Tuesday, 24 February 2015

Church Leaders is it a biblical concept?

One of the topics that came up at a recent editorial meeting for Country Way was the nature of church leadership.  We were essentially thinking about leadership in rural church situations.  I raised a question regarding whether the polity of our different denominations was a factor in determining leadership style.  Watch out for a forthcoming issue of Country Way to see how this is further explored.

Here I want to ask the question, “Is leadership the appropriate word?”  It certainly is a contemporary term across the denominations.  The recent guidance given to training Bishops in the Church of England also highlights the subject.  But the term “leader” is not one that you will find in ant of the three New Testament passages where gifts and ministries are listed[1].  Indeed the term is used sparingly within the New Testament of the early churches.  Barsabbas and Silas are described as leaders from within the church at Jerusalem.  The only other references are in Hebrews 13. Even these must be considered in the light of the words of Jesus whose only reference to leaders among his disciples is in Luke 22:26 “the leader must be like the one who serves”.

Leadership has become a generic term as there has been growing realisation of the limitation in the pastor/teacher model that served churches well in the past. But unfortunately the term carries with it certain images and expectations that are unhelpful within a Christian context.  That said, I am reminded of a conversation that I had with the late Dr Donald McGavran many years ago.  He had been emphasising the importance of good leadership for church growth.  I had pointed out that many rural churches were lacking in leadership.  He then asserted that in any social group leaders naturally emerge and that to identify them you only have to see who gets listened to.

Of course there are various models of leadership.  When I did my university studies in management we even considered Jesus as one model for contemporary leadership. Some leaders are more assertive while others are more consultative in style.  Contemporary gurus on the subject will point out the need to adapt an appropriate style of leadership dependent upon the circumstances at the time.  That is to say that the one leader might sometimes need to be assertive at important moments but might otherwise be consultative.

As a minister within a Congregational tradition my own understanding of leadership style is tempered by the fact that I am under the authority of our Church Meeting.  My congregation might expect clear leadership from me but that must remain balanced by limited authority at all times.

I would much prefer a clear return to an understanding of ministry within our churches as relating to the diverse charisms or gifts that are mentioned in Scripture.  No one should be expected to exercise any kind of ministry beyond that which has been given by God and proved within the churches.  Let pastors care, evangelists proclaim, teachers teach, etc.   Leadership should never be one size fits all.
The biblical ‘offices’ within the churches of elders/bishops and deacons are about service and not about status.  We must never forget that Jesus taught that in the kingdom of God there is no such thing as rank!  I regularly hear lip service being given by church leaders regarding being like servants.  But it is not about acting it is about accepting the role of a servant.  It is what we are and we must never forget that.

Within one short list of ministries in 1Corinthians 12: 27-29 Paul refers to what the AV translates as ‘governments’ and most other modern translation present as ‘administration’.  But the Greek word which is translated here is ‘kybernesis’ and comes from the sense of piloting a ship (the noun can be found in Acts 27:11). This particular gift (among the many) carries a sense of true leadership.  It is about understanding the journey and how to make progress safely until the desired destination is reached.  As one of my university lecturers said, a good team leader is someone who is like a helicopter and can rise above a situation to take in the wider picture and implications, but then descend again to show the way ahead.

So, if you are defined as a ‘church leader’ I urge you to know your real gift and stay true to that.  Do not let your own or another’s expectations force you into a non-biblical role that could lead to burn out and frustration.  If you are among the led rather than the leaders please do not place this non-biblical expectation upon others.  Leadership will always exist and take various forms, but what really matters is that the many gifts that God has given within his Church are allowed space to be exercised for the common good and growth of his Church.

From the Diary:
Thank you for your prayers.  The chest infection is slowly clearing up and I am getting back into work after a two weeks break.  Please continue your prayers for a complete healing and also for my colleague Monica who needs God’s touch at this time.

“Faith through other eyes”, our Lent series at Yelvertoft got off to a good start last Thursday when the Senior Pastor of the Elim Pentecostal Church spoke of his particular tradition and what he values within it.  The meeting was well attended and well received. We have an interesting diversity of representatives of other Christian traditions and other faiths over the coming five weeks.  For more details click here.

We had a great “Get Messy in Yelvertoft” meeting this Saturday morning, using the theme of love.  Please pray for the children and parents who attended that we do not see on other occasions.  Give thanks for the excellent and willing team.  Click here for more information

Sunday 22nd February I will attend the Parish Communion Service in Great Bowden, Leics and speak about our summer outreach programme, “Holiday at Home”.  We are seeking to enlarge the team and appoint a new co-ordinator.

Tuesday 24th February I hope to be fit enough to go to HMP Gartree for my regular work with a group of lifers in the prison choir.

Thursday 26th February the second in our Lent series at Yelvertoft.

Saturday 28th February Congregational Federation Mission and Society Committee meeting in Nottingham

Sunday 29th February Yelvertoft Congregational Church

During this week I will be following up two request received recently to provide guidance on appropriate and effective evangelism.  I hope also to set the date for the deferred Rural Mission Webinar.

Thank you so much for your faithful fellowship.

Barry




[1] There are lists of ministries and gifts to be found in Romans 12:1-8; 1Corinthians 12:  Ephesians 4: 7-16.  There is no suggestion that these provide an exhaustive list, but they do identify God’s gifts to the Church.

No comments:

Post a Comment