Prophets are not typically known for being great leaders.
Most often in their own time, prophets are despised by the masses of religionists and secularists for being dour and spoilsports to the fun of religion and play.
Thus, as Leonard Ravenhill once said, “the prophets stand alone,” or more accurately put, a prophet stands alone.
Are Prophets Leaders?
So it may seem a peculiar thing to describe a category of "the leadership of the prophets." It seems in fact that though the whole of Judaism or Christendom fall away the prophet is willing to be a boulder standing against the flood which carries all others away.
Another way of saying this is, they aren't doing much worrying about what others think, and their only concern about what others do is whether they obey God.
This is much the inverse about what most people think about leadership. Most people consider leadership equivalent with "shepherding" in Christian parlance - or perhaps the animal shepherding variety.
"Normal" leadership wants as its main end, to corral the sheep of people's souls here or there. But this is not the leadership of the prophets in the slightest.
The prophet in some sense cares nothing for what sheep do, as though the prophet needed to change sheep behavior (Joshua: “choose this day whom ye will serve” and Elijah: “stop limping between two opinions.”)
The prophet's job is not to change behavior, his job is to declare the word of the Lord.
The prophet's job as a leader is to utterly ignore what everyone else is doing (aside from issuing a rebuke) and to himself walk the path that no one else will.
Tombs of the Prophets
No one appreciates a prophet in their own time, but the next generation, having eaten the dirt the prophet promised was coming, adorns their words and their tombs.
So the prophet when it comes to leadership is simply called to speak the word of the Lord, and live it.
This is the difference between a prophet and a shepherd. A shepherd must get the sheep to do his will one way or another. A prophet is free to declare and let the word alone do the work. If the word is ignored, the prophet is free in every way except one:
The prophet himself must live the truth he declares.
The next generation - or perhaps 7 generations later - will wise up to the facts of the matter. They will consider with great adoration the faithfulness of "those of whom the world was not worthy." They will consider the pains of "sheepskins and goatskins" and "dwelling in holes of the earth" as giant crowns of iron and bronze.
The prophet declares the true way, whether any walk it or not, and the prophet lives in keeping with it. So that the next generation who awakens to the folly of the time may have a way established before them.
This is the leadership of the prophets, to accept the true way of God, not seeking the approval of an "adulterous generation," and to model it themselves.
I would write out an application for you to follow. But c'mon, it should be apparent. "Go and do likewise."
Nate