Date of Award

1998

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Leadership Studies

Abstract

The intention of this text is to examine Biblical leadership principles. Because this author believes wholly in the full Divine Inspiration of the Bible, these principles are deemed, in this text, to be accurate, appropriate, and applicable to the daily lives of leaders. The leadership principles of the Bible will not be evaluated by outside texts regardless of current academic leadership thought.

There is a great deal that should be said to summarize what King David taught generations of people about leadership. Some of the lessons are solely Christian, others are very applicable to the secular world. In summary, David's actions revealed the following:

  1. Leaders should be chosen to fit the task which will be their duty.
  2. The leader for a particular task may not always be the most obvious choice so chose wisely and take plenty of time making decisions.
  3. Choose a leader who has a desire (heart) to fill the position which you are looking to fill.
  4. Empower your leaders to the best of your ability.
  5. Empower leaders with the knowledge and power to accomplish the task to which they have been assigned.
  6. Give your leaders time to complete the assigned task (likewise, leaders give your followers appropriate time).
  7. Leaders are subject to time and cannot be expected to meet time requirements at all costs (ie. including substandard work to meet deadlines).
  8. 8. Teambuilding requires honest and honorable people working toward a similar goal of becoming a better team.
  9. Leaders should try to avoid all forms of immorality as immorality looks bad for organizations and often lessens the power of the leader.
  10. All who witness immorality should confront those responsible so that the damage of immoral actions can be minimized.

King David could be called one of the greatest leaders of all time. He brought together a nation which was completely separated and he did it all within his lifetime. This is not to say that he was perfect or that some of his methods were not unusual by today's standards. What I believe that is evident in David's life is that his lessons are practical and can be put into practice in any context. In the future, I look forward to seeing the Holy Bible used more often as a resource for leadership theory and principle.

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