Abstract

This chapter examines the centering nature of Agapao within paternal and maternal managerial leadership. It does so within the context of Paul's first epistle to the Thessalonians. In it, we see Paul's masterful use of the rhetorical strategy of persuasion to argue the need for the people of God to continue in the faith until maturity (1 Thessalonians 2: 12). Paul leverages the imagery of the communal family, which Guy (Introducing early Christianity: A topical survey of its life, InterVarsity Press, 2011) argued he borrowed from what was already familiar to citizens living within the Rome city-state. Only Paul introduced it under a new context and paradigm that set the context for using the paternal and maternal leadership motif. Northouse (Leadership: Theory and practice, Sage, 2018) argued that the paternal leadership style places heavy emphasis on task and job requirements and less on people, except to the extent that people are tools for getting the job done. Further, Northouse Leadership: Theory and practice, Sage, 2018) posited that “the maternal style represents a low concern for task accomplishment coupled with a high concern for interpersonal relationships” (p. 73). Paul used both metaphors, showing himself as both father and mother to the new converts at Thessalonica. Couched in the familial community where Agapao in leadership thrives, Paul intended to encourage, comfort, and urge through care and instruction this new community of believers, in the face of adversity, on to maturity and a deeper relationship with Christ.