November 4, 2025
The Wesleyan Way of Leadership: Running the Race with Perseverance
“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” – Hebrews 12:1-2
Leadership isn’t a sprint. It’s a long, steady race of faithfulness. That race can be filled with moments of exhaustion, unexpected turns, and glimpses of grace that keep us going. In this episode, explore the Wesleyan Way of Leadership, a way marked by vision, adaptability, and accountability.
These three qualities don’t just help leaders survive challenging seasons. These three qualities they help us lead with perseverance and purpose.
Vision: Fixing Your Eyes on Jesus
Every race begins with a focus on the finish line. Hebrews 12 reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. That’s what vision is all about.
In leadership, it’s easy to get lost in daily details or overwhelmed by obstacles. But when our focus stays on Jesus, the mission of loving God and neighbor, making disciples, and living by grace, we remember why we’re running.
Vision isn’t simply about setting goals or strategies. It’s about aligning every step with the movement of God’s love. It’s the question that anchors our leadership when things get hard:
“Am I leading toward love and transformation?”
That’s the kind of vision that keeps us running when the road gets steep.
Adaptability: Laying Aside Every Weight
Hebrews invites us to “lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles.” In leadership terms, that means learning to let go.
Sometimes the “weights” we carry aren’t bad things, they’re simply old things that no longer fit the current season. Traditions, habits, or even systems that once served us well can begin to slow us down.
Adaptability isn’t about chasing trends or compromising values. It’s about staying flexible enough to follow the Spirit’s leading in real time. John Wesley called it attending to all the ordinances of God, continually discerning how grace is at work right now.
When leaders adapt with grace, we trust that God’s Spirit is still moving ahead of us, calling us to keep pace with divine love in the present moment.
Accountability: Surrounded by a Great Cloud of Witnesses
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that we don’t run this race alone. We’re “surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.” That’s accountability, not in a punitive or power-over way, but in the mutual grace that sustains us.
Wesley called it watching over one another in love. Early Methodists met in class meetings and small bands where they prayed, studied Scripture, confessed struggles, and encouraged one another. It wasn’t judgment. It was companionship for the journey.
Accountability is what keeps us running together. It’s the crowd at the finish line, cheering us on when we’re weary and reminding us that we belong to something larger than ourselves.
The Marathon of Leadership
Leadership isn’t about finishing first. It’s about helping everyone finish faithfully.
Endurance grows when we remember that our strength doesn’t come from us alone, it comes from the One who runs beside us. Like Derek Redmond’s story from the 1996 Olympics, sometimes we limp toward the finish line. But we don’t do it alone. The Father meets us on the track, wraps His arm around us, and helps us finish the race.
That’s the heart of the Wesleyan way of leadership:
- Vision keeps us focused on Christ.
- Adaptability helps us move with the Spirit.
- Accountability reminds us we’re not alone.
Together, these three qualities form a grace-filled rhythm of leadership—a way to lead with perseverance, humility, and hope.
A Question for Reflection
As you run your race this week, ask yourself:
- What race am I running right now?
- What weights are slowing me down?
- Who’s running beside me, and who might need my encouragement?
- And most importantly—where are my eyes fixed?
Remember: You’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. You’re strengthened by grace. And no matter how long or steep the road, you’re not running alone, Jesus runs with you.
Time Stamp for Episode 386
00:08 The Wesleyan Way of Leadership
00:57 Admiral Jim Stockdale’s Story
02:40 Vision in Leadership
03:42 Adaptability in Leadership
05:24 Accountability in Leadership
07:31 The Marathon of Leadership
11:24 Derek Redmond’s Olympic Story
14:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts