HOME | CONTRIBUTE A STORY! | ABOUT MMI | CATEGORIES OF INTEREST | CONTACT ME

image

Why Church Leadership & Authority is Different

Orginally published on Monday, December 04, 2006 at 1:02 PM
by Mark Simpson

I was pastoring a growing church in the Chicago suburbs. One day one of my board members asked me if we could watch a famous leadership teacher’s eight hour series on leadership, together as a board. It seemed like a great idea. We set up a series of meetings and went through the series of videos together. Two things distressed me, for all the good material we seemed to be gleaning. First, the instructor said that he used the material interchangeably, with both church and corporate groups. Second, for the entire eight hours I only heard one Bible reference.

There is a great danger being released on church leadership in these days: a suggestion that leadership principles in the church are very similar, perhaps identical, to those found in a business, a corporation, a secular company.  First, let us look at Matthew 20:20-28.  There Jesus makes it very clear: “The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you.” (vs. 25-26)

Besides our Lord’s clear instruction about the incompatibility of “kingdom leadership” with that found in the world, I would suggest that for at least nine other reasons, such a proposal, that leadership in the world and the kingdom are rather similar or even operate the same, is completely in error.

First, kingdom leadership is built only on the humility that comes from the death to self accomplished by the Cross. “We have no ability of our own.  We have nothing that we have not received.  We can do nothing in God’s service except when He imparts the enablement by His Spirit.  We have nothing outside of grace of which we can boast, so there is no justification whatsoever for pride. If we are not humble before God, pride will invalidate any spiritual authority we are meant to have, and we will be spiritually immobilized.  In such circumstances, any authority exercised can only be carnally imposed.  IT IS ONLY AS WE MOVE AND WALK IN THE DIMENSION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD THAT WE WILL REMAIN HUMBLE AND BE EQUIPPED TO BEAR TRUE AUTHORITY.” (John Carr, Dundee, Scotland)

We have to go to the cross and allow it to do its work, and also to allow it to be our daily way.  Jesus, our Pattern Authority, said “All authority is given unto Me” only AFTER He had gone to the cross.  Power blinds: the cross opens our eyes to see an entirely different realm and spirit of leadership.

Second, the pastor IS the leader in God’s Kingdom.  “Thus says the Lord of Hosts (to David), ‘I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be leader over My people.’” (I Chron. 17:7) Today we are being told in many places that pastors and leaders are different, that we have to get leaders in charge and get the pastors that visit and care and weep over and pray over and touch and disciple the sheep, out of leadership.  Perhaps we have become so preoccupied with numbers that the “personal touch” Biblical shepherd has almost becoming a thing of the past.  True shepherding, however, is still what God calls leadership.

Third, in the Kingdom we lead people to another Leader, the Holy Spirit. “All who are being led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God.” (Rom. 8:13-14, Gal. 5:18-25, Jn. 16:13).  In the Church, the Holy Spirit is the real leader, and we are called to lead people to be led by Him.  David’s first priority as leader was to “restore the Ark”, to restore God’s presence to His people again; he knew that leading the people into His presence was the greatest thing.  In order to do this we have goals that are almost entirely different from what a corporate leader would have.  We have a leadership that minimizes us, and maximizes Him!  Ken Gangel adds, “From a Christian point of view it is improper, perhaps even impossible, to talk about group dynamics without a recognition of two Biblical concepts: spiritual gifts, and the personal ministry of the Holy Spirit.  A leader working with a Christian group is concerned that the group’s thought processes and ultimate behavior are controlled by the mind of the Holy Spirit in the life of each member.” (So You Want To Be a Leader)

Fourth, Joshua 1:8 lets us know that He is leading through us only when we always and only lead by the principles found in the Word of God.  Gal. 3:24 says that the Law has been given to lead us to Christ.  Do corporations have their management teams studying the Scriptures? 

Fifth, related to numbers 3 and 4 above, we will lead our people into love.  “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) We can never be satisfied by an organization that merely produces results, brings in more people, spins off more programs, generates more revenue, erects larger facilities, etc. if the atmosphere around the office and sanctuary are as cold as ice and the bottom line is the only reason for a raise or promotion.  Without love, we are truly nothing.  Adds Ken Gangel, “A Biblical view of leadership will always find us exercising great concern for the needs and interests of our co-workers. Human relations in the church is not only a means to an end: it is indeed an end in itself.” (So You Want To Be a Leader)

Sixth, we are not building any hierarchy.  Rom. 12:16 tells us to condescend to the lowly.  To do so, we do what Jesus did: spend time with individuals, all kinds of them, and not just for the token appearance accompanied by rolling cameras.  All jobs and all people have value, and therefore doing humble tasks and being with the humble is not just a lack of delegation to others, but obedience to Him. 

Seventh, I Chron. 17:21 says, “What nation is like Thy people, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make Thee a name?” That is the purpose of His Kingdom: to make His name great.  Not our church, not our denomination, not our own name—no other name but His!  Selling vision and mission and motto statements to enhance our own organization, to grow our own fellowship or denomination or missions agency, to get others to buy into what we are doing, is almost a return to Babel.  Only His name is worthy to have leadership of our lives. 

Eighth, leadership is actually a disappearing process. (Acts 20:25, 31-32) Take the two great examples of Jesus, and Paul.  Jesus’ own forerunner said, “I am glad that my disciples are now following Him. That is why I was sent, to be a friend of the Groom and see Him meet His bride.  This makes my joy full. I must decrease and He must increase.” (John 3:26-30) Jesus ministered, then was gone to heaven in just over three years. Paul was never in a place (except prison) for more than three years.  John the Baptist only ministered for around ten months! 
There was never a hint of perpetuating their own name or legacy or memory or nameplate on a building somewhere.  That is why God was able to raise up and give His Son a name above all—because that Son abandoned all agendas to assure His own permanence here over a structure.  Now He is the Head of the Church because of His willingness to empty Himself of all but love and sacrifice.  Is this the agenda that CEO’s are being taught? Yet this is the only way in His Kingdom; the last is first, the first is last.

Finally, there is no uniform, consistent structure to build and lead, save the Church, which is existing today in a thousand different forms with just as many ministry goals and histories of being led into the Harvest.  Church is being started and is growing in a multitude of different ways; take one way, write a book about it and sell it, then watch others imitate and fail.  This is what we are seeing today, everywhere.  Again, the Holy Spirit must lead us into the Harvest by His own guidance and special DNA imparted to the vision, history and destiny of every congregation. So, if you led a church one way, then started another, you may be called upon to be “poured into another vessel” to be faithful to that church’s spiritual blueprint. 

BIO: Mark Simpson has served in ministry as a missionary and pastor, and now directs a ministry that trains and equips church leaders all over the world, primarily into the Hispanic world. He has a wife, Lois, and four grown children, and makes his home in Bolingbrook, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.  He likes to play basketball to stay in shape. 


This post has been viewed 1248 times so far.


  There are 9 Comments:

  • Posted by Randy Ehle

    Mark offers some excellent thoughts here, but I think I’d like to draw a distinction between purposes, principles, and pracitices.  Most businesses operate for very different purposes than does the church - in short, to make money.  Certainly business leaders will say they are there to meet needs, serve their clients, and so on; but the root reason they have chosen to do so is that money is needed to survive in this world and they’ve decided that the best way to get money is to meet particular needs of others (who, by the way, are also trying to make money!).  Granted that this is a gross simplification, it is nonetheless a fairly accurate one.

    The church, on the other hand, operates to point people toward God (also a simplification). 

    In the most successful businesses, I think you will find leadership principles that are either explicitly drawn from or can be reasonably deduced from biblical principles.  I won’t enumerate them, but they are clearly out there.  In practice, though, those principles become servants to the underlying purpose of the business or church.  Thus, when a business leader decides to show “grace” to his late-paying customer, that is a limited grace - after 15 days, he’ll starting charging interest.  When a church leader displays grace, it is (or ought to be) unlimited, as God has shown to us.

    I don’t think it’s necessarily bad in the church to adopt principles that have proven successful in the business world, but those should certainly be checked against scripture and be subservient to our distinct purpose.

  • Posted by Greg Simkins

    I love Mark’s side of the discussion, but I am not really sure what the other side is - not having seen the video series. 

    It was William Carey who argued for using “means” to propagate the gospel, so it is certainly a good thing to study methods.  Ralph Winter has been a great advocate of analyzing data and trends and success factors in missions.  Cameron Townsend was a pioneer in serving humanity even in a secular fashion and was greatly criticized by the more conservative elements for fraternizing with those not considered allies.  But these 3 men never lost sight of the spiritual elements of which Mark reminds us so elegantly. 

    There is always a danger of getting so caught up in using methods that we stray from the Father who sent us and from the mission He gave us. It is good that men like Mark constantly call us to stay close to the One we serve.

    I am reminded of a recent controvery between Southwest Radio Church and Rick Warren of Saddleback Church.  I have listened to SWRC periodically over the years and have great respect for their scholarship, especially in Biblical archeology and prophetic issues.  I am not intimately familiar with Rick Warren and Saddleback church, but everything I have heard indicates that he has effectively stirred the church to positive action, and is all the more effective because he is not afraid to mingle with sinners.  I was greatly alarmed to hear the attacks on Warren by SWRC.  I think they are mistaken.

    These controversies point out a balance that we must all struggle to maintain.  If we are too heavenly minded, we may be no earthly good, but if we get too caught up in “methods”, we may not be too fruitful in building the Kingdom of God.  At root, we must all seek God’s will for ourselves and not merely depend on commentators, but many thanks to Mark for his exhortation to remain faithful to our heavenly calling. 

  • Posted by

    Some of what Mark says is good. But, as Jim Collins points out in “Good To Great and the Social Sectors”, it is not principles of business that we should apply to the church (or any other “social sector") but rather principles of GREATNESS, which are universal, and very much supported, imho, by scripture.

    Also, especially with regard to the points above that rely on Old Testament to prove points about church leadership… The kingship of David and the leadership of Joshua may have some good points and principles about leadership, but they are hardly prescriptive of pastoral leadership. I think this weakens these points.

    I too would like to see the “offending” video series to know the “other side.”

  • Posted by Leonard

    This is a good article and has some interesting thoughts.  It took me a couple reads and a day to digest my own thinking in response to it.  I would love to know the videos that prompted the article too.  I felt like some of the points needed more meat to them to become more than just statements. 

    Mark’s second point needs calcification.  I thought that the church should be led by leaders, which is why God gives people the gift of leadership.  Many pastors who possess this gift do not develop it because they have title to lean upon. Maybe Paul’s words to Timothy about fanning to flame the gift within should apply to this gift. 

    Mark’s sixth point is also fuzzy.  What is he saying a pastor should do with his time?  I have a friend who pastors a mega church.  He is connected to more people in his church than I have in my church but is still accused of not connecting to everyone.  How unfair is that.  His job is not to connect to every person but to build a system of connection for every person. 

    Mark’s seventh point needs some examples behind it.  Where does vision go in a church?  Don’t people need a compelling and clear vision? 

    Mark’s eighth point is more an observation about the first century than a principle of “How” it should be done.  It is a great observation but much more descriptive than prescriptive.

  • Posted by

    I enjoyed the article. I am reminded by the article that God’s method for vistory is trusting in the word of God and people led by the spirit.

    God did not give the people of that time a great military leader skilled in siege war. Instead he gave them his word, march around the city, they did this for days and then they sounded a trumpet. The walls of Jerico fell and victory was theirs.

  • Posted by

    Lots of good nuggets. Especially the reminder that the true leader of the church is the Holy Spirit, and we would be wise as leaders in the church to always make sure we are receiving our direction and vision for the church from the Holy Spirit and not our own fleshly or prideful hearts. I also share concern that one or two key experts on leadership - particular J Maxwell, has felt it necessary to strip most Biblical references from his teaching, choosing rather to draw upon the Biblical principle without refering to the actual scripture he derived the prinicple from. The prinicples are still true, and i endore most of Maxwell’s materials, but it unnecessary imho.
    However, most of this article seems to ignore two important facts: (1) leadership in the Bible is not perfect leadership. Using character studies in the scripture to model leadership principles in the church today is not necessarily a wise approach - unless using the example of Jesus of course. The wiser approach would be to draw leadership principles out of Biblical truth - referencing OT & NT leaders when their conduct is consistent with those principles.
    The other problematic issue is ignoring the Spirtiual Gift of leadership. IMHO if a person with shepherding and teaching gifts, but no leadership gift desires to be in full time ministry, he should serve on the staff of a larger church in an associate role, or lead a smaller church (50-150) where the gift of leadership is not nearly as important. That is not to knock smaller churches, it is just a recognition that a man who does not have the spiritual gift of leadership, no matter how great a teach, is destined for problems (unless of course he can hire or raise up another pastor/leader around him and truly “share leaderhip” with that individual - such as a strong elder, a strong associate pastor or an executive pastor)

    OK… those are some thoughts… poorly articulated - but hey, it’s a MONDAY morning grin

  • Posted by

    one bible references?  I am surprised there was one!  people are going to have to wake up to what i have been saying all along, we have sold out our spiritual heritage for a pot of ‘instance’ success poridge, our birthright we have handed over to the greedy commercial capitalists, the corporate plungers have now hit the church and turned it into a money cash cow.  Do you know how many people are getting rich off selling and marketing jesus?  We have turned our churches into media hype ville and our pastors into ceo’s.  how sick is that?  and we wonder why our churches show the same corruption that we see in enron and worldcom!!! now we are taking their discredited failed fads and ramming it down the throats of church goers.  it is truly sad

  • Posted by Leonard

    Hey Oliver,
    You are sort of preaching to the choir here.  Your posts are full of generalities that are about what you are against.  I would respectfully suggest a couple things.  First of all you are not our mentor, teacher, pastor, leader and we do not know you at all, but try not to correct us.  Sure if something is said that is in error, we are all open to that, but earn the right to be heard.  Second, your “axe to grind” issue is with mega churches.  We don’t all agree but you are sounding like a broken record.  You generalize in a way that is impossible to discuss because you throw all mega churches under the bus.  Back off a bit and tell us about yourself.  Tell us what you are for, not what you are against.  If you love the home church, tell us about that, not why big churches are wrong.  Thanks for you passion, but no need to use that passion to scold us.

  • Posted by

    A few years ago, before I became a pastor, I chaired a pastor search committee at our Southern Baptist Church while we were looking for a new pastor. We received materials to help guide us in our search from the local Association Office. It contained instructions and suggestions to help us decide where to advertise the position, how to read the resume’s and decide on who we wanted to interview - and it even gave us suggested questions for the interview process.

    While it was good for us to receive this information, I became increasingly disturbed as I read through the material. In the entire “manual” and other information, there was not ONE scripture reference relating to our search. There were no instructions/teaching on the passages that speak to the qualifications for a pastor - actually, not only were they not used in the material - they were not even hinted at in the material!!  In the end, the manual I received was great at helping us hire a CEO - but it was supposed to help us choose a pastor!

    I had to take it upon myself to go to the scriptures and prepare lessons for our Search Committee on the passages that speak to the qualifications for pastor. We spent 4 weeks prayerfully studying those passages before we even looked at a resume. Then, we fashioned our questions for the interviews based on the scriptural qualifications. In a way, it was good because it made me get into scripture and learn what it had to say. However, it’s also sad because our Association didn’t provide us one bit of scriptural instruction in one of the most important decisions a church can make.

  • Page 1 of 1 pages

Post Your Comments:

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Live Comment Preview:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Please enter the word you see in the image below: