Servant leaders put followers first<\/em>, empower them, and help them develop their full personal capacities.\u201d[10]<\/a> In my view, the characteristics of servant leadership have a strong emphasis on leadership, like a shepherd that Lord Jesus modeled for his followers. This is not an easy task because a leader usually requires more respect. But servant leadership teaches a very noble value of divine leadership.<\/p>\n The fourth model is \u201cAdaptive Leadership.\u201d According to Northouse, adaptive leadership \u201cis about how leaders encourage people to adapt\u2014to face and deal with problems, challenges, and changes. Adaptive leadership focuses on the adaptations <\/em>required of people in response to changing environments.\u201d[11]<\/a> In my view, many leaders maintain their comfort zones and the status quo. They are not sensitive to changing times, which require the church to respond to the challenges of the times. The pandemic reminds us that the situation can change drastically at any time. Adaptive leadership reminds us how important it is to always rely on God’s wisdom and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that leadership can help many people to adapt and overcome the struggles that arise.<\/p>\n The final model is \u201cInclusive Leadership.\u201d Northouse explains that \u201cinclusive leadership behaviors to ensure the fair treatment of all group members<\/em>, make everyone feel comfortable and supported<\/em>, and share decision-making <\/em>are considered to facilitate perceptions of belongingness. At the same time, leader behaviors to solicit different perspectives and approaches <\/em>and fully incorporate members\u2019 knowledge, skills, and abilities <\/em>into the group\u2019s work help to facilitate feelings of uniqueness.\u201d[12]<\/a> Currently, cultural encounters are necessary. Therefore, exclusive, sectarian, and racist attitudes were no longer relevant. An inclusive leader must be ready for and embrace diversity so that many people feel that their dignity is equal to that of other people. Such leadership helps churches realize the true meaning of Christ’s love.<\/p>\n Northouse’s five leadership models made me realize that the process of becoming a leader requires a long time and effort. Through Northouse, I learned that effective leadership values are an important need for every leader, including church leaders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Peter G Northouse,\u00a0Leadership: Theory and Practice<\/em>, Ninth Edition<\/em>, (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2022), 6.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Northouse,\u00a0Leadership.<\/em><\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Richard Bolden et al, Exploring Leadership: Individual, Organizational, and Societal Perspectives<\/em> (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 41.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Mats Alvesson and Andre Spicer, \u201cCritical Perspectives on Leadership,\u201d in The Oxford Handbook of Leadership and Organizations<\/em>, ed. David V. Day (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 42.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Northouse, Leadership<\/em>, 186.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Ibid, 221.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Simon P. Walker,\u00a0Leading out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership<\/em>, (London, UK: Piquant Edition Ltd. 2007), 5.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> Walker, Leading<\/em> Out of Who You Are<\/em>, 33.<\/p>\n [10]<\/a> Northouse, Leadership<\/em>, 253.<\/p>\n