Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness –  in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and which now at his appointed season he has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Saviour. Titus 1:1-3.

“Christian leadership belongs to preaching and preaching belongs to leadership because God’s preachers are inevitably also His leaders” 360 Degree Leadership – Michael Quicke.

The primary purpose of leadership in the church is to move people onto God’s agenda. And how is that done? Through the Word! “Leading is not found outside God’s Word but within it” Michael Quicke.

Leadership and preaching must go hand in glove. You cannot separate the two. If a man can’t preach, its hard to see how he can lead. And it’s hard to see how a man can lead a church if he can’t preach. This is evident in the first three verses of Titus. Paul highlights his leadership by speaking about his preaching. He doesn’t just throw this in to get the ball rolling. He wants Titus to know that leadership and preaching go together. So he tells Titus that his work as a leader is “to bring faith to those God has chosen” by teaching them the truth and showing them how to live godly lives (Titus 1:1).

Teaching the truth is the key ingredient to Christian leadership. Why? Because without the preaching and teaching of God’s Word there is no catalyst for transformation.

Here’s the plain truth: If a pastor can’t preach the Word, he should go and do something else. I don’t say that lightly. If a man can’t preach God’s Word, he’s not cut out to pastor/lead God’s people. And more. It’s not just enough for a pastor/leader to preach the Word. He must preach it passionately, patiently, and purposefully. And, there has to be a specific content to his preaching. Paul reveals that the man God chooses to pastor/lead His people must have a three-fold message: It must be a message of truth, a message of hope for eternal life, a message of Good News, a message that leads to godliness, and a message of the faith we have in common (Titus 1:1-4).