Becoming a Flourishing Culture Leader

Three pillars supporting success

Every January, I retreat for three days of solitude and reflection – a rhythm that re-centers me for the year ahead. But this year was different.

Within weeks, my mother passed away, my six-month-old granddaughter suffered two strokes and was hospitalized, and I stepped into increased responsibilities as board chair for a Christian education nonprofit in Guatemala.

Though I remained faithful to daily spiritual disciplines, I found myself simply trying to stay afloat. Focus was hard to come by. Only during Holy Week did I finally carve out a full day for silence and reflection. This was time I desperately needed to quiet the noise around me, calm my emotions, and return to a place of spiritual centeredness.

Three Pillars

In that quiet space, I recognized something important: I was out of alignment with one of the three pillars that support a flourishing Christian leader. They are:

1. Spiritual leadership
2. Christian community, and
3. Leadership competence

These three pillars are interdependent. When one weakens, it affects the others. A flourishing leader stands at the intersection of all three.

Research Validates Three Keys to Inspirational Leadership

Inspirational Leadership is one of the eight factors of the research-based FLOURISH Model developed by Best Christian Workplaces. The term “inspire” originates from the Latin “inspirare,” meaning “to breathe into.” This underscores the divine nature of leadership in a Christian context. Inspirational leaders “breathe in” wisdom and power from God and then “breathe out” vision, purpose and encouragement to others.

The specific qualities essential for Inspirational Leadership are a combination of spiritual leadership, Christian community and leadership competence.

So, what happens when these qualities are not interdependent?

• Spiritual leadership by itself points people toward Jesus but may lack well-executed goals.
• Christian community by itself can build relationships but may lack forward momentum.
• Leadership competence by itself can result in positive operational results, but there may be nothing distinctly Christian in this approach.

1. Spiritual Leadership Comes First

As I was reminded in the first quarter of 2025, leaders need to be continually grounded in Scripture, prayer and godly discernment. As Jesus says in John 15:5b, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

In Best Christian Workplaces’ Employee Engagement survey, questions related to spiritual leadership include whether leaders exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, put Christ first in decisions, and model humility and integrity.

There are no shortcuts to spiritual leadership.

There are no shortcuts to spiritual leadership. Even after many decades of leadership, I know that I need to continue in rhythms that reflect my dependence on God.

2. Inspirational Leadership Fosters Christian Community

What kind of workplace culture do your employees experience in their day-to-day interactions? Working for a Christian organization should be qualitatively different than a marketplace job. A flourishing workplace thrives on authentic relationships rooted in Christian community.

As our organizations reflect Christ and create an environment of Christian fellowship among the staff, we are living out kingdom values. Jesus reminded us of the importance of love: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

Inspirational leaders set the tone for a caring Christian community…

Inspirational leaders set the tone for a caring Christian community through their own interactions. Leaders also can intentionally create an environment that encourages staff to connect with each other in ways that reflect Jesus’ love.

3. Inspirational Leaders are Competent

The vision of Best Christian Workplaces is that Christian-led workplaces set the standard as the best, most effective places to work in the world. This includes spiritual leadership and Christian community, but it also highlights the importance of leadership competence in our service to God’s kingdom.

Competence in leadership is essential to ensure that spiritual leadership and Christian community translate into actionable results. A flourishing staff appreciates that their workplace is well-managed and has positive momentum. Leadership competence results in an environment where high-performing employees have job security and are confident of the future.

By investing in your own leadership development, and the growth of people under your care, you raise the standard for everyone. Operational excellence is not only good business, but it also affirms that you are working for God. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul asserts: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord” (Col. 3:23a).

Going Deeper

What steps can you take to strengthen the keys to Inspirational Leadership in your own life? Reflect on these questions and put your action steps on your calendar.

• Is there a new or existing spiritual practice that I want to commit to in my life?
• What is one way my organization could increase the sense of Christian community?
• Is there a specific leadership development next step for me and the people I oversee?

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Al Lopus is the co-founder of Best Christian Workplaces and the author of Road to Flourishing. For over two decades, he has been equipping leaders in Christian nonprofits to build vibrant workplace cultures where people and purpose thrive. Learn more about Al at www.allopus.org. Al Lopus serves on Christian Leadership Alliance’s Advisory Council.

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