I have been learning about leadership for the last 10 years in the church culture. I have taken classes, watched podcasts, heard lectures and speeches, read books and heard it talked about ad nauseum by individuals who believe leadership is next to Godliness. I have come to the conclusion that leadership is a great thing that often becomes an idol. Here is what led to that opinion.
Biblical leadership is not glamours. It’s hanging out with people while speaking truth, but not really being anyone important. It’s helping and serving and washing nasty feet. It is without title or position or recognition. It’s simply doing the will of the Father in front of others. It’s following in the first position, following God and having others follow you as you follow God. You don’t get to make the rules, pick the direction, make the vision or the purpose. You simply follow the Father. Sometimes you have no place to lay your head. Sometimes you are without honor among your home town. Sometimes the followers abandon you and those in charge throw you to the dogs.
Biblical leadership is not always by the book. Sometimes you are a king or a fisherman or a religious leader, a traitor or a kid or a carpenter from a hick town. Sometimes you are a respectable person in a place that is disrespectful, sometimes you are a disrespectful person suddenly respected. You are seldom if ever up for the challenge, you don’t have a resume and you are seldom prepared lest you take the glory for yourself. You may be rejected, dejected, even ejected. Man rejects you but the Spirit empowers you. You are definitely not on the cover of Time or Forbes and not on the top 100 of anything. Those are the people God uses.
Today in the church, however, I see something different. It’s a model that didn’t come from the Bible, it came from the cooperate, secular world, the government and from the private sector. It’s the idea of being in the top chair and commanding the troops beneath you. It’s being out in front leading the pack. It’s casting vision, sharing purpose, writing strategic plans and doing what you think is best. It takes charisma, personality, charm and guts. You have to be smart and tough and sometimes mean when needed. It helps to look good, have nice clothes and smell good, have a good smile and a good looking spouse. You are measured on your success and how big your office is, your library, your vocabulary, your education and your congregation are. You have more Bs than anyone else (bucks, Baptisms and bodies in the pew) and you are on the radio, television, news stands and best seller lists. You can sell a ketchup Popsicle to a woman in white gloves and Eskimos are lined up to buy ice cubes.
So, here is my challenge, my call, my conviction and my invitation. Lets be Biblical Leaders. Toss out the purpose and vision and mission statements you painfully crafted, because Jesus already gave them. Give up the lead seat and give it to Jesus. Don’t just say you follow the Bible but then make decisions based on your judgement or your experience or your great ideas. The Bible tells us how to do church, so why do we constantly reinvent and reevaluate. We strive for and fight for and work for leadership, let God choose His leaders. We become leaders and we stop following, we stop learning, we stop being accountable.
Will you be happy if God takes away your title, your position, your income and your congregation and you are in a tent somewhere sharing with tribal people? Will you be content if your ministry becomes to those who have nothing and no one and no way to thank you? Will you be ok if you are not admired, respected or even listened too? Are we willing to be Biblical leaders even if it means being led into captivity, tending sheep for 40 years or being beaten and pelted with rocks?
It’s time to lead out of our lack and lead as we follow. I am willing to be the last and the least because Jesus tells me that is what is required. I am willing to be a nobody like a small child that no one pays attention too, speaks too or reads his blog. I am willing to become less and let Christ become more. It won’t be easy, it contradicts everything my prideful human flesh tells me to do. It has been something I have given lip service to in the past and said “ya, I’m humble and willing to be nobody” but I am not sure my life can give testimony to that. It’s time to be authentic and walk the talk instead of just talking a good show and acting like a company man. I want to be a new man instead. Care to join me?
good advice, this:
“Toss out the purpose and vision and mission statements you painfully crafted, because Jesus already gave them. Give up the lead seat and give it to Jesus.”
” As Jesus walked through this world the Kingdom of God was like a big ship cutting through the waves. Every place he goes, the work and the fruit of the Kingdom flow out from him. Blind people see, hungry people are fed, deaf people hear, those with leprosy are cured, outcasts are included, people who are left out are brought in and beloved. The guilty are forgiven, the dead are raised.” (Michael Spencer)
Be hungry and thirsty Brother! God declared His intention to use the weak, despised and foolish things of this world to shame the strong, admired and wise things of this world. Thank you for the call to heed Him instead of the world when it comes to being the Church.
Thanks very much. This is the mesage relevant to leaders and all who desire to be leaders. Now i’ve learn to be a chiled not childish
EXCELLENT challenge!!! I will take this to heart and hope others do the same.
Thanks!
Not getting a barrage of comments I’ve noticed. Maybe this is less than popular to say.
Not getting a barrage of comments I’ve noticed. Maybe this is less than popular to say.
Thank you for a good laugh. I needed that while trying to figure out this A-133 compliance suppliment. 🙂
This comment is much less hate-filled than the one you left on my personal blog.
It’s a difficult topic, to be sure.
I think there needs to be some sort of distinction. Some of the traits you mentioned – casting vision, sharing purpose – are great practices and habits that many excellent, godly leaders pursue. Maybe your point is that while these are good things, they are not necessarily part of the Biblical definition of leadership.
Did I get it right?
Yes too a degree. Is the vision and purpose Jesus gave so out of date that we are continually casting new ones? Is it too vague? Did Jesus not understand something we know so we must redo it?
Oh, no, my point is not that we must reinvent anything. I may be looking at this differently.
I plant churches, then try to get locals to lead those churches. Too often, they get stuck on their own salvation and growth, overlooking the need to contribute to the kingdom. My “vision casting” is usually challenging them to think of those who have not yet known the gospel, or pushing them to consider starting new churches instead of simply growing the old one.
Perhaps my context is slightly different than you were thinking. Sorry if I skewed things.
And I agree with you, yes.
Dan,
This dovetails nicely into the last couple of posts about how many hours per week should be expected from pastoral ministry personnel. I have been on the inside (non-denom) and the outside (SBC mega and non-mega) of pastoral staff, so I have seen some of what you say.
From my perspective, you do not see much of the CEO / Field Marshall mentality at the SBC non-mega. All of the pastors I know are knee deep in ministry of the messy.
While it may be a temptation, I do not think it always follows for SBC mega church pastors to fall into the CEO trap. Churches with strong congregational ministry ownership tend to scare those types away.
In my mind the non-denom is where you see a lot of this. Non-denoms many times sell themselves as being “newer and better” than denominational churches, so they are always casting about for some original vision / principle that they can claim to have restored. The “newer, better” vision becomes more important to pursue than the actual boots on the ground ministry.
” . . . ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls . . . ”
(from Jeremiah 6:16)