About the Commitments

Christian leadership is a “noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1). Those who assume responsibility to lead in Christian settings receive both a great privilege and a great responsibility. Healthy Christian leadership glorifies Christ and brings great blessing to others. When leadership goes wrong, the name of Christ is dishonoured and people are harmed. For this reason, Christian leaders must pay careful attention to themselves (Acts 20:28).

The Christian Leadership Integrity Commitments are intended to help Christian leaders do that — both individually and collectively. They are designed to function as a personal standard to which a leader can willingly commit, and also as a standard that churches and Christian organisations can adopt to support their leaders in growing towards increasingly healthy leadership. They progress from the leader’s identity in Christ, through the leader’s thoughts, words and actions, to the way the leader develops.

The Commitments are intentionally aspirational. They set a high standard, but one that is intended to be achievable by the grace of God and with the help of His people. They are rooted in Scripture and informed by insights from human psychology and from real-life examples of leadership failings. They should be adhered to and enacted in a spirit of grace, with the aim of helping those who step up to the demanding task of leadership to serve joyfully in a way that honours the Lord we love.

The Commitments were written by Paul B Coulter, drawing on his experience as a pastor, leader and theologian and reflections on numerous cases of leadership failing, with input from various Christian leaders who commented on drafts.