By Jermaine Streeter
“To lead is not to rule, it is to bear a cross.”
In today’s culture, the idea of male leadership often gets misunderstood, twisted into a caricature of dominance or entitlement. But Scripture paints a different picture. A holy one. A weighty one. One soaked in sacrifice, love, and responsibility.
In the beginning, God formed Adam first (Genesis 2:7), then created Eve as a “helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). This order doesn’t suggest inequality, both man and woman are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), but it reveals a divine rhythm. Leadership was established not for control, but for stewardship.
Adam was designed to take charge not just by working the ground, but by guarding the garden. Leadership begins with responsibility.
True biblical leadership isn’t about flexing authority; it’s about laying it down.
“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church…”
—Ephesians 5:23
“…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
—Ephesians 5:25
If Christ’s headship is defined by sacrificial love, then men are called to lead with cruciform hearts, dying to self, so others can thrive. That’s the model.
When I said “men are called to lead with cruciform hearts,” I meant: Real leadership isn’t about pride, it’s about bleeding for others. It’s not about titles, it’s about being humble. It’s not about being first, but becoming least.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, God didn’t call out to Eve first. He called to Adam (Genesis 3:9). Why? Because Adam was accountable for the spiritual climate of the home.
Even in silence, passivity is a form of failure. Biblical manhood means stepping in when it’s hard, standing firm when others flee, and carrying the weight with courage.
In the New Testament, the pastoral epistles (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1) outline qualifications for elders and overseers, roles held by faithful men. These are not commands for domination, but a charge to nurture the flock, to serve with integrity, and to model Christ.
It’s not about titles. It’s about testimony.
Even within the Godhead, we see structure without superiority. The Father sends the Son, the Son submits to the Father, and the Spirit glorifies the Son. This divine relationship reveals not a hierarchy of worth, but a harmony of function, a perfect unity where distinct roles coexist without competition or inequality. In the same way, biblical leadership reflects this sacred design: different responsibilities, equal value, all working together to fulfill God’s redemptive purpose.
Men, this calling is no small thing. God has placed a mantle on your shoulders.
To love first.
To serve hardest.
To stand tallest when the ground shakes.
Leadership in God’s kingdom looks like a towel and basin, not a throne. If you’re called to lead, you’re called to bleed, for your family, your church, your community.
Let this be your anthem:
“To hinder the path of God’s servant is to hinder the will of God.”
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
—Matthew 10:40
