I remember one Sunday when I had just been ordained, standing at the front of the church wearing my clerical collar. People looked at me differently. Suddenly, I was “Reverend.” People greeted me with a kind of respect they had not shown before. It felt good at first, but later I realized how heavy the title could feel. There were moments I could sense that they were watching me, not just on Sundays but in the market, at the roadside, even in moments when I wanted to be unnoticed. It made me realize that a position can amplify your life so that your mistakes are more visible, but it cannot give you the heart to truly lead. That heart must be cultivated before God in the secret place. Jesus reminds me of this when He says in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” True leadership begins here—in the secret place, not on the stage.
Yet I have also known seasons when I had no title, when I was a student sitting quietly in a classroom or just a visitor in another church, and still I found that God was using me to influence others. Sometimes it was through a simple word of encouragement, sometimes through a prayer whispered for a struggling friend, sometimes through the example of perseverance when life was hard. I think of how Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” There is no mention here of a title. Leadership is in the example, in the life lived openly before God. I have seen young believers with no position at all inspire entire congregations because of their zeal for God. I have seen grandmothers who never stood on a pulpit lead prayer meetings that shook heaven because of their faith. These moments remind me that leadership in the kingdom of God is not about holding a microphone but about carrying a mantle—the mantle of servanthood, of obedience, of influence.
There was a time I struggled deeply with this truth. I longed for a position because I thought it would give me a platform to be useful to God. I thought that until I was given a role, I could not make a real difference. Then God humbled me by showing me the power of hidden obedience. I was serving quietly in the children’s ministry, no title, no recognition, just storytelling and cleaning up after restless little ones. One Sunday, a parent approached me and said, “My child talks about Jesus at home now. She prays before meals because of what you taught her.” In that moment, I felt the Spirit whisper to me that this was leadership, even though no one had installed me into a position for it. Leadership was happening because someone’s life was being shaped toward God through my small act of service. Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” I realized that God was training me to be faithful in the little so that I could be trusted with more later.
Still, there have been seasons when I occupied a position and felt painfully aware that I was not leading well. Sometimes I was distracted, sometimes afraid of conflict, sometimes so eager to be liked that I refused to speak hard truths. It reminds me of the prophet Ezekiel’s words in Ezekiel 33:6, where God says, “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.” That verse has often sobered me. A position comes with responsibility, and failing to lead faithfully can hurt those who depend on you. I have learned to repent when I fall short, to ask God to make me a shepherd after His own heart like He said of David in Acts 13:22, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” True leadership, even with a position, means listening for God’s heart and then guiding people according to His will, not my convenience.
When I look at the life of Jesus, I see the perfect example of what it means to lead without relying on position. Before He began His public ministry, He had no followers, no platform, no recognition. He was just a carpenter’s son from Nazareth, and yet heaven affirmed Him at His baptism: “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). His identity and authority came from His relationship with the Father, not from any human title. Even when He did begin His ministry, He led by washing feet, by touching lepers, by speaking to outcasts, by feeding the hungry. He rarely sat in the places of honor; instead, He went to the margins. And when the disciples argued about who was the greatest, He brought a child before them and said in Matthew 18:4, “Whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” This has reshaped how I see leadership. It is not about climbing higher but about bowing lower.
There have been moments when I have felt invisible, as though my work was unseen and unappreciated. In those times, I take comfort in knowing that God sees what people do not. Hebrews 6:10 assures me, “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” Whether I have a position or not, God sees my faithfulness. That alone is enough reason to keep leading, to keep serving, to keep influencing in small ways. I have learned that sometimes the most powerful leadership happens in prayer, when no one is watching, when no one will ever know. Interceding for someone, carrying them before God’s throne, can shift things in their lives even if they never know you were the one praying.
I have also learned that leading without a position can be risky because it can challenge the status quo. Jeremiah had no official seat of power, but he spoke truth to kings and priests. Sometimes, I have felt that inner nudge to speak when others are silent, to stand when others sit. It has cost me at times—misunderstandings, criticism, even isolation. Yet I am encouraged by the words of Paul in Galatians 1:10, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Leadership without position is about fearing God more than man, about speaking even when your voice shakes, about loving enough to tell the truth.
At the same time, I must guard my heart when I am given a position, lest I rely on it too much. Positions can tempt us to pride. They can make us forget that leadership is service. Jesus’ act of washing His disciples’ feet in John 13:14–15 continues to challenge me: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Every position I occupy must become a platform for service, not self-promotion. Otherwise, I risk becoming like the Pharisees, who Jesus said loved the places of honor and the greetings in the marketplaces but neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23).
As I reflect on this paradox, I realize that God is more interested in forming me into a servant-leader than in placing me in high offices. The position may come, or it may not, but my calling to lead through influence, through example, through service remains. This truth frees me from striving for recognition and instead calls me to strive for faithfulness. When I wake up each day, I ask God to help me lead well in whatever sphere I find myself—in my conversations, in my work, in the way I treat strangers, in the way I handle disappointments. Leadership, I am learning, is not a season of life; it is a posture of life.
So whether I am sitting on a church council or simply sitting with a hurting friend over a cup of tea, I want to be faithful. Whether I have a microphone or just a listening ear, I want to be present. Whether anyone ever calls me a leader or not, I want my life to quietly point others to Jesus. Because in the end, that is the true measure of leadership—not how many followed me, but how many followed Him because I was willing to lead. And one day, I long to hear Him say what He promised in Matthew 25:21: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” That, to me, is the highest affirmation any leader could ever receive.
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