By Anne RinaudoWednesday 29 Aug 2018Open House InterviewsFaithReading Time: 2 minutes
Listen: Brian Harris in conversation with Stephen O’Doherty.
With a new Prime Minister in Canberra, what sort of leadership values should we expect from a man who is so publicly and avowedly Christian?
On Open House, author and Baptist pastor Brian Harris, outlined the five ‘S’ qualities of Christian leadership and why we need to pray for all leaders.
Dr Brian Harris is the Principal of Vose Seminary, the Baptist Theological Training College in Perth. He is also the Pastor at large of the Carey Baptist Group which includes a church and school and community centre.
On his popular blog he recently shared some thoughts about the change of Liberal leadership.
He focused on the qualities of Christian leadership, the importance of sharing our blessings with refugees, the responsibility of government to consider the most vulnerable, the importance of family and the responsibility to care for Creation.
Brian also urged that we pray for our leaders whoever they are and from whatever political party they come.
An important part of Christian leadership says Brian, is what he calls the five ‘S’ qualities needed to fulfill that leadership role. Those essential attributes are to be a Servant, Shepherd, Steward, Sage and Seer.
On his blog Brian says it is a Biblical practice for leaders to be servant leaders, who shepherd the people and steward resources well.
Exceptional leaders, he believes, meet two further requirements They are sages, whose wisdom provides solid guidance, and seers, able to sense where the future is heading and what needs to be done to optimise it.
There is a lot more about those ideas in his book, ‘The Tortoise Usually Wins’. Brian is also the author of ‘The Big Picture: Building Blocks of a Christian World View’ and ‘When Faith Turns Ugly: Understanding Toxic Faith and How to Avoid It’
To listen to the podcast of this conversation click the red play button at the top of the page, or you can subscribe to Open House podcasts in iTunes and they will appear in your feed.