Dear Readers,

Greetings to you from the Synod of the Church of North India.

Our Nation went to polls in five phases to elect 15th Lok Sabha and by the time the copy of this journal for this month reaches your hand there will be a new Government at the Centre. We have prayed for the secular Government to come to power for the survival of India as a Nation and while I am writing this page I am not sure as to who will form the Government at the Centre and what is in store for us. But we know who holds the future for us. 

The Parliamentary election is one of the processes where we choose our leaders. “We need leaders” we hear this cry everywhere – from the religious, social, industrial and even the political worlds – the same cry everywhere “Give us leaders”. God’s leaders do not bloom overnight; they grow in the soil of opportunity, nurtured by God’s patient hands. We must recognize available opportunity and utilize the available opportunity to the fullest extent. We have only one life, not like Cat who is believed to have nine lives. Opportunity comes once and may not be repeated. Let us, therefore not loose the opportunity. Leadership is a developmental process that requires training. There is a serious dearth of leaders in the contemporary world. People feel confused, they are bewildered and alienated. When we look around we seem to be like, in the words of Jesus, SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD, while our leaders often appear to be BLIND LEADERS OF THE BLIND. There is a great need in all these and other situations for more clear-sighted, courageous and dedicated leaders. Such leaders are both born and bred. As Bennie E Goodwin, a black American educationist has written: ALTHOUGH POTENTIAL LEADERS ARE BORN, EFFECTIVE LEADERS ARE MADE. 

When discussing leadership we need to remind ourselves that Christian leadership essentially involves service. When we consider the church and/or church-related institutions, we grasp the concept of service. Yet, when we mention corporations and business houses, the word SERVICE sounds out of place. Part of the confusion may come from not understanding the true concept of leadership. For many, the word leadership connotes power, authority, honor, prestige or personal advantage. That is not Christian leadership. Christian leadership seeks to be of service, rather than to dominate, Christian leadership encourages and inspires, Christian leadership respects rather than exploits other’s personalities.

Jesus is our Model for Leadership. The Life-style shown by him is the life-style we have to project in our leadership. We not only have Jesus’ teachings but He himself epitomized this approach to leadership. He showed His disciples how to lead by His own example of selfless service. He demands no less of those who would carry out His Mission on earth

It is also important to note that leadership is defined not only by what it is, but also by what it does. As a matter of fact, one can say that leadership is both action and being. There should not be any contradiction in our action and our being. Whole problem today in the leadership has arisen because there is a big gap between what we do and what we actually are. Having said that let us then say, that Leadership empowers, motivates, and organizes people to achieve a common objective, and provides moral guidance. It is a service to the people and a vision for the future. It is also very important to note, that as we discuss what leadership is, we must also take into consideration what leadership is not: 

Through this page I commend all those who will be elected, those who will be in the Government and those who will sit in Opposition, all of them in your prayers that they may govern the Nation in the fear of God.

Yours in His Mission.

Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan

General Secretary

The Synod of the Church of North India