Navigating Worship-Based Leadership: A Study of the David Model and Its Relevance in the Formation of Charismatic Church Leaders

Leadership in the context of the church often faces crises not because of a lack of managerial competence, but because of the fragility of its spiritual roots. This study seeks to examine King David’s leadership model to develop the concept of Worship-Based Transformational Leadership (WTBL) which is an approach that is deliberately carried out by utilizing worship as the main formative force. This is to develop leadership that is not only technically competent, but also spiritual and one that has a strong character and is resilient. This is needed to be able to build a transformative community, and relevant leaders in the field in current charismatic churches. Unlike previous research that emphasized David’s morality, military strategy, or charisma, this study highlights the spirituality of worship as a key formative dimension in leadership formation. A narrative theological approach is used to unravel the story of David in the Cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22) and the Psalms written during a time of crisis, combined with transformational and spiritual leadership theories. The study applied a parallel-convergent mixed method, with quantitative data from a survey of 222 respondents in five Charismatic and Pentecostal churches in Yogyakarta, and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and narrative studies. Statistical analysis using Pearson correlation and multiple regression showed a significant positive relationship between worship spirituality and leadership effectiveness. The qualitative findings reveal three main themes: worship as the core identity of worship leaders, a means of spiritual resilience and discipline, and community worship as a space for the formation of new leaders. The findings of the study confirm that worship is not just a liturgical expression, but a pedagogical and theological process that shapes the leader’s character, visionary direction, and spiritual sensitivity. The WBTL model expands the theory of spiritual leadership by placing worship as the key basis for leadership formation. In conclusion, worship-rooted leadership presents a new paradigm that brings together spiritual depth, personal transformation, and ministry effectiveness in the context of the contemporary church.