As we’ve been discussing church leadership this week in general, and the clergy-laity thing in particular…I’ve expressed a lot of thoughts about what leadership in the church should not look like. I’ve offered the opinion that despite the abuses we’ve seen, human leadership is still Biblical–but I haven’t given much detail as to how such a thing is fleshed out. And I guess primarily that’s because I haven’t got a stinking clue because this is still formulating in my own heart as I’m in the beginning stages of re-learning.
Just the same…although nobody actually has asked, “Jeff, what does Biblical leadership look like?”, I am absolutely certain you must be waiting with baited breath for my answer on this. So for what it’s worth (and it may not be worth much–but then again, you’re getting this for free, so don’t complain)…here’s my attempt to gather up my remaining thought fragments.
I’d be reluctant to present some prescribed alternative model of church leadership, even if I had one–because like so many other elements of our discipleship, I think we’ve already formulated the heck out of this, and we don’t need to break leadership out of one institution just to imprison it in another. Whatever Biblical leadership looks like, I think it needs to suit the needs of the situation, and be flexible enough to breathe and adapt, while staying connected to Scriptural principles.
That said…here’s some basic stuff I’m chewing on about the principles of leadership in Jesus’ church:
- Follow Christ. Sounds simple, but I think these days I’m tracing just about every part of my walk with God back to these two words. There could be no greater example than Jesus to show us how to lead. So in whatever capacity we might lead others, it should begin by our following of Jesus. And how did He lead? He walked among us. He taught us. He served. He laid down His life. And He told us to do the same thing for one another. So I think leading Biblically will involve humble service, and a willingness to put others first, even if we must do so to our own hurt.
- “Follow me, as I follow Christ.” These words from the apostle Paul are so simple, yet so profound. To me, this sentence speaks of leading by example; it says that a leader needs to model what he/she teaches. It tells me that Biblical leaders are also followers, and the ones who are following Christ in humility are the ones we should be following. This also speaks, not of governmental rulers who sit and utter commands, but of a journey we are all taking together. And this leads into the next one…
- Biblical leadership should be a lot less vertical, and a lot more horizontal. There are two reasons I say this: 1) We are all following Christ, and leaders need to stop placing themselves between God and man; and 2) true leadership does not have to exalt itself in order to have authority. In my own life, I find the leaders I’ve respected most, and the ones I’ve been most willing to co-labor with, were the ones who were in the trenches with me, not just telling, but showing. As they did so, their words gained weight with me. They didn’t demand my respect; they earned it. I believe this is Christlike, and how He would have it. As my friend Sarah would put it…this is how leadership occurs naturally and organically.
I used to have this mentality that everyone needed to be “under” someone, as in “covering.” I have been taught, and have believed, that to be otherwise was just plain dangerous. I also had the mentality that every Christian needed to be part of some organized church community (whether organic or institutional), and not doing so was both dangerous and contrary to the Scriptural mandate not to “forsake the assembly”. But in recent years, I’ve relaxed my stance on these things quite a bit. For one thing, I had to re-evaluate things when I realized that the people in my life who were acting most like Christ weren’t “plugged in” to a particular church. (!) But even beyond that…I recognize that the church itself is in a transitional place, and there is this in-between place where many of us are finding ourselves. We either don’t fit in the institutions, or don’t believe in them anymore, and because the institutions contain basically the only form of leadership we’ve known…many just can’t abide the thought of human leadership at this time. And where at one time I’d have looked at such people, cried foul, and blown the whistle–“Lack of ‘covering.’ Ten yard penalty.“–nowadays, I take into account the times and seasons, and grace…realizing that not all the chapters of our lives, or of the church for that matter, have been written in time yet. In seasons of transition, it’s not wise to judge. The picture is still changing. Wait and see.
So while I still believe in more intangible principles like accountability and community–and leadership–I no longer automatically translate these to “covering” as we see it. I know these things take different shapes in different peoples’ lives. I don’t think it’s wisdom to isolate ourselves and keep only our own counsel for the long term, because that will eventually warp our perspective; I do feel we need one another along the journey, and leaders are part of that picture. But as we submit ourselves to Jesus, our true Shepherd, and follow Him–I believe He will provide whatever human leadership we need along the way to accomplish His purposes.
And this is one of the most profound ways I’m reforming as a leader: I am learning to trust Jesus with His own sheep. Experience has taught me that He is much more capable with them than I am. With people that I lead, I try to facilitate the leadership of Christ, not replace it. And sometimes that means just getting out of the way and letting people walk out their faith.
See, I told you it would probably be random and rambling. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
Wayward Son
Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo.
I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.
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How about “Journey alongside me as I follow Christ”, or better yet “Let us journey alongside each other as we follow Christ”? Yes, true Biblical leadership looks best when it is more horizontal.
The idea of needing “covering” has been used to justify all sorts of strange things – mostly that someone needs to be over (translate that rule, govern or have authority over) someone else. When I have heard this “doctrine” espoused, its source has always been those who want to be the ones exercising authority.
I know people who have convinced people in their family and church that they are in authority over these other people, and that they must be obeyed, because of this doctrine of “covering”. After all, God, the Bible and the church are behind them, right?
Jesus is our covering. Not man.
I need no other ruler than Jesus. Journey with me. Help me. Show me you care. Be there to help me when I slip. Please don’t ask me to follow you. Together we can do a better job of keeping our eyes on Jesus so we can follow Him, the only one who knows the way.
Jeff,
I’ve enjoyed this series of posts. I agree with you in most everything you’ve said.
I’ve come to realize a couple of years ago the games that have been played all in the name of covering. I was taught it is a necessary thing. But I’ve since learned otherwise.
I’ve also relaxed my stance on church membership and being plugged in. I used to be very leary of people who were not members of a church or at least attending one. It matters a whole lot less to me now.
Blessings,
Gary
Sam,
I appreciate your input here, bro.
Both of the alternate statements you made are good ones. But “follow me as I follow Christ” is taken right from Scripture, so I can’t do away with it. I’m purely guessing here…but perhaps your response to this, again, comes from some of our long-standing ideas as to what “following” means.
A more literal translation of Paul’s statement is “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.” Much more meaning there than “obey.” He’s saying, in essence, “Do what I do…as long as you see me following Christ.” This speaks more of mentorship than absolute rule. :)Even Jesus’ command, “Follow Me,” translates to “Be in the same way with Me.” He, being God incarnate, could have said, “Obey Me.” But it seems to me this was actually a call to walk *with* Him.
But we are so used to having terms like this be used to guilt us into submission to someone who “needs” a following that we sour up at the whole thing.
When I see someone truly modeling Christ, I *want* to imitate them. I *want* to allow them influence in my life as someone Christ has placed there to help me in my discipleship. So even if I allow myself to be “led” by such people, I am still following Christ. But that does not mean I should EVER let their words weigh more than Jesus’. At that point, I’d be following them *instead* of following Christ. That’s how I see it, anyhow. 🙂 God bless.
Gary,
“I thought it was a necessary thing.” You nailed it, bro. Leaders think it’s necessary to “play the covering game”, even if it is distasteful to them. And people in general think it’s necessary to be covered by such people. It’s so ingrained in our thinking that it’s one of those things that just “is”, like we can’t really explain WHY the show must go on. 🙂
Jeff,
We’re definitely on the same page here. I also translate I Cor. 11:1, which should really be at the end of chapter 10, along of the lines of imitate me, just as (or even as) (Thayer) I imitate Christ.
“Follow me, as I follow Christ” is misused by some “leaders”. I will give a silly example: We visited an Institutional Church just a few years ago. Their head “elder” (or whatever they called him) tried to convince me, that since he was a follower of Jesus and wore a suit and tie “to church” that I should do likewise. He thought I should follow his example.
I don’t think that is what Paul is talking about, and I do not see how anyone could possibly construe that this man was imitating Jesus by wearing a suit and tie “to church”. Yes, this is a silly example, but the same thinking is often applied to many things that aren’t silly.
When I see you imitating Jesus, then that can help me imitate Him, even as or just as you are imitating Him. That gives me the sense that we’re both, together, imitating Him. But when I see you doing something that is not modeled by Jesus, then I’m going to imitate Him, not you. If you want to wear a suit and tie to the beach, to play tennis, to the pool or ”to church” that is your right. But don’t expect me to imitate you (or follow your example).
We’ve both seen “leaders” use this line of thinking to tell people when and where and how often they should “go to church”, who may participate in “worship”, how much money we should give them, and a zillion other things, many of which go way beyond Scripture. Perhaps Jesus put on a suit and tie, went “to church” on Wednesday evening and sang only “old time” Gospel music, but the Scripture does not mention any of those things.
Actually, Sam, Jesus did wear a suit and tie and sing gospel songs. He even parted his hair on the side and quoted from the KJV. I believe you can find this in one of the more obscure gospels that *almost* made it into the New Testament canon…”The Obscure Gospel of Zeke the Revivalist.”
🙂
I’m with you, bro. Thanks for the followup thoughts.
I learned to give a lot of grace from the events that happened to me with my church leadership.
I gave it and so did they.
Not too many women speak out to the “big boys” in the CofC :-}
Sadly the Body is as guilty as the leaders. After all it was Israel itself that demanded a king to rule over them etc. despite God’s warning of rebellion.
Many Christians are so lazy that the only way they can manage their religion is when it is handled by others above them.
“Give us a king”, calls from the congregations has produced a church system which owes its management more to the
“nations”/businesses/corporations around than to scripture.
I agree with what I have read here so far (including the comments). Jesus never threatened his followers or enquirers regarding obedience, he gave them freewill. More than anything he wants that his disciples have a true desire to seek and to find and to love, by free will choice.
I long ago decided that no other believer will cover my head ever again.
1Co 11:3 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
1Co 11:4 Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered dishonors his Head.
I have no desire to dishonour Christ.
I submit to other saints mutually, and I have great respect for those who are actually on the journey, and willingly observe them and learn also to journey with God. Sadly few believers bother with a journey, they get “saved” and then park somewhere.