On Leadership

The concept is a bit strange. Why? Because when Scripture typically address the role of leadership in two ways - elders & deacons. I know there are a billion books out there on leadership principles and I'm all for them but your understanding of ecclesiology (the church) and soteriology (of salvation) should affect how you view leadership. This is what I mean. The invisible, universal church is made up of genuine believers who have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Simply put - Christians. From there a Christian publicly announces their allegiance by way of baptism into a local body - the visible church. *Side note: this is where there must be a distinction between para-church ministries (i.e. InterVarsity, Campus Crusade, Young Life, etc.) and the local church. Because the para-church, by definition, ought to come alongside ("para") and equip the church whereas the believer has membership into a church (where they participate in baptism, communion, and discipline)...but more on that in another document.

So for anyone to call themselves a "christian", there should be this understanding that they were saved from sin, death, and futility and saved to a local body on the path of sanctification (the slow process of dying to self and being made into the image of Jesus). Nobody is converted and is indifferent with their salvation and disregards the covenant community. That's why in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul reminds the church that the body of Christ is "a unit..made up of many parts." So serving, communing, disciplining, and doing life together aren't optional things that the believer can do...they are requirements of church. And if you continue to read the letters to the churches, the authors make it very clear that there's no partiality in the roles. All are called to serve the body. All are commissioned to be "light-bearers" to the world. So let's make sure we understand this important point. Believers enter through membership and are held responsible for the health of the church. On top of this, church structure in 1 Tim. and Titus lays out a system of elders and deacons and that's a whole other document. But i do have a lot of great books and articles on it. But now that you understand the groundwork, here are some things to remember about leadership:

1. The Glory of God, Not You: Do not forget the Gospel. 1 Cor. 9:14; 9:23; Mark 1:1; Phil. 1:16; Col. 1:5. You were saved not because of your greatness, not because of your faith, not because of your ability to be awesome...you were saved because of the grace and love of God. You were counted righteous only because the Son was crushed and the weight of eternal wrath was poured out on the Son. We are bought at the highest price and may we never boast in anything but the Cross of Jesus Christ. But too many people forget this after they become members and more so when they become leaders. They think they have things that might gain favor with God or they think that God Almighty needs their help. It's ridiculous! God has never needed our help and even our "partnership" with him is granted to us by his grace. So don't forget this. This isn't about us and what we can do for the God...there's no room for any shred of pride when it comes to leadership, salvation, or church. It was God who saved and it will be God who deserves the glory.

2. Persevering: What you'll find soon enough in leadership is that it's hard. People won't listen to you. You find your efforts bearing little fruit. Conversion and life change doesn't happen as quickly as you'd like. People seem like they wanna kill you. Your sheep get fat and lazy. Trust me...the first couple of years (maybe weeks) are great. You're new and have all these fresh ideas that might change the world and then after a little while, things just get routine and people in unison go, "NEXT!" It happens to all. I think that's why #1 was so important...because if your foundation is set on the Gospel...then results are just results that God will take care of and criticism can be taken with grace by shouldn't blow your ministry away. What has always helped me was to ask myself, "If everybody dropped out of this ministry that i'm leading...would i still do it?" And time and time again I respond "Absolutely" Not because it's fun watching your ministry blow up...but because your foundation is built on truth and all you are doing is being faithful to what God has commanded you to do. IT WILL BE TOUGH! I and all the pastors will guarantee you that it will be tough...but we also tell you that it is worth it. Persevere my friends like many that have gone before. Fix your eyes on Christ - the perfect example of one who persevered to the very end.

3. Speak the Truth in Love: Your ultimate goal as a leader is to shape and mold. It is NOT to complete an event. For this position, you have been granted the authority and responsibility to direct and equip. So the end goal should be lives changed into the image of God. And you do this by patiently teaching. It's always teaching, teaching, teaching. You're going to need to always be correcting, rebuking, pleading, and feeding your sheep. That's what a leader does. But again, like #2 your sheep will not always be where you're at...and to expect them to be "at your level" is just pride. Why does God grant you the grace to bring you to where you're at when you can't be patient to lead your sheep to that point? Here's the hard part...you can't allow the sheep to get away with everything for the sake of "i want them to like me" or "we need to be relevant" nor can you blow them up for not following the rules. Guide with biblical truth. Why? Because they can always question your authority...but when you bring a higher authority, then they go against that authority. Make sense? But Paul constantly encourages leaders to speak the truth in love.

4. Student Teacher: You must be first a student before/while you teach. We say here all the time that you can’t teach someone what you don’t know. What will happen is that you will end up

knowing all the right answers and teaching all the right answers and you yourself will NOT be living it out. Your soul begins to shrink and you lose all the power of what God has intended you

to possess. You need to constantly be growing, learning, studying, and on your knees asking God to grow you deeper. And here...be humble enough to admit when you're wrong or that you don't know the answers. Because the more you allow biblical guidance to challenge you, you'll see that we have a long way to go. So do your sheep a favor and be honest about it. But don't stop there and just make excuses. Go study for yourself. Find other people who are further along and ask them what you should be studying. Find out who they are reading and find parts of your worldview, theology, doctrine where you're weak and study, learn, and meditate on those things.

The one who uses leadership to bolster their position is in a dangerous position. Desire to lead because the Gospel has penetrated the deepest place of your heart. Lead because you understand that there are sheep that need caring and feeding. Lead with grace, patience, and wisdom that comes from God's revealed Word. And lastly, as you lead...be willing to follow THE leader that is so far greater than you and I. May we lead in such a way that only reflects His glory.