An introduction to the book

Heads and Tails Following and Leading in Kingdom-Formed Organizations

We were made for heaven. Under the sovereignty of God, there is no difference between the status or worth of the followership and leadership sides of the organizational coin. Jesus Christ came from heaven to earth as God in human form to announce and explain the Kingdom of God and invite people to follow him as their one true King. He says to pray to the Father in Heaven for the Kingdom to come soon, for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

He tells his followers to seek the Kingdom of God above all else, to “make the Kingdom of God your primary concern . . .” in all of life, now on the fallen earth as it is in the perfection of heaven. In this process, your King Jesus is your personal model; you are to become more like Jesus who sacrificed himself so rebellious humans could be reconciled to God. Similarly, the organizations of the Kingdom of God are the model and ideal for all your earthly organizations: church, family, work, educational, political.

The coin of every organization has two interdependent and equally important sides, following and leading. You are to help form all your earthly organizations to be more like the organizations of the heavenly realm of God’s Kingdom. The two sides of the organizational “coin” define each other. A leader has followers who accept the influence of the leader (in varying ways and degrees). If you cannot find any followership, don’t bother looking for leadership. Under Christ the King, wise and effective followers in every kind of organization choose, support, and evaluate leaders who demonstrate competency and deserve trust in both roles, following and leading.

Followership and leadership define each other and operate interdependently to advance shared organizational purposes. From nuclear families to governments and multinational corporations, Jesus offered his followers no exceptions: seek first the Kingdom of God, and your heavenly Father will give you all you need. But the dominant culture is leader-centric, and Satan likes it that way. He was a bright leader with great authority in the angelic armies, but he did not want to be under the authority of God or anyone else, so he led a rebellion and God cast him and his followers down to the earthly realm. There he craftily deceived Eve to feel like she was her own leader and not be demeaned as a mere follower under God’s authority.

Leadership continues to be treated as the only side of the organizational coin that really matters in our earthly socio-economic system. Everyone else is “just a follower.” Kingdom-formed organizations under God’s sovereignty recognize that the followership role is the primal force in all organizations. Effective following determines who leads and ultimately how successful they will be in their leadership role. This book intends to inform, enhance, and encourage the effectiveness of interdependent followership and leadership that moves the organizations you are part of toward the character, values, and conditions of God’s Kingdom on earth. When Christ the King returns with power, earth and heaven will be unified in one glorious kingdom with healthy people practicing effective following and leading forever as Christ-like servants in healthy organizations under his rule and for his glory. For now, the obvious challenge is that, in this fallen world, unhealthy leadership fits the fallen human ego better than healthy servant-followership. Humans are easily attracted to unhealthy leaders. In kingdom-formed organizations the followership is fully engaged in ensuring the effective leadership required to achieve their shared purpose and values.

"So much has been written on effective leadership but too little has been written on effective followership. This book begins to bridge that gap in a compelling way. The format combines practical teaching with Biblical testimonies, beautifully crafted prayers, and thought-provoking questions for discussion and deeper consideration. In all, this is a challenging and insightful study into what makes up a kingdom-formed organization from both the leader and follower perspectives." - Scott Rodin, Ph.D. Founder of The Center for Steward Leader Studies