When the gospel is distorted, leaders in the church become dangerous in all the wrong ways. Leadership devolves into power struggles, status symbols, and control games. Churches fracture, people get hurt, and the mission of God gets sidelined. But when the gospel is guarded and treasured, leadership becomes dangerous in all the right ways. It becomes a threat to sin, darkness, and despair because it points people to the hope, healing, and victory of Jesus Christ.

In this message from 1 Timothy 3, part of our Dangerous Church series, we explore why God gives leaders to His church and what kind of leaders we are called to follow. Paul writes to Timothy at a critical moment in the life of the church, sandwiching instructions about leadership between the missional heartbeat of God (that all people be saved – 1 Tim. 2:4) and the cosmic victory of Christ (1 Tim. 3:16). Leadership matters because the mission matters.

Church leadership is not about charisma, giftedness, or prestige. It is about gospel-shaped character, sacrificial service, and stewarding God’s mission so the church can fulfill its calling. Leaders are entrusted with the responsibility of creating a culture that reflects Jesus, equips disciples, and advances the kingdom of God.

In this sermon, we’ll consider:

• The gospel purpose for leadership – how leaders help the church step into God’s mission.
• The qualifications of gospel-shaped leaders – why character is more important than charisma.
• The dangers leaders face – competing priorities, competing ambitions, and spiritual opposition.
• The pattern of leadership modelled in Christ Himself – incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.

This is a call to see leadership as stewardship, not status—and to pray for and pursue a church culture that reflects the gospel in every way.

This sermon is part of our series “Dangerous Church”—walking verse by verse through the book of 1 Timothy.

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1–16