Moral (trans)formation of church leaders in the Grace Apostolic church of South Africa : guidelines for ethical, authentic and moral Christian leadership

Abstract

Leadership in general and Christian leadership in particular remain challenging in South Africa. However, this research begins by defining the key terms of leadership, namely Christian leadership, leadership ethics, leadership and power, moral formation, moral transformation and servant leadership. This is done in order to explore the best possible ways through which church leaders can be developed in terms of being ethical, authentic and moral in their spaces of leadership, so that the church of God can be restored to its former glory and communities can witness the intimate relationship with God, self, others and the created world. Through intense discussions, the research reveals that it is not possible for church leaders to be authentic, ethically and morally formed without being spiritually formed, because spiritual formation and moral formation are inseparable, and this knowledge can assist Christian leaders to build their relationship with God. The research developed a threetier approach centred on the head, heart and hands. This approach is perceived as the anchor for Christian leadership in terms of knowledge about God, have a heart for others and become a servant for others by serving them in their particularity. Those who aspire to become leaders (1 Timothy 3:1) are expected to demonstrate servant and moral leadership in their churches and communities. They must lead with justice and respect for others and not indulge themselves in acts of immorality and corruption. This research seeks to give guidelines for leaders according to the leadership as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. The guidelines that are formulated in this research will be used as a policy document for the Grace Apostolic Church of South Africa.