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Most of us assume that leaders are not lonely. They have congregations, staff, children, clients, and students. Their phones do not stop. If anyone has people, it is the person everyone turns to.
But being surrounded is not the same as being supported.
The Lonely Leader is a practical Bible study on loneliness in leadership, built on Numbers 11, where Moses finally tells God, "I am not able to bear all this people alone." It opens with a personal reflection from a self-described reluctant leader who stepped into roles because someone needed him to, and who learned that the loneliness of leading does not come from having no one around. It comes from having very few people around who do not need something from you. From there the study walks through Galatians 6, Elijah in the cave, Jethro's warning to Moses, Proverbs 27, Jesus in Gethsemane, and Paul writing that only Luke was with him.
This study does not tell leaders to pray harder or to be stronger. It takes seriously that serving others is the job, and that Scripture never calls a leader to stop serving. What it refuses is the idea that spiritual maturity means needing no one. God did not rebuke Moses for saying the load was too heavy. He put seventy people beside him, and the study ends by asking who stands beside you.
This study explores:
● why the questions around a leader only run one direction, and what that does to him over time
● what Galatians 6:2 asks of the leader who only ever carries and never lets anyone carry him
● how "I need to put others first" and "God is enough" can become reasons to isolate
● why Elijah's "I only am left" was a conclusion reached in a cave, and how God corrected it
● what God actually did when Moses said he could not bear the people alone
● why "thyself alone" is named as the problem twice in the life of Moses, by Jethro and then by God
● the difference between fifty people behind you and one person beside you
● what it meant that Jesus told three friends He was hurting and asked them to stay
This Bible study kit includes:
● a complete printable Bible study
● Scripture-based teaching centered on Numbers 11
● a personal narrative on reluctant leadership and the isolation that comes with being the strong one
● reflection and group discussion questions
● practical application exercises
● a closing prayer
● PowerPoint teaching slides
● printable PDFs of the study and presentation
Best for:
● personal Bible study
● small groups and Sunday school
● discipleship and mentoring
● pastors, elders, and ministry leaders who have no one checking on them
● parents, supervisors, teachers, and coaches carrying other people's weight
● leadership teams, pastoral care, and ministerial fellowships
Estimated study time: 60-90 minutes for group study or 30-45 minutes for personal study.
Most of us assume that leaders are not lonely. They have congregations, staff, children, clients, and students. Their phones do not stop. If anyone has people, it is the person everyone turns to.
But being surrounded is not the same as being supported.
The Lonely Leader is a practical Bible study on loneliness in leadership, built on Numbers 11, where Moses finally tells God, "I am not able to bear all this people alone." It opens with a personal reflection from a self-described reluctant leader who stepped into roles because someone needed him to, and who learned that the loneliness of leading does not come from having no one around. It comes from having very few people around who do not need something from you. From there the study walks through Galatians 6, Elijah in the cave, Jethro's warning to Moses, Proverbs 27, Jesus in Gethsemane, and Paul writing that only Luke was with him.
This study does not tell leaders to pray harder or to be stronger. It takes seriously that serving others is the job, and that Scripture never calls a leader to stop serving. What it refuses is the idea that spiritual maturity means needing no one. God did not rebuke Moses for saying the load was too heavy. He put seventy people beside him, and the study ends by asking who stands beside you.
This study explores:
● why the questions around a leader only run one direction, and what that does to him over time
● what Galatians 6:2 asks of the leader who only ever carries and never lets anyone carry him
● how "I need to put others first" and "God is enough" can become reasons to isolate
● why Elijah's "I only am left" was a conclusion reached in a cave, and how God corrected it
● what God actually did when Moses said he could not bear the people alone
● why "thyself alone" is named as the problem twice in the life of Moses, by Jethro and then by God
● the difference between fifty people behind you and one person beside you
● what it meant that Jesus told three friends He was hurting and asked them to stay
This Bible study kit includes:
● a complete printable Bible study
● Scripture-based teaching centered on Numbers 11
● a personal narrative on reluctant leadership and the isolation that comes with being the strong one
● reflection and group discussion questions
● practical application exercises
● a closing prayer
● PowerPoint teaching slides
● printable PDFs of the study and presentation
Best for:
● personal Bible study
● small groups and Sunday school
● discipleship and mentoring
● pastors, elders, and ministry leaders who have no one checking on them
● parents, supervisors, teachers, and coaches carrying other people's weight
● leadership teams, pastoral care, and ministerial fellowships
Estimated study time: 60-90 minutes for group study or 30-45 minutes for personal study.