We all know that Christian leadership is different than leadership in other areas. We’re not surprised to see certain requirements that you wouldn’t see, for example, in a senior management position. But there’s always been one requirement that seemed out of place. The qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 both list “hospitality.” Can you imagine being interviewed for an executive role and being asked about your grilling skills and the frequency of your dinner parties? Is that what’s required of an elder? Why is hospitality one of the essentials of Christian leadership?

1. Biblical hospitality is about how you treat outsiders

Today, if we put some burgers on the grill for our family and friends, we call that hospitality. That’s not actually what the biblical term means. The Greek word for hospitality is made of two parts: one meaning “love” and the other “stranger.” Hospitality is about showing love to strangers. All Christians are called to this. As it says in Hebrews 13:2, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers.” The heroes of the Old Testament are often noted for their hospitality. Think of Abraham and Sarah, Lot, Rebekah, and Rahab. The Israelites were commanded to show kindness to outsiders because God Himself “loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:18). A Christian leader who shows a disregard for those outside the faith misrepresents God. We’re called to think of the needs of non-Christians and express grace and kindness to those new to the faith.

2. Biblical hospitality is about illustrating God’s invitation

Hospitality usually involves food. We invite outsiders to our table because God invited us to His table. In practicing hospitality, we’re imitating God and illustrating the way that He seeks to draw people to Himself. People seldom respond to an invitation from God without having first responded to an invitation from a Christian. Jesus is remarkable in that He practiced hospitality as a homeless, itinerant teacher. One of the last memories the disciples would have of Jesus was of the supper He hosted for them in a borrowed room. He was criticized for His “eating and drinking” and disparaged as “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19). Against culture and expectation, Jesus welcomed little children, spoke to women, healed the sick, and fed the multitudes. The people of His day were so concerned with their own purity that they lost sight of those outside the faith. Christian leaders need to follow Jesus’ example not that of the Pharisees who mocked Him. Sharing food together or even a cup of coffee expresses acceptance and builds bonds of trust and relationship.

3. Biblical hospitality is a means of evangelism

Every meal we share with someone outside the faith is in anticipation of the great banquet that God is preparing for His people. Jesus said, “people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29). For a Christian leader, hospitality is related to the requirement that “he must be well thought of by outsiders” (1 Timothy 3:7) and Paul’s charge to Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Timothy 4:5). When the people at the centre of a church become too preoccupied to spend time or share meals with those outside the faith, the church will in turn lose sight of its mission. God’s heart for the lost must be reflected in those who represent Him.

How’s your hospitality? Do you practice it at church in the way you welcome and engage newcomers? Do you practice it in your workplace in the way that you connect with people in personal ways beyond the business? Do you practice it in your neighbourhood in the way that you reach out to those around you? Do you meet needs? Do you share meals? Do you open your home? Do you spend time? Let’s recover biblical hospitality and invite outsiders into our lives and pray that they invite Jesus into their lives.

In awe of Him,

Paul