Pastor Benny Tate is breaking down preconceived ideas about what it takes to make a leader. For Tate, leadership is not reserved for CEOs, pastors or those with titles—it is the calling of every believer.
“Everybody is a leader,” Tate said. “Leadership is influence. Whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a coach, or a stay-at-home mom, you are influencing someone. You were created to lead.”
Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!
Tate emphasized that true leadership is not about success, status, or recognition, but about significance—the impact you have on others. “Success is about you,” he said. “Significance is about what happens through you. If you want to lead, you’re giving up the right for it to be about you.”
Using the biblical example of Nehemiah, Tate outlined five levels of leadership.
Inward leadership begins with self-discipline and personal growth. “The most difficult person you’ll ever lead is yourself,” he explained. “You have to grow before you can grow anyone else.”
To order Benny Tate’s new book, Yes, You Can, visit Amazon.com.
Lateral leadership focuses on relational influence through service. “If serving is beneath you, leading will always be above you,” Tate said, highlighting that helping others achieve their dreams is a pathway to fulfilling your own.
Upward leadership calls for humility and loyalty when interacting with those in authority. Tate referenced Nehemiah asking the king for favor and resources to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, emphasizing that the right attitude opens doors for the right action.
Downward leadership is about discovering, developing and deploying others. “All I want to do is lead leaders,” he said. “If all you do is lead followers, all you’ll ever do is add. But if you learn to lead leaders, you multiply—and you make a lasting impact.”
Finally, outward leadership inspires believers to lead beyond themselves through generosity, mentoring and leaving a legacy.
Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!
Ultimately, Tate encouraged believers to live victorious lives and step out in faith to all that God has called them to do. “If God be for us, who can be against us? Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. You are more than a conqueror. You are a victor. You are a child of the Most High God. Yes, you can.”
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.
