Saturday, August 16, 2025
Pivoting Towards Leadership Plurality
Leadership challenges related to growth and maturity amongst God’s people are not a novel concept. As far back as 13th to 14th BCE, Moses (prophet and leader of the Israelites) concluded, on the advice of his father-in-law (Jethro), that the most effective way of leading his people was through a plurality of leadership. The book of Exodus provides the context of their exchange:
But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone. Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves (Exod. 18:17-18, 25-26, BSB).
