Leadership – Jeremy Peckham

“ultimately, how well we lead is a function of who we are as people”

Leadership has many different dimensions and much has been written about it over the last 100 years. One thing that most are agreed on is that there is no one definition of what makes a successful leader. In reality, we lead out of the habits of the heart, rather than from a text book on leadership. Whilst much can be learnt about how to lead well and manage people, ultimately, how well we lead is a function of who we are as people.

This makes leadership a challenge because, if we are honest, we all have blind spots and deficiencies in our character. From a Christian worldview perspective, this challenge can often be boiled down to motive – do we lead to boost our own ego or to serve God and others? Whilst servant leadership has been a theme used in the secular business world, it is a key part of Christian leadership in a Church or Christian organisation context. Yet, all too often this lofty ideal is not lived up to. These issues are addressed in some of the talks and papers that you will find on this page.

Good leaders are always learning and sometimes this can be aquiring or polishing up technical skills, insights into management or how to start a new venture as an entrepreneur. You will also find practical guidance on some of these topics in the papers and talks below.

Short answers to questions that you may have about entrepreneurial leadership

How can I develop myself as a leader?

What questions should I ask myself before starting a new venture?

What background research should I carry out when starting my new venture?

How do I establish a clear vision for my new venture?

What are the characteristics of a good strategic plan?

What resources do I need to start a sustainable venture?

How can I build the right team for my new venture?

What is the difference between a manager, a leader, and an entrepreneur?

How can a new venture maintain financial discipline?

What does success mean for a Christian venture?

Short talks on entrepreneurial leadership

European Leadership Forum

each talk is around 20 minutes

Downloadable audio version of the talk

Starting a New Venture: Avoiding the Pitfalls

Many new ventures are launched with great enthusiasm and commitment yet can sometimes lack the necessary disciplines that are required to build a successful venture and that also bring glory to God. Using actual examples from 20 years of experience of working in different countries, this talk outlines some of the practical steps that should be taken to avoid the pitfalls typical in any new start-up venture.

Downloadable audio version of the talk.

Starting a New Venture: Spiritual and Practical Insights

This talk shares insights gained from 20 years of experience in starting and leading new philanthropic, missional and business ventures. With reference to case studies from the speaker’s own experience, it highlights the importance of vision setting, planning and conducting careful due diligence. It outlines a biblical perspective that is a necessary part of leading a new venture and dealing with the personal and organisational ups and the downs that are a natural part of any entrepreneurial enterprise.

Longer Talks

South West Gospel Partnership October 2022

Building for Christ in Business

In a world increasingly apathetic or even hostile to Christianity, where trust is in short supply, loyalties are strained and businesses are often struggling to survive, the temptation can be to focus on how we survive as Christians in our business or workplace, rather than fully embracing our call to make a difference where God has placed us.

This seminar provides a biblical foundation for Christian engagement in business. It contrasts secular trends against the distinctive ways the bible teaches us we can make a practical difference through our relationships with stakeholders, how we think about leadership and products and the purpose of business itself.

Building for Christ in business

slides used in the seminar .

European Leadership Forum May 2016

Downloadable audio version of the talk.

Entrepreneurial Leadership in Christian Ministry

This talk takes a look at what makes a leader an entrepreneurial leader and highlights the vital need for such people in Christian ministry in the 21st century. It outlines how leaders in churches and organisations can stimulate and encourage entrepreneurs to realize their calling to serve God in this way as well as the five key steps to starting and sustaining a new mission venture whether para-church or church based.

European Leadership Forum May 2012

Downloadable audio version of the talk.

Leadership in a Fallen World: The Vices and Virtues of Leadership

Western culture has shifted from viewing work as vocation and for survival to a vehicle for self-fulfilment. Christians, albeit perhaps inadvertently, have allowed themselves to be “squeezed into the mould of the world” This can result in us failing to face up to the reality of our own fallen nature and the struggle against the vices and temptations particularly prevalent in leadership. We have at times let ambition, pride, and self-seeking override the decision making process and influence our dealings with colleagues, staff, and church members. One manifestation of this in the church is the rise of the CEO style pastor.

Papers on Leadership

Published by:

Relational Leadership.

Jesus was able to command others to follow him, yet his approach to leading these followers was to build close relationships where he taught in small groups, challenged, mentored, and answered their questions.

Loneliness in Leadership: Its cause and cure.

Many leaders hide their vulnerability behind a mask of confidence and what can appear to be spiritual superiority, not necessarily knowingly but subconsciously as part of what they feel it means to be a leader.

Worldview, Culture and Leadership.

Western Christians can sometimes come across as believing that they have a superior and better developed approach to work and leadership. But does the Bible actually lean towards a Western set of values or those reflected in the Global South?

Foundations (and Dysfunctions) of Christian Leadership.

In the Church, non-authoritarian servant leadership does not mean defaulting to democratic or congregational rule but a ‘true theocracy’ that acknowledges the priesthood of all believers.

Leading Redemptively.

If we are to help someone who has fallen into a pattern of sin and they desire to repent, restoration must be a process where we come alongside, offering practical goals and objectives for the individual that will help them turn around.

Faith and the Bottom Line.

Finance is not a subject that gets dealt with much in church life or teaching, except perhaps occasionally in terms of personal debt and giving. Even less is said about how our Christian faith works out in practice when facing the challenges of running a business.

Other papers

Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Vision setting and the will of God.

Virtues Assessment Tool

I developed the virtues assessment questionnaire to provide tool that can be used to evaluate where we are in our journey of growth as leaders, in terms of the virtues that Plato described and that were later added to in the bible. To find out more, visit virtues assessment.com