Brathwaite 1

Daniel D. Brathwaite
Professor Bethany May
Composition I
11 November 2015
What does it mean to be a Spiritual Leader?
Constant criticism, frequent misinterpretations, and the pressure of leading people to the
light are just a few of the downsides of being a spiritual leader however this select group of
individuals get to experience and witness things many will go their entire lives without seeing,
devout their lives to a cause and live everyday by it, and remove themselves from this world and
live to a higher set of standards.
Spiritual leaders are often quoted with the same reverence as scam artists in todays
society (Hyatt). Offerings or other gifts brought to an alter or place of worship can sometimes
put people in a position that makes them feel quite uncomfortable, especially if those being
asked to give are not in a current financial state to do so comfortably or with the level of ease
that they would like to. Questions always arise as to what the congregations financial
contributions are being spent on or where the altar gifts go after religious services have been
concluded. In most cases, and I stress the word most here because that is with the exception of
the few corrupt outliers, the financial attributions are applied directly back into the religious
institution to help maintain the upkeep of the building and the bills that come along with
it(Nicols).

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The misinterpretations of spiritual leaders also goes further than just monetary issues but
as to what they actually do. From rumors as wild as cult initiations and the selling of souls to the
molestation of underage children and youth, spiritual leaders have heard it all. Aside from
societys twisted perceptions of what these individuals do, the congregation or following of a
specific leader may misinterpret the message or lessons being explained to them. When I asked
Shane Younge, one of the youth ministers at my church, for his thoughts on this topic he shared,
When I first got into preaching and teaching I used to let that get to me and I would often lose
sleep over it Im sure Younge speaks for many when he says that but he also brings a very
valid point into play later in our conversation. He states, Before I know what Im going to teach
on I always ask God to place inside of me what your people need to hear. Whenever he speaks to
me I trust that at least one person will benefit from what it is that I have to say that day. Out of
curiosity and simply just to see what he would say I then asked just a simple question and was
expecting nothing less than merely a surface level answer with no significant depth but in turn I
received an answer which provoked new thoughts all together. After asking Younge So what
about the others? he replied, others will take away from the message what they want and it will
in some aspect or another help them as long as they are open to new ideas, but for me if I can just
reach out to one person and know in my heart that I got them one step closer to heaven, I can
sleep at night because I know that I have done what my heavenly father has expected of me.
Due to the nature of the walk of a spiritual leader with their entity, its safe for anyone to
assume that they often see things that we normally dont (Sanders). I left the question open for
Younge to decide upon a supernatural or earthly happening, but I chose to ask if he had ever
witnessed, first-hand, any miracles that he wouldnt mind sharing. He chose to share a story with
me about how he met these teens who were each on very rocky paths in their lives came to meet

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the Lord individually on their own and each went out to tell their friends and before he knew it
several teens who were doomed had been saved from hell.
The cause that Mr. Shane devoted his life to was Christianity. He knew at an early age,
after a job shadowing project, that this is what his calling was for. Spiritual leaders are born with
the gift inside of them already and it is not something that can be forced upon someone or
created (Piper). Younge notes, Although it was something that I picked up pretty easily, sales
and marketing was something that I did have to learn and study to understand its ins and outs.
This wasnt really the case for ministry It is very important for the leader of a walk of faith to
be very devout and knowledgeable on the subject to which they are bringing other to, and in
most cases people trust those with experience or people who have some years under their belt
(Fry).
This experience that people desire of within spiritual leaders can often be determined
in their lifestyle choices (Blackaby). People of such caliber live their everyday lives to a much
higher set of standards than some who may just live day to day with no tie to a higher connection
of their own (Edmunds). Many spiritual leaders will devout set hours of their day just to study;
this is time that many come spend catching up on sleep or out enjoying other aspects of life.
They allow themselves to grow spiritually by praying or meditating for long periods of time and
thus extending their knowledge on the matter of their religion (Loritts). It is very important for
person that people rely for growth in this aspect of their lives to be well prepared and educated,
much like how we should understand what they go through as well.
We should take away that Religious Leaders often face criticism from people in our
society, they are misinterpreted from time to time, and that the pressure of leading people to live

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a life that they are still learning for themselves, are just a few of the downsides of being a
spiritual leader, however these individuals get to experience and witness events many will go
their entire lives without seeing, they also devout their lives to a cause and see to it that every
day they live their lives by it and remove themselves from this worlds standard of living and live
to a higher set of standards in preparation for the afterlife.

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Works Cited
Blackaby, Henry and Richard. "What Is Spiritual Leadership?" Building Church Leaders.
Christianity Today, 23 June 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2015.
East, Kevin. "What Is Spiritual Leadership?" Crosswalk.com. BibleStudyTools, 23 Feb. 2012.
Web. 15 Oct. 2015.
Edmunds, William. "Spiritual Leadership." AllAboutGOD.com. 2006. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.
Fry, Louis. "What Is Spiritual Leadership?" What Is Spiritual Leadership? International Institute
for Spiritual Leadership, 25 Aug. 2015. Web. 15 Oct. 2015
Hyatt, Michael. "6 Characteristics of Spiritual Leaders." Virtual Mentor. 12 May 2014. Web. 15
Oct. 2015.
Loritts, Crawford W. Leadership as an Identity: The Four Traits of Those Who Wield Lasting
Influence. Chicago, IL.: Moody, 2009. 137-154. Print.
Nicols, Adolfo. "A Call for Spiritual Leaders." America Magazine 11 Nov. 2013: 27-29. Web.
Piper, John. "The Marks of a Spiritual Leader." Desiring God. DesiringGod, 25 Feb. 2012. Web.
15 Oct. 2015.
Sanders, J.Oswald. Spiritual Leadership: A Commitment to Excellence for Every Believer
(Commitment To Spiritual Growth). Vol. 1. Ney York City: Moody; New Edition Edition
(May 1, 2007), 2007. 47-58. Print.