Ruth & Naomi: Shaping Gospel Leadership at NBCC

When Ruth says, “Where you go, I will go… your people will be my people and your God my God,” she’s not just making a dramatic promise. She’s giving us a vision of what Gospel-shaped discipleship and mentoring can look like—one that can deeply influence how we think about leadership at NBCC.

In the Indian context, we’re no strangers to loyalty and relational depth. Many of us have grown up in households that value respect for elders, staying connected through thick and thin, and honoring spiritual authority. These values reflect something beautiful and biblical. Ruth’s commitment echoes that deep loyalty—choosing to walk with Naomi when she had nothing to give in return.

But here’s the twist. Ruth isn’t following a mentor who is strong or successful. Naomi is empty, grieving, and uncertain. And yet Ruth chooses to stay.

That alone challenges our usual ideas of mentorship. In many churches—including ours—mentoring can become too focused on expertise, influence, or ministry success. But Ruth reminds us that Spirit-empowered discipleship isn’t about convenience—it’s about covenant. It’s about journeying with people through loss, doubt, and weakness, all while keeping our eyes on God’s redemptive work.

At NBCC, we’re being called to build a new kind of leadership culture—one that is Spirit led, where our motivation to lead and mentor comes not from position or reward, but from love, faith, and surrender. Ruth’s example shows us how mentoring relationships can shape leaders who are humble, faithful, and Spirit-led. We live in an urban culture where relationships are often transactional or short-lived—people change jobs, churches, and even faith communities quickly. But Ruth’s radical choice to walk with Naomi points to a better way: one of faithful presence, spiritual adoption, and Gospel witness.

If we want to see a leadership culture at NBCC that reflects the heart of Jesus, we must disciple and mentor others the way Ruth followed Naomi—not because it’s easy or strategic, but because it’s faithful. That kind of commitment can’t be manufactured; it must be cultivated through time, trust, and the Holy Spirit.

Let’s be a church that raises up leaders who walk with others not just in their strength, but also in their brokenness—leaders who point others to Christ not only by their gifting, but by their Gospel-shaped lives.