Biblical Leadership: Lessons from Acts for a Flourishing Workplace

Truth from God’s Word and examples of great (and poor) leaders in Scripture can inform your day-to-day leadership and life. Biblical wisdom applies whether you lead in a church or Christian ministry setting, or as a Christian in a marketplace business.

At Best Christian Workplaces our work is research-based. The Flourish Factors that we have identified, and the questions that we use on our Employee Engagement Survey, are verified to influence workplace health based on years of data.

And all of our work is based on a faith foundation. Christian values are integrated into all of the ways we support our Ministry Partners. Biblical principles are not add-on components but are core to Flourishing Workplaces.

Recently as my pastor was preaching through Acts, I was struck by the account in Acts 6:1-7. They had a dilemma. There was ethnic conflict and people were probably talking about each other rather than to each other. As he went deeper into the story, I saw that so many of the factors we emphasize in a Flourishing Workplace were present in this story. Later I went back and studied it again on my own, and saw more than half of the components of our Employee Engagement Survey evident in the way the Apostles handled this situation in the early church. Let’s read it together!

Acts 6:1-7 (ESV)

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Moving Beyond Conflict to Flourishing

This story in Acts starts with a large, growing church, which was ethnically diverse and committed to providing relief for those in need. The food distribution was uneven, and those who represented the overlooked widows felt free to bring their issue up to the leaders.

In the face of this challenge, the leaders focused on their strategic mission and looked for alternative ways to solve the problem without distracting them from their primary responsibilities. They trusted and empowered the community to select capable, Spirit-led people to oversee the relief effort. And everyone was pleased with the solution. The result was a church that continued to grow and thrive!

Alignment of Acts 6 and Flourish Model Questions

This exceptional picture of church and organizational leadership demonstrates that the Apostles had been with Jesus—the Master Leader—and were fully engaging their flock. Best Christian Workplaces’ Employee Engagement Survey clearly aligns with many of the attributes present in the early church. Here are some of the ways that healthy engagement components are related to the actions of these early church leaders:

Acts 6:1-7 Attributes Evident in Employee Engagement Survey

In the table below, the following color coding is used to represent the drivers that impact employee engagement toward a Flourishing Workplace™

Scripture as Our Guide

We used this section of Scripture for an inductive Bible study at our Best Christian Workplaces staff retreat last month. It was encouraging to dive into God’s Word together and see this biblical example of caring, missional, highly effective leadership.

Consider sharing this passage with your team and challenge each other to delve into the principles of effective leadership that they see in this story. At the end of this article, there are some questions you can use to study this with your team.

Another meaningful scriptural exploration is to notice how often Paul encourages the people he serves through his letters. Some of Paul’s letters have dozens of specific references to encouragement, often before he moves to exhortation.

Where have you noticed biblical principles that connect to your own commitment to growing a flourishing workplace?

As you encourage your own team to live out biblical principles in their day-to-day work, invite people to share scriptural insights in your workplace. Perhaps one of your channels on your communications platform could be “Noticing God.” As you lead your team and model your own reliance on God, you can encourage their spiritual growth as well.

A Flourishing Workplace is built on a foundation of God’s truth, and is lived out through the practical efforts of humble leaders who care for the people God has entrusted to them. Best Christian Workplaces is privileged to come alongside you in your journey toward flourishing.

Questions to use for studying Acts 6:1-7

• Spend a few minutes quickly skimming Acts chapters 1-5 to remind yourself of the context of Acts chapter 6.
• Considering this context, what does Acts 6:1 tell you about the church at this moment?
• As you read and consider verses 2-4 what concepts are related to a healthy workplace culture? What leadership qualities are demonstrated by “the 12”?
• Do you see any principles of effective following displayed by the body of believers?
• At this time, what values was the church modeling?
• What else do you observe about this passage that relates to practical realities in your organization’s workplace and everyday life?

Resources:

• Article: “Biblical Foundations of Flourishing Leadership: Exploring the 8 FLOURISH Drivers” by Jay Bransford shows how Best Christian Workplaces' 8 FLOURISH DRIVERS have their roots in Scripture, as well as being grounded in decades of human research.
• Podcast: “The Role of Praying Leaders in Unlocking Miraculous Outcomes” with Peter Greer and Al Lopus encourages listeners to adopt a posture of learning and to embark on a journey of prayer, emphasizing the transformative impact prayer can have on personal and organizational life.