Bible Topics

Bible verses about leadership

Every leadership passage in the New Testament eventually gets to a towel and a basin.

Passages worth sitting with

3 passages
Mark 10:42–45

So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

"Whoever Wants to Be Great Must Serve"

1 Timothy 3:1–13

This is a trustworthy saying: If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble task. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money. An overseer must manage his own household well and keep his children under control, with complete dignity. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same condemnation as the devil. Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil. Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued or given to much wine or greedy for money. They must…

Qualifications for Church Leaders

1 Kings 3:5–14

One night at Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!” Solomon replied, “You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day. And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in. Your servant is here among the people You have chosen, a people too numerous to count or number. Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?” Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had made this request. So God said to him,…

Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom to Lead

Whole chapters on this

Read in full

Nehemiah's Exemplary Leadership

Nehemiah 1–6

Esther's Courageous Leadership

Esther

Ask what these verses mean

In BibleKey, tap any verse for its meaning and background — then ask a follow-up question and get an answer rooted in the text.

Get BibleKey

Related topics

Keep going

Read it. Then understand it.

BibleKey explains every verse you tap — meaning, background, and the Hebrew or Greek underneath.

Download on the App Store

Free on iPhone & iPad