Christ-Centered Leader Model

At Brigham Young University, we strive to emulate the Savior’s leadership and rely on the light of His Gospel to inform all that we do.¹ As we study our Savior’s life and teachings, and seek to follow His example, we gain a deeper love for others, magnify our service as leaders, and assist God in His work of salvation and exaltation.

Christ-centered leadership helps God’s children progress along the covenant path toward eternal life (Moses 1:39). As Christ-centered leaders we draw upon eternal principles of love, agency, and accountability to cultivate our relationships with and responsibilities to God, His children, self, and our stewardships. In these relationships and responsibilities, we look to the Savior as the perfect role model for our development and the source of our strength and power (Doctrine & Covenants 6:36).

As we develop as leaders, we learn to balance inherent tensions among these relationships, responsibilities, and principles with the conviction that all can be reconciled in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). Learning to lead like Christ is a continual journey that requires us to rely on Him and His Atonement. When our leadership is centered on Christ, we build Zion in preparation for the Savior’s return.

Where did the Christ-Centered Leader Model come from?

The Christ-Centered Leader Model was a campus-wide collaboration, facilitated and directed by the BYU Sorensen Center for Moral & Ethical Leadership.

The Vision of the Sorensen Center is to “inspire and equip individuals to lead people as Jesus Christ does.” The effort to fulfill this vision is found in the mission statement; “we develop leaders and character and capability who edify families, congregations, communities, organizations, and society.

The BYU Sorensen Center for Moral & Ethical Leadership uses Acts 10:38 as the foundation for how it defines leadership:

“…Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power…who went about doing good,…healing all that were oppressed…for God was with him.”

Nazareth was not a place that had any particular strategic or political advantage, nor was it a place of any renown. Like Christ’s origin, we believe that position, title, or status is not required to be a leader. His confidence came from another source: the sense of self and divine heritage that comes from the constant companionship of the Spirit and the sense of power and empowerment and comes through righteousness.

Making a conscious effort to exert a positive influence in the world is maybe a more complicated way to say that leaders are those “who [go] about doing good.”

But what determines whether or not what a leader does is truly good? There may be a lot of ways to examine what is good, but Christ-centered leader turns to God to define good. This verse highlights the fact that the exemplar of goodness “healed all that were oppressed.” So too should Christ-centered leaders, strive to seek relief for all those who are suffering in body, mind, and spirit.

The phrase, “for God was with him” suggests that the purest good comes from efforts that are divinely inspired and guided. This requires meekness, humility, and the courage to do God’s will when it may be unpopular or detrimental.

The Sorensen Center is looking to recognize leaders—unheralded, altruistic, compassionate, and inspired—with the Christ-Centered Leader Model award.