Speaking at the All India Congress on Church in Mission (AICOCIM), Rev. Dr. A. K. Lama, Chair of the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation and Vice President of the National Council of Baptist Churches in India, issued a call for the Indian Church to cultivate leadership that endures beyond personalities, offices, and titles.
In a wide-ranging plenary address on the second day of the Congress, Lama emphasized that leadership “that lasts” is rooted in integrity, sustainability, and spiritual authority. He warned against centralizing power, clinging to positions, or creating personality-driven movements that falter once their founders are gone. Instead, he urged pastors and leaders to prepare for succession, empower younger generations, and embrace humility in service.
“This Congress reminds us that the Church is never built on one leader’s charisma alone,” Lama said. “It is built on discipleship, on passing the baton, and on raising leaders who can serve beyond us.”
Learning from past examples
Lama began by noting that no leader, however great, is free from criticism. Even Jesus was betrayed by one of his own disciples. Yet he said Scripture defines leadership not by human achievement but by faithfulness to God. Quoting Luke 2:52, he pointed to Jesus’ growth “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” as the model for holistic leadership development.
He urged delegates to learn both from the successes and failures of leaders who have gone before. “Those who fail to learn from the past are doomed to repeat it,” he said, citing the “great cloud of witnesses” in Hebrews 12 as examples of enduring faith.
As a contemporary illustration, Lama referred briefly to the life of evangelist Billy Graham, recognized as one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century. Graham’s integrity, humility, and willingness to adapt to new technologies helped sustain his global ministry for six decades. Lama noted that Graham’s early commitments to accountability and transparency—known as the Modesto Manifesto—shielded him from the scandals that often engulf public leaders.
“Billy Graham showed us the value of humility, focus, and team building,” Lama said. “But even his ministry raises questions about succession and how well the next generation is empowered. We must learn both from his strengths and from the challenges left behind.”
The dangers of centralization
From there, Lama turned to what he described as a critical weakness in many churches and ministries in India: the centralization of authority in one leader or family. When too much decision-making is concentrated in a single office, he said, organizations stagnate and struggle to grow.
“In both East and West, people admire leaders to such an extent that the vision of the movement becomes privatized and constrained,” he said. “Bylaws are even amended to keep power in the hands of a few. But when leadership is reduced to dynasty or personality, the future becomes insecure.”
Lama drew on his own experience in ministry leadership to illustrate how decentralization can transform organizations. In one North India ministry he evaluated in 2014, he discovered that growth was stunted because everything was “too much centralized.” When the group eventually adopted a decentralized model, it expanded from one center to 11 centers, six language groups to 24, and 16 staff members to more than 70.
“How much more should biblical movements, which believe in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in every believer, practice decentralization?” Lama asked.
Lama pressed his point with a candid story about the dangers of clinging to leadership too long.
“I’m reminded of an experience in a church where a youth came to me asking if it was all right to pray for someone to die early,” he said. “I said I would not be able to answer until I knew the context. He told me that his pastor is a great man of God. He founded the church and has pastored it for the past 40 years. He is now 85 and barely able to walk, but he centralizes every decision and activity around himself. We respect him and dare not ask him to retire. But we know that if he goes up to be with Jesus, he will be more comfortable and the church will also grow.”
The painful honesty of the story underscored Lama’s warning: leaders who refuse to hand over responsibility can stifle the very communities they built. “Leaders must recognize that we are not indispensable,” he said. “If God can lead you, he can also lead others.”
Treating the next generation as sons and daughters
Lama argued that biblical leadership requires treating younger leaders not as rivals or fans but as sons and daughters. He pointed to the Apostle Paul, who described himself as both a nursing mother and an encouraging father to the Thessalonians.
“Paul did not build fans or followers around himself,” Lama said. “He invested in people like Timothy and Titus as his spiritual children, raising them up for leadership.”
In contrast, Lama lamented, many senior pastors in India either change constitutions to retain power or fail to mentor successors. Even when associate pastors are appointed, decision-making often remains centralized in the senior pastor’s hands. “They become village chiefs rather than shepherds,” Lama warned.
He called for churches to create structured opportunities for internships and mentoring so that young pastors can gain firsthand experience. “Without planned succession and intentional discipleship, the next generation is left without preparation,” he said.
Integrity and sustainability
Turning to the personal qualities of leaders, Lama warned against the temptations of position, prestige, and financial compromise. Leadership roles can bring glamour, he said, but they can also blur vision and create unrealistic expectations.
He recounted his time as General Secretary of the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India, overseeing 8,500 churches and numerous institutions. After one term, he decided to step down, resisting pressure to continue. “It was a glamorous position,” he recalled. “But I knew it was time to hand over the baton to someone else.”
He also cautioned against the lure of financial shortcuts in a context where pastors often face limited salaries and little security. “No one can serve two masters,” he said, quoting Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:24. “We must be prepared to deny ourselves opportunities that compromise integrity.”
Lama observed that leaders today are vulnerable not only to moral and financial pitfalls but also to the scrutiny of the digital age. He told of a pastor who fell into online gambling to repay debts, only to be exposed when his laptop was repaired by a member of his congregation.
“You are never alone,” Lama said. “Even when you think you are alone on your laptop, there is a digital print following you. Above all, there is CCTV from heaven. The Lord is always watching.”
Integrity, he stressed, is difficult to earn but easy to lose. “Christian leaders may not always be rewarded for their good works,” he said. “But if they are found in sin, the world magnifies it a thousand times.”
Love as the measure of leadership
At the heart of leadership that lasts, Lama said, is love—agape love that is unconditional, undeserving, and sacrificial. This, he argued, is the only kind of love that sustains leaders through challenges and unites the Church across divisions.
“Leadership shall fail the test of integrity and spiritual authority if we are perceived as partial to one community or too in love with our own opinions,” he said. “We must embody humility, patience, forgiveness, and love that crosses tribal, regional, and denominational lines.”
Lama concluded by urging leaders to measure their influence not by the length of their office but by the legacy they leave. “Leadership does not last because we chase something outside ourselves,” he said. “It lasts because of what we cultivate within ourselves and in others.”
He cited Indian leaders such as Rev. Dr. Ben Wati, who helped translate the Bible into his native language, served the Evangelical Fellowship of India and the World Evangelical Alliance, and left behind a legacy of selfless service. “People don’t forget what you do as a leader,” Lama said. “A good biblical leader leaves examples to emulate.”
Finally, he reminded delegates that true leadership must always remain accountable before God. Quoting Numbers 32:23, he said, “Be sure your sin will find you out. You are never alone. Live as those who are watched by heaven, and lead in such a way that your legacy builds up the body of Christ for generations to come.”
