What does leadership
look like in your church? How about your leadership style?
Written by Kevin.A. Hall (03.26.17)
I conducted a study of the leadership styles of our early
New Testament church leaders as well as the ministry of Jesus. This was an
intensive study, covering the books of Ephesians, Acts and The Gospel of Mark.
I was encouraged, yet convinced that there is much work to do in many of our
churches. Along with the study, I reviewed the Nine Marks of a Healthy Church
Model. Please see link below. So, how does your church match up to the example
of the early New Testament church? How is your leadership style in view of the
example set by Jesus and the Apostle Paul?
Jesus – Biblical Leadership
Jesus was mission minded. He was connected to the source
from the beginning, always modelling what He expected. He kept up with a
routine – Went regularly to the synagogue; prayed quite often, most times alone
and in remote places; He relied upon the Father (the ultimate expression of
leadership – You see me, you see the Father); He was a man of authority – He
spoke the Word of God; He cared about injustice – Jesus confronted those taking
advantage of the less fortunate and the weak (we see this in his care for
children, the poor, widows, women and sinners). Jesus confronted sin and
hypocrisy – Wherever He saw it, He addressed the issue head on, rebuking when
necessary. Jesus considered sin and hypocrisy the likes of ‘leaven’, affecting
everyone and everything it touched. Jesus was compassionate – He cared about
the physical needs of the people. We see this in His acts of healing, providing
food, working miracles and casting out demons. His work ethic was unquestioned –
He got up early and worked till late; yet He was sure to encourage His disciples
to rest.
Another aspect of Jesus leadership was His passion for
people. He was patient. Three years was a long time to spend with someone day in
day out, yet at the end of three years it seemed like the mentee did not get it.
He prayerfully selected His disciples. Some He called more than once before
they responded. He spent more time with some than with others. He was careful
to share the broad vision with all. He invested time, modeled what He expected,
then sent them out to practice what they had learned. This was real mentoring.
This is missing from many of our churches.
Jesus was intentional in His approach to the end. Sharing as
much as he needed, giving reminders along the way, even setting a time for the
end of the mentoring session. It is sad that even with the many reminders, His
disciples did not grasp it all till the session was over. If He was to give His
mentees a grade at the end of the project, that grade may well have been an “F”.
When Jesus returned to follow up they were still in a state of “unbelief”, not
having bought in to the program. In Mark’s Gospel it was clear these men were
lacking : “Finally he appeared to his eleven disciples while they were eating.
He rebuked them for their unbelief and stubbornness, because they had not
believed those who had seen him after he had risen” (16:14). Ever worked
with someone before, giving it all you could, and still they just could not get
it? Extremely frustrating. Gladly, the power to affect change comes from the
presence of the Holy Spirit, the helper. And God graciously provided that on
the day of Pentecost, as He had promised. It was God’s Spirit that changed
these men into “men who turned the world upside down”.
The Apostle Paul –
Man of Passion
The Apostle
Paul was a powerful example of what God can do with anyone totally submitted to
Him. Paul was prepared for the job. This tells me that we should not discount
the value of work in the secular field. Your gift as they say, will make room
for you. Paul was the consummate lawyer. He used this to his advantage. Paul
had gifts of administration. He was called to be an Apostle, but he was also a
Teacher, a Pastor, a Miracle worker, a Pray-er, an Evangelist, an Apologetic,
an Intercessor. All his gifts combined, he used to download into a vast team of
people mobilized to perform ministry. He was a workaholic. He called himself a
bond-servant and at other times a slave of Christ, yet a chief sinner. Paul
studied the Word of God. His Jewish and Greek background gave him advantage in
teaching, preaching and networking in all levels and sectors of society. Paul
had friends and ministry partners in the religious world as well as in business
and government sectors. Paul believed in disseminating Christian Ambassadors in
all sectors of society. On the flip side, many of our church leaders advocate “separation
from the world”.
His admin skills were
key to his successful ministry of church planting – planting in strategic
places (major cities for easy access to visitors from other countries);
appointing leadership; communicating the game plan in memos/letters; conducting
follow-up visits for HR and disciplinary concerns. The man was like an oiled
replication machine.
The model left for us by both Jesus and Paul are central to
the Nine Marks of a healthy church – Preaching the Gospel and doing so
expositionally and biblically; making conversion the core part of why we do
evangelism; building into the lives of individuals who become communities
(membership); providing avenues with the membership for both corrective and
formative discipline; creating discipleship channels through small groups or
mentoring relationships; and challenging leaders to be good stewards, remaining
faithful to their calling.
Leading biblically? Church Healthy?
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church Model: http://9marks.org/about/
Image from Google: outreachmagazine.com
No comments:
Post a Comment