Leadership is changing widely and religious leadership is no exception. Themes like community formation, leadership emergence, and social identity have become vital for new forms of leadership. This webinar will introduce the social identity theory of leadership and then apply it to religious leadership. Surprisingly, the leadership of the Apostle Paul, living in the Mediterranean world in the first century, turns out to be an excellent illustration of religious identity leadership. Paul founded many new religious communities in a culture that valued strong hierarchy and with clear scripts for honoring leaders. Paul only partially aligned with these cultural values and scripts, while differing in other aspects. Due to Paul’s short stays at cities like Corinth and Ephesus, he was forced to deal by letter with cultural issues in the religious identity formation of his communities. These letters afford us a window to study his leadership. Paul’s attitude towards his cultural constraints is enlightening. He adapted leadership structures, while simultaneously resisting the adoption of cultural leadership styles and values. He also had to defend his own foundational, apostolic leadership. Consequently, he was instrumental in shaping Christian leadership styles and in directing leadership emergence for these communities in a way that remains instructive for today’s religious and public leaders.