Today in our men’s group we discussed Acts 20. As I read and prepared for our discussion, I noticed 21 character traits of the apostle Paul. Look over this list, and then take time to assess yourself as a leader. Which 3-5 of these are you doing well? Put a star next to these. Well done, good and faithful servant! Now, on which 3-5 of these do you need some improvement? Circle those.
- Humble (v. 19).
- Servant-heart (19).
- Integrity. Never hesitated to preach the Word, no matter what the consequences (20).
- Committed. Devoted to teaching God’s Word regardless of the venue (20).
- Unprejudiced. Taught everyone…both Jews and Gentiles (21).
- Compassionate. Had a heart for bringing lost people to Christ (21).
- Spirit-Led, not led his own thoughts and plans (22).
- Fearless; total trust in God (22).
- Spirit-filled. He listened to the internal promptings of the Holy Spirit (23).
- Faithful. He had a proper perspective on life – and death, and he persevered (24).
- Visionary: He could leave this earth knowing he had done all he could do, with no regrets (26).
- Passionate. He never held anything back. People got 100% of the Good News (27).
- Shepherd. He cared for and invested into people (28). (See their response to him in vv. 37, 38!)
- Shepherd-developer (28).
- Realist. He understood the reality of spiritual warfare (30).
- Warrior. He cared about the church and wanted them to be protected against the evil one (31).
- Not greedy or even interested in the world’s riches (33).
- Diligent; not lazy (34).
- Responsible (34).
- Giving (35).
- Pray-er (36).
QUESTION: What next step will you take as a leader to continue growing in your leadership characteristics? Who will you share this with … someone who can help hold you accountable? Please leave your comment below!
You can grow as a leader in your spiritual/character traits. Here are eight books, arranged in alphabetical order by author(s) last name I’ve read that have helped me. It also includes a book I wrote on the topic.
"Shepherd-developer" really stands out to me. Great list Mike, thanks for compiling this!
I'd like to say I'm good at all 21 of these, but then I'd violate #1! 🙂
I am going to develop for a Christian Global Leadership in Korea. It is good gift from you. I appreciate it and I would want to develop of the King David. My group name is David Academy of Myoung Sung Presbyterian Church in Seoul Korea. I was a vice Dean of it.
I am so glad you can use it. I wrote a book about the leadership characteristics of King David called Leading from the Heart, published by TOUCH Outreach Ministries (www.touchusa.org).
http://www.touchusa.org/resources/leading-from-the-heart.asp
It is a great list even though it does not encircle all of Paul as a person, man and apostle. I appreciate you work putting together the list. Greetings from IBASTAD Biblical Institute in Nogales, Sonora Mexico.