Why We Lead: The Heroic Call to Follow Christ First
“The greatest among you will be your servant.” —Matthew 23:11 - by Chris Mann
Why lead? Because someone has to go first. Because someone has to rise in the dark, stand when others sit, speak when others stay silent.
But more than that—because Christ led us first.
He didn’t lead with fanfare, strategy, or a five-step plan. He led with a cross. And now, He calls us to follow.
“The greatest among you will be your servant.” —Matthew 23:11
In a culture addicted to image and self-promotion, we’re invited into something radical: Leadership that looks like sacrifice.
Real Leadership Isn’t Loud: It’s Laid Down.
As Catholic men, we don’t lead to make a name. We lead to glorify His.
We don’t step forward because we have it all figured out. We step forward because we’ve seen something worth following—and we want to bring others with us.
Leadership isn’t about dominating a room. It’s about opening a path. In your home. In your parish. In your daily battle with temptation and distraction.
It’s about waking up every morning and saying, “Not my will, but Yours.”
Shepherding Is the Shape of Masculine Strength.
We follow the model of the Good Shepherd—and it’s anything but soft. He fought for His sheep. He sought the lost. He fed them truth. He laid down His life.
That’s the kind of leadership we’re called to—not passive or prideful. Present. Present enough to notice the lonely man at church.
Present enough to apologize first in a fight with your wife. Present enough to kneel beside your child’s bed and pray over them.
This is what it means to lead.
Whether we’re leading a ministry, a family, or just our own wayward hearts, we do it by following Christ’s heart.
Love Is Why We Step Up.
Let’s be honest—leading is hard. It’s often thankless. It usually costs you something.
But we don’t lead because it’s easy. We lead because we’ve been wrecked by love. Because we’ve encountered a King who washed feet. Because we carry His name now—and the world needs to see what He’s really like.
Every time we step into leadership, we say with our lives: ‘He is worthy.’ We don’t have all the answers. We don’t need to. Because we know the One who does.
That’s enough.
You Are Not Alone in This Battle.
Leadership isn’t about being flawless. It’s about being faithful—again and again, in the small things, in the hidden things. The late-night bottle feedings. The uncomfortable conversations with a brother in sin. The quiet act of resisting porn—for the hundredth time.
That’s where true leadership is forged. In the furnace of ordinary life. And when it gets heavy—and it will—you don’t have to carry it alone.
You’ve got brothers. You’ve got Christ. You’ve got tools.
‘The Heroic Man’ Is Here to Walk With You.
We created The Heroic Man Magazine because we believe in you—and we know the weight you carry.
Each issue brings you: practical habits and spiritual disciplines to help you grow. Stories that speak: real men, real struggles, real heroism. Tools to lead: insights that help you lead from the inside out.
We need Christ, and a little courage. “He still says, ‘Follow me.’” So let’s go.
And when it gets hard—and it will—remember: You were made for this.
- Chris Mann