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first off…yesterday could have been the first serious post i’ve ever done where nobody even tried to hi-jack it. your comments were awesome. i’ll see if i can be worthy…
in all of my reading on church leadership these days, it’s pretty clear to me that one of the most influential and prominent movements in the church (i.e., the loudest voices and strongest leader personalities) is the one making the boldest claims about authoritative leadership. its impact has been far-reaching and its teaching is incredibly persuasive.
( i’ve decided to refrain from calling out anybody or any group by name. i’m not being a chump. it’s just not necessary for this post. if you want me to go deeper, or if you have a personal concern about a particular personality leader or church or doctrine, send me an email and i’d be glad to respond.)
one super popular mega pastor/author wrote recently about the topic of church leader authority. the flow of his article was that the authority of christ in the church is best carried out in a hierarchy composed of a senior pastor (at the top), surrounded by a group of elders. this form of church leadership/hierarchy (and its variations) is, by far, the most dominant style found in the church today.
here are a few things i will stipulate:
by virtue of living a perfect, sinless life…and capping it off by rising from the dead…jesus and his words should have absolute, unquestioned authority.
the church (in the first century, as well as today…and in every culture) needs to have some kind of leadership structure in order to maintain organization, exercise some form of discipline, and remain collectively focused on the great commission.
the apostles wrote about the presence and practice of elders/pastors/bishops (overseers) and deacons/ministers (servants) who functioned in various forms of church management, shepherding, administration, decision-making, teaching, service, and example.
the word leadership does not exist in the new testament writings.
the word leader occurs only four times…twice as a descriptive title of people in a local church setting…and then these two:
“Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.” Mathew 23:10 “But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.” Luke 22:26
mmm. so here are a few other things i will stipulate:
there is only one “leader” in the church…and that’s not the pastor.
beware of being called a leader in the church.
authoritative leadership in the church is the antithesis of the words of jesus. leadership is defined as servanthood.
according to the apostle paul, the body of christ (the church) is made up of many parts. each part is gifted. all the different parts serve different purposes. all serve. all submit to the best interests of each other. there is only one “head”…and it’s not the pastor. nor is it a collective group of men.
authority is a “word grenade” from my perspective. we are warned in the bible not to ever exercise it over people. my understanding from scripture is that i, personally, have absolutely no authority over anybody. not as a 57-year-old dude. not as a pastor. not as an elder. maybe some over my children when they were young, or maybe some if the situation demands it (like when i would take the youth group across the border…or when a teacher is handed a new class of unruly ruffians).
i can teach. i can shepherd. i can do my best to hold people accountable to the commitments and promises they make. i can try to give direction to people who are ship-wrecking their lives. i can attempt to protect the integrity and reputation of the church.
i can tell people who the bible says should “stop” doing certain things. i can even be part of a team of people who evaluate the sinful (according to the bible) behaviors of people…and who help set up systems and safeguards for the people, and the whole church as well.
i can develop the personal, spiritual credibility to exercise some measure of influence. i can have a position of management that gives me greater responsibility for church programs…and even the people who participate in those programs.
but the only authority i have is over my own decisions. the moment i begin to think i have the right to demand the obedience of others to my decisions…my direction…my vision..my ideas…my leadership…my authority…i have betrayed my true calling as a shepherd…and cheapened the life of jesus, the one true leader.
although there are some great corporate models of leadership…and tons of best-selling books on christian leadership to learn from…and many well-known, influential and authoritative church leaders whose feet are certainly worthy of sitting under…i will stick with the model of the suffering servant as my definition of leadership and authority.
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