We tend to point to 1 Timothy and Titus as the ultimate New Testament descriptions of a leader, especially Paul’s advice to Timothy.
 
I was recently at a gathering for leaders where I was submitted to a teaching on leadership by a well-intentioned person who did his best to explain to eager listeners the important attributes of a leader.  He went through Paul’s listing in 1 Tim. 3:1-10, the character description of an elder or deacon. 

With all good intentions he finished his one hour study with the sentence by saying, “So you see, one hundred percent of what a leader is about is character, if you have built a foundation of character you have the potential of being a leader in the Church.”  
It takes only a minute for each of us to recall many an unproductive, stuck, non-visionary Board of a local church that was recruited on the basis of apparent “practiced” character.

more to come…