Leadership Development

⁷But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸Therefore it is said, ¹¹The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. Ephesians 4:7;11-13

Leadership in the church is essential to the future of God’s work in the world. Effective leadership is needed for local churches, denominations, and world-wide ministries. This is true today and it was true when the church was being established. In the letter to the Ephesians, we see a model of leadership that involves different leadership gifts and styles all working together.

The letter states that “each of us” was given grace according the measure of Christ’s gift. In other words, we have all been given something and effective leadership requires utilizing each person’s gift. The five-fold gifts in Ephesians are: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors (or shepherds), and teachers. The church needs leaders with all of these varied gifts which means a church needs more than one leader. A church will not realize its potential if it relies solely on a pastor. Rather, a combination of leaders both clergy and lay is required to develop a robust five-fold leadership team. A quick description of the five-fold leadership model may help exemplify these differences.

Apostles, like the original twelve, are those who have gifts to start new faith communities. This could entail a mission start congregation or creating a Christian movement. The key is that these leaders can build something from nothing. Prophets are those who speak God’s truth to God’s people. They comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Their ministry is often needed for renewal and repentance. Evangelists are gifted at personal conversion. They are able to share the gospel in compelling ways that help individuals take a step forward in faith. Pastors are those with gifts for caring for God’s people. They are attentive to the needs of the people and, like a shepherd, are on the lookout for those who are straying. Teachers are leaders who effectively share the content of the faith and can pass it on. They help others learn the nature of the Christian faith and encourage people to live it out.

Each of these gifts are very important for the church today and are all very different. As an ordained pastor, I know I have strengths in some of these areas and deficiencies on others. The key is to recognize that one person cannot do and be all things. I need to surround myself with a team that has complimentary gifts so that all areas are addressed. Those leaders need to be encouraged and empowered to use their gifts in meaningful and impactful ways.

A church that does not have all of these gifts present among their leadership will struggle to reach God’s potential for its work. It is evident that many congregations and denominations have favored some gifts and denigrated others. In my own tradition, there is very little discussion of leadership gifts for an apostle or evangelist. In my seminary training I was encouraged to preach well, administer the sacraments, visit my parishioners, and speak to justice issues. To the extent that evangelism was discussed at all, it was usually cast in a negative light. It does not take too much imagination to connect this attitude and the training pastors receive to the continual decline in mainline protestant denominations.

In the end, the goal of leadership in the church is to: “equip the saints for the work of ministry.” Leaders equip others to use their gifts to minister in the world. Leaders are not to be the doers of ministry but the empowerers of ministry. When leaders equip their people to do God’s work in the world the Body of Christ is built up and can be a stronger presence in the world. In order to reach this potential we need strong leaders with a variety of gifts, building people up to be God’s people in the world.

May God continue to bless the church and the work we do together!

Love Builds Up

Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ²Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; ³but anyone who loves God is known by him. 1 Corinthians 8:1-3

Conflict in the church is inevitable. Whenever people gather together and strive to live and work together there is bound to be disagreements, tensions, and conflict. Conflict is not a sign of an unhealthy church, in fact many times conflict allows important issues to surface that had not been previously known or addressed. How conflict is handled is the key. Running away from a conflict or denying that it exists is rarely helpful. Instead, if church leaders are able to create the space for conflict to be named and for people to share their thoughts in ways that are respectful, situations can be addressed in ways that bring positive results and healthy growth.

Paul writes to the church in Corinth about a conflict about whether or not Christians should be permitted to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. He frames the issue in way that doesn’t focus on food, but rather the tension between “knowledge” and “love.”  The knowledge is that there is only one God and that other gods or idols are not real and “no idol in the world really exists.” (8:4) There is only one God and any contrary claim is false. The issue is some of those with this knowledge began eating sacrificed meat in the presence of new Christians. These new Christians, whom Paul calls “weak” are troubled by seeing more mature Christians eat sacrificed meat. After all, many of these new Christians just left pagan religion behind to confess there is only one true God. Now they see more experienced leaders doing the same pagan practices they abandoned? It is easy to see how this would be confusing and cause new converts to stumble.

So while Paul acknowledges that those with this knowledge are technically correct, he asserts that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. In other words, a mature and loving response to this situation is to take into account how other people respond when considering the best decision. If as followers of Christ, we are arrogant about our knowledge we are only puffing ourselves up. But it is even more important to help build up the Body of Christ, by helping all people grow in faith. Paul admonishes those with knowledge to take this into account and charges them with responsibility for those under their care:

So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. ¹²But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 1 Corinthians 8:11-12

The ethical principle Paul espouses is being sensitive and compassionate toward others is a virtue and that actions which tear others down unnecessarily are immoral. There may be some things, like the core of the gospel, that are worth stubbornly insisting on, but in many cases we need also to consider the impact our behavior has on others. The church is God’s people assembled together, mutually building one another up for God’s kingdom work. Let us all pursue the love the builds up rather than settle for knowledge makes only ourselves look good.