Leadership That Lasts: Discernment in an Age of Charisma

The Way of the World, or the Way of the Cross?

“If the Independent Baptist movement is to experience revitalization, its leaders must return to a biblical model of leadership that is Spirit-empowered, not business-modeled.”

—Brent Madaris, Major Project Dissertation, 2024

Introduction: The Hidden Crisis in Church Leadership

In a time when churches are desperate for revitalization and pastors are hungry for results, leadership training has become a booming industry. Among the most widely respected voices in this arena is John Maxwell, whose books—The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and more recently The Charismatic Leader—have become staple reading, even in conservative pulpits.

This article is not an attack on Maxwell (or any other leadership guru) as a man. It is a call for discernment in what kind of leadership the church is cultivating—and more importantly, whether we are building ministries on the foundation of Scripture or merely strategy. We are in a crisis of leadership in this country on every level, but especially so in ministry. In revitalization work, that difference may affect not just the present, but generations to come.

I. The Rise of Charisma-Centered Leadership

In one of John Maxwell's books, "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You," he makes the following statement.

“Leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less.”¹

This defining quote has become a mantra for many in ministry leadership. The book is filled with confident and compelling lines.

In another of his books, we find the following:

“You can light up any room and create deep, meaningful connections.”²

“People won’t go along with you if they can’t get along with you.”³

“Mind your face… people are already making a decision about you.”⁴

These ideas appeal to pastors who want to communicate better and engage people effectively. However, leadership that begins with influence and ends with image may result in short-term enthusiasm and long-term erosion of spiritual depth. And this is exactly what we see as we survey some of the religious landscape!

II. From Strategy to Substitution: A Theological Concern

There is nothing wrong with learning how to connect, communicate, or manage. But Maxwell’s model—and others like it—often substitute secular business logic for biblical pastoral theology. This was a key concern in my doctoral research on church revitalization:

“Leadership development models that draw from corporate competency theory risk creating a man-centered environment of leadership rather than a biblical, God-centered view.”⁵

Much of what is marketed to pastors today is built on trait-based or strengths-based models—forms of leadership rooted in corporate human resource theory. These models prioritize (ultimately) what a man can do over what he must be, and that subtle inversion has profound spiritual consequences.

III. Biblical Leadership Is Not Learned from the Boardroom

The Lord Jesus Christ, our ultimate model for leadership, never led like a CEO. Isaiah prophesied, “he hath no form nor comeliness” (Isa. 53:2), yet His ministry shook the world. He didn’t build a platform—He bore a cross.

When His disciples jockeyed for position, Jesus rebuked them:

“Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them… But it shall not be so among you” (Matt. 20:25–26).

True leadership in the church is defined not by influence but by servanthood, sound doctrine, and spiritual authority—none of which can be cultivated in a leadership seminar apart from the Spirit of God.

IV. What My Research Confirmed About Leadership and Revitalization

As part of my doctoral project, I conducted a qualitative study of Independent Baptist churches and their revitalization efforts. Among the findings:

• Leadership was the most frequently cited ingredient in effective revitalization.

“No church can be successfully revitalized without effective leadership.”⁶

• When considering leadership, the most common mistake pastors make is relying too heavily on strategic competencies drawn from secular theory.

In my research, one model critiqued was Hudson’s Competency Model, which identifies 127 traits for leadership drawn almost entirely from the business world.⁷ Pastors who use this model often become trapped in a performance-driven view of ministry that lacks deep theological grounding.

Instead, my research advocates for an eclectic but biblically anchored model:

“Effective revitalization leadership must begin with spiritual qualifications, Spirit-dependence, and biblical clarity—not just leadership strengths or marketing savvy.”⁸

V. A Better Model: Spirit-Filled, Scripture-Formed Leadership

We must recover a view of leadership that is:

• Biblically Qualified (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1)

• Spirit-Empowered (Acts 6:3)

• Doctrinally Anchored (2 Tim. 4:2–5)

• Humbly Servant-Hearted (John 13:13–15)

We do not reject organization or insight. But we reject flesh-driven models that displace the Holy Ghost and reduce the church to a platform for personalities. The world doesn’t need more charismatic leaders. The church doesn’t need influencers. The church needs shepherds—qualified, called, courageous men of God.

Conclusion: Discernment, Not Dismissal

We do not dismiss Maxwell’s work entirely. Nor do we imply that every pastor who reads leadership books is shallow. But we must be discerning. In an age of ministry pragmatism, it is easy to borrow leadership models without testing their theological DNA.

Let’s return to a leadership model formed by the Word, empowered by the Spirit, and proven through faithfulness. That kind of leadership doesn’t just revitalize churches—it raises up generations.

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1. John C. Maxwell, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007), 17.

2. John C. Maxwell, The Charismatic Leader: The Skills You Can Learn to Motivate High Performance in Others (Nashville: HarperCollins Leadership, 2024), front matter.

3. Ibid., chap. 3, “Connection Before Direction.”

4. Ibid., chap. 4, “Present Yourself for Presence.”

5. Brent Madaris, “A Strategic Model for Revitalization in Independent Baptist Churches: A Ministry Project Submitted to Pensacola Theological Seminary,” (D.Min. major project, Pensacola Theological Seminary, 2024), 18.

6. Ibid., 142.

7. Ibid., 17–20.

8. Ibid., 162–163.