Self-Willed Leaders Are Unfit To Lead

An often overlooked character requirement for Christian leaders comes from Titus 1:7, “he must not be self-willed.” 

It gets overlooked because being self-willed is not always obvious to everyone, and we don’t like calling people “self-willed” or “arrogant.” So, when it appears as a possibility in a potential leader, it is often not seen as that damaging, but dismissed as a strong personality. 

However being self-willed is more than having a strong personality. It describes a person who finds ways to get one’s own way; he who serves himself above others and the mission of the church or organization he is supposed to be serving. 

Examine Behavior Closely

What does a “self-willed” individual look like?

There are many examples that could be given from the evangelical world these days of self-willed individuals who are in positions of leadership or who have fallen out of leadership. We tend to think of well-known public figures, but even more examples will be found in thousands upon thousands of local churches around the world.

In addition to the more common observations, here are a few ways we might identify a self-willed leader or would-be leader.  

• He will not stop pushing his pet issues and projects. 
• She frequently takes passive aggressive actions, subverting and sabotaging.
• He plays the self-assigned role of gatekeeper, controlling other people’s ministries. 
• She just doesn’t care about the negative organizational culture she is creating. 
• He creates his own separate loyal following within the larger group. 
• She is noticeably excessive or extreme in her enjoyments. 
• He is too familiar or inappropriate with those of the opposite sex. 

There are many more examples of selfishness and controlling behavior that could be given. These two qualities of selfishness and controlling behavior define being self-willed.

Confronting the Arrogant Ones

Self-willed and arrogant people are drawn to positions of power. We need to prevent them from leading, remove them from leading and even help them self-correct when possible. How might we do this?

It begins with paying attention, and then bravely calling out those who are self-willed and naming “self-will” for the arrogance that it is. This might start with a personal conversation of confrontation, or it might involve organizational authorities. Either way, this will take courage and may be very costly because we are dealing with powerful people and influential leaders quite often who do not want to hear the truth about themselves.

We need to keep reminding ourselves and others why it is so important not to have self-willed people in leadership—because they will destroy many aspects of many people’s lives. They are dangerous to the organizations they lead and they will lead them to eventual ruin and oblivion if left unchecked. We need to speak up.

There is a good example in 2 Timothy 3 which is given after listing many sins of selfishness in verse 1-4.

2 Timothy 3:5–9 ESV “. . . [Such people have] the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. . . . But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all.”

Another example is found in 3 John.

3 John 1:9–10 ESV “I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.”

Trusting God Enough to Say ‘No’

Being self-willed describes a person who finds ways to get one’s own way and serve oneself above others and above the mission. Self-will is a deeply damaging character trait both to oneself and to those around that person.

God promises in the passages of 2 Timothy and 3 John above that He will make sure that the self-willed will not get very far, that they will be exposed and that His authority will eventually be recognized.

Self-willed people are not fit to lead. Saying “no” to them will bring God’s blessing, grace and peace to the larger group. It is of vital importance to trust God by following His clear will for leadership in His churches, and organizations that serve His Mission.