Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. (Luke 22:24–26)This is Jesus' clearest teaching on leadership. Yet we often miss what He is saying to us in it because of our assumptions. Hopefully what follows will clarify some of this for us.
Magisterial Leadership
In the church today there are some common assumptions about leadership that have crept in over time that actually do violence to the passage above. There is an idea of leadership that assumes, without reflection, that leadership means getting other people to do what the leader wants. This is the model for leadership that most often comes to mind when someone talks about "strong leadership skills." A strong leader is someone who, through force of personality or skills of persuasion is particularly good at getting people to do what he or she believes should be done. The model of church leader as CEO, which crept into the church from the business world, is what we're talking about here.Some people like these sorts of leaders and are attracted to them. They want this kind of "strong leadership" because it feels so good to be under such a confident person. It meshes with our assumptions about humility and submission to authority, and so we justify it on spiritual grounds as well. But I think we like these kinds of leaders because they absolve us of responsibility for our own decisions: we let them make our decisions for us.
Such leaders do not think of themselves as abusing their authority at all. As in the quote above from Jesus, they call themselves 'Benefactors' and believe to the core of their being that they are leading for the benefit of those they lead. It may be lonely at the top, but that is a burden they are willing to bear for the sake of those who need to be led (and by led, they understand: telling them what they should do). But I think these sorts of leaders are actually serving their own vision for the Church much more than than Jesus' vision for His people.
I believe that such a view of leadership, as it exists in the Church, is directly connected with one's view of God. For those who understand God as One who holds His power over people in order to get them to do His will, that God rules and reigns over everything by enforcing His authority through His power, believe that this is the way authority works and is supposed to work in the Church as well. For these folks the authority exercised by pastors, elders, etc., is authority delegated from the top down for the purpose of compelling, if not requiring, compliance and obedience to God's ways.
I also believe that such a view of leadership is connected to one's understanding of the human condition of those in Christ. That is, such a view generally assumes that people, at the core of their being, are sinful and their sin needs to be restrained.
This is called the Magisterial View of church leadership. Church leaders then are seen as magistrates who rule on behalf of, and under the authority of the King of the Church for the purpose of maintaining order and discipline, and administering the laws and will of that King.
Those living with these assumptions about leadership, about believers, and about God will often think of themselves as servant leaders, considering their willingness to lead--in all the ways that isolates them from others ("it's lonely at the top")--as a kind of selfless service they offer others. Many under such leadership would agree.
By now, you may assume that I'm not supportive of that view of leadership, nor that view of God or who we are in Christ. You'd be right.
Servant Leadership
So, if leadership in the Kingdom isn't "telling people what to do," what is it? Let me state it briefly using a definition I heard, and then explain further. Leadership in the Kingdom is not about holding authority over people but under them.*In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul explains the purpose of leadership and authority in the Church as the preparation of God's people for works of service (v.12). Paul goes on to state the ultimate goal being that believers attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (v.13). That is leadership exists for the sake of body of believers, not the other way around.
Now that word translated "prepare" in the NIV(84), is better translated as most other modern translations have it (including the NIV2011): "equip." To equip someone is to give them what they need to accomplish something. Now what's clear here is that what they are equipped for is works of service. It does not mean, and cannot be translated "equip...with works of service," that is: give them a job to do. The Scripture assumes that they already have one, probably given along with their spiritual gifts.
The task of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is to give people what they need to do the works of service God is calling them to. This is quite the opposite of giving people what they need to accomplish the "works of service" God gave the leader.
To lord it over (from the passage above) is the verb related to the Greek noun for Lord (κύριος), which means "owner or master." When we lord it over someone, we become their master, their lord. Like a slave owner, it is the right of the master to tell the slave what to do. We don't want to do that! Jesus is Lord, not church leaders. And Jesus doesn't call His followers slaves, but friends!
...but not so with you...
In saying "not so with you," Jesus is telling His disciples that we should not take our cues about leadership from the world--not from government, not from the military, and (in our day, I would add) not from business. There is a temptation to look at how other successful leaders lead successfully (outside the Church) and follow their example. But Jesus says ...not so with you...
Our cues need to come from Jesus Himself, Who did not come to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). He empowered those around Him with authority to do what He was doing, first the 12 (Luke 9:1-2, e.g.) and then 72 others (Luke 10:1), presumably with the same authority, since they had the same assignment.
In Ephesians 5:23, the husband (acting as head of the wife, as Christ is head of the church) is to imitate Christ who, as head of the church, gave Himself up for her. That is, the sort of headship he is to exercise is the self-giving, self-sacrificing kind--in imitation of Christ. This is leadership in the Kingdom of God.
The view of God that drives this view of leadership is that God is a Father who loves to see His children succeed at what He calls them to. That God equips us with everything good for doing His will (Heb.13:21). That God is not so much over us as with us; not so much telling us what to do as inviting us to join Him in His work.
Such leaders understand that who we are in Christ is, at the core of who we are, good; that the old, sinful self has been displaced by the new self. Such leaders believe that God's Spirit is actually producing the fruit of righteousness in people, and while this is still a process, it is well under way. Such leaders understand that people don't need to be controlled as much as encouraged to be who we really are in Christ: God's workmanship [masterpiece], created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10).
A Few Practical Examples
What does this really look like? It's one thing to say what not to do, and another to show the alternative.It looks like a pastor stepping aside from a favorite task, to make room for a member beginning to come into his/her own as a leader. It looks like a worship leader, passing the mic to someone with potential (but still less skill) who needs the experience of leading worship to come into their own. It looks like a leader encouraging a member to step into a position that they are nervous about, even though the leader believes they are ready. It looks like the seasoned leader counseling the new leader not to give up, even though they've just made a major blunder - not stepping in to fix it, but equipping the new leader to know how to "clean up their own mess."
It also looks like a leader who celebrates the accomplishments of those who are coming into their own, finding their own ministries, finding their own 'voice' in teaching -- even when the leader knows he/she could have done better themselves. It looks like the leader who comes to the defense of someone who risked stepping out, and became the object of someone's criticism (even when the critic has a point).
It looks like a leader cleaning up the kitchen so that the person who usually does it is freed up to step into a ministry better suited to his/her gifts. It looks like a leader letting a 'pet project' die, because those making it work with him/her are better suited for other ministries.
It looks like Jesus sending out 12 and later 72 others with authority, long before they really knew what His ministry was all about, and Who He really was. It looks like God empowering the frightened and ill-equipped disciples with the Holy Spirit so that they would become who they were destined to be. It looks like Paul encouraging a young Timothy to be true to his calling and his identity in Christ, reminding Him of what God had said about him and given to him -- believing in Timothy, when it seems young Timothy was not believing in himself. It's Paul refusing to tell Philemon what to do about Onesimus, while opening a door for Philemon to display what his faith really meant in the context of his relationship with Onesimus.
This sort of leadership requires that leaders believe that God's people are trustworthy in their deepest selves. The other sort of leadership usually betrays a belief that people are sinful in their deepest selves. To some extent both have a point. But the servant leader believes the One in us is always ultimately stronger than the sin in us.
Sometimes We Serve by Leading
There comes a time when a decision has to be made that affects the larger group, perhaps an entire congregation, or even a denomination. Such decisions come in times of crisis, and sometimes are simply matters of procedure or policy. At such times the decision may not please everyone, in fact it probably won't.The point of servant leadership is not to please people, but to equip them for works of service. In those ways we lead by serving. But at times we need to serve by leading. Let me explain.
Leaders who are part of the governance structure of an organization need to make decisions that relate to how that organization functions. Will we baptize the children of believers, or believers only? Will we accept women as elders or not? Will we support this mission cause, or that one? Should the carpet be blue or red? Shall we meet at 10am or 9:30am? The list goes on.
Sometimes in these discussions a polarization can happen among the leaders, or among the congregation (or other members of the organization). The longer indecision lasts, the greater the potential for polarization.
As a former volunteer firefighter, one of the things I learned early on is that in a crisis situation it is better to make a decision quickly than ponder which decision would be best. We can always adjust the plan as we go, and we can always learn from our mistakes. In those cases, the officer makes a plan and assigns duties so that the task can be accomplished: the officer serves by leading.
In the Church too often we ponder and ponder... and ponder some more, trying to avoid making a mistake. But sometimes the bigger mistake is to do all you can to avoid making one! There are times when it is better to move forward and adjust as you go, than to only go forward if you're sure it's the best course of action.
I'm convinced it's better for those entrusted with making that decision, pray for God's wisdom and make a decision based on their best understanding of God's will. There are a dozen traps to avoid here, and discussing them all would require another post. However, let me say this: unless all the power to make the decision rests with those in the room, entrusted with making it, expect trouble. The servant leader will always refuse to be manipulated, since that just makes someone else a master, and we only allow for one master in the Church: Jesus.
This blog is already longer than I originally intended. There is so much more to say on this topic, but I really must get on with my day.
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*That's not original, but I don't remember who is the source for this quote.
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