The Bible's requirements for a good leader

As election season is right around the corner, it is time we think about what the Bible's requirements for a good leader are.

• Leaders must be honorable, they must have integrity that sets them above reproach. 1 Timothy 3:2 “A bishop then must be blameless”. The leader's followers look up to the leader as an example. They should see the leader as someone to emulate and learn from. But if the leader is not a person of integrity, their followers will have no respect for them.

• A government leader should also be dedicated to serving others. He should be like Jesus, when he washed the disciple’s feet during the Last Supper. 1 Corinthians 10:24 says “Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.” He should not be self-seeking, interested only in how to help himself, but try to help others.

• However, his motivation for doing this should not be to improve his reputation and have a high view in man's eyes: his motivation should be to serve those he governs. Therefore, leaders should be humble. 1 Peter 5:5 says that “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” Romans 1 also lists proud people among those worthy of death! If the leader is to succeed in fulfilling his God-ordained mission, he must be humble, because then he can receive God's grace to complete the task.

• Lastly, leaders should have compassion. Jude 22 states, “And of some have compassion, making a difference:” If a leader is to make a difference in this world then he must have compassion. People who follow a leader that has compassion know that he actually cares about them, and thus are willing to serve him.