How to Lead Your Church so it’s More Manageable
April/Apr/2012 Filed in:
Leadership, Theology, Ministry
How
to Lead Your Church so it’s More Manageable
(Further Reflections on Kenotic Leadership, this time from 1 Cor. 1:17)
There’s no question that pastoral ministry is complicated, and can even get chaotic. Unlike car manufacturing or cookie baking where the raw materials are predictable, the process is consistent and the desirable end is uniformity, in pastoral ministry everything must be “annoyingly” individualized. And, of course unlike cars and cookies, the objects of our concern don’t just sit there on the assembly line, or the pan. Although even the Bible compares ministry to shepherding, those of us engaged in it may well find the objects of our “herding” more like cats than sheep. The very nature of the work brings built–in temptations to make it easier. But is this what the Lord of Church would have?
pastedGraphic
We read in Philippians 2:7 how Jesus “emptied” (Gr. kenoo – to emply) himself in order to accomplish our redemption. He is the ultimate “kenotic leader.” Another place the same word appears is in 1 Corinthians 1:17 where the apostle Paul warns against a ministry characterized by the “wisdom of words” which will result in the cross of Christ being “emptied” of its power. How does that happen?
The church in Corinth was fractured into factions based on personality. Evidently the actual personalities behind the various groups were not the labels that Paul uses (“I follow Paul;” I follow Apollos;” I follow Cephas;” I follow Christ.”) but rather individuals who claimed an identity with those personages for themselves. None of those four were in Corinth trying to gather a following for themselves within the church. But others were using those names for their own ends as they gathered people to themselves. Later, Paul would describe the factionalists satirically as “super-apostles” (2 Cor 11:5). By contrast, Paul declared that his method and message, indeed the core motif of his life would be the cross of Christ. His purpose was never to call people to himself, but to point them to Christ and the cross, so that the cross would never be emptied of its power. The cross can only be full when its ministers are emptied of themselves, especially their claims to position and prestige. To be full of oneself as the all-wise leader is the very antithesis of emptying oneself which is the motif of the cross.
Gathering followers to oneself, rather than pointing them to Christ and the cross may indeed have the effect of making the church more manageable (and certainly smaller). There is a superficial efficiency about everyone being gathered around the human leader, and hanging on that leader’s words and wishes. Yet all cults of personality are a parody of the true church of the cross. While it is a ready temptation to simply lead those who already like us and let the rest go, the cross reminds us that Christ died for all, and its power is only available when our self-claimed personal power is emptied out. Just as Jesus died for all, our purpose as ministers is to minister to all without regard for how well they like us, or how capably they may be able to serve in “our” team.
(Further Reflections on Kenotic Leadership, this time from 1 Cor. 1:17)
There’s no question that pastoral ministry is complicated, and can even get chaotic. Unlike car manufacturing or cookie baking where the raw materials are predictable, the process is consistent and the desirable end is uniformity, in pastoral ministry everything must be “annoyingly” individualized. And, of course unlike cars and cookies, the objects of our concern don’t just sit there on the assembly line, or the pan. Although even the Bible compares ministry to shepherding, those of us engaged in it may well find the objects of our “herding” more like cats than sheep. The very nature of the work brings built–in temptations to make it easier. But is this what the Lord of Church would have?
pastedGraphic
We read in Philippians 2:7 how Jesus “emptied” (Gr. kenoo – to emply) himself in order to accomplish our redemption. He is the ultimate “kenotic leader.” Another place the same word appears is in 1 Corinthians 1:17 where the apostle Paul warns against a ministry characterized by the “wisdom of words” which will result in the cross of Christ being “emptied” of its power. How does that happen?
The church in Corinth was fractured into factions based on personality. Evidently the actual personalities behind the various groups were not the labels that Paul uses (“I follow Paul;” I follow Apollos;” I follow Cephas;” I follow Christ.”) but rather individuals who claimed an identity with those personages for themselves. None of those four were in Corinth trying to gather a following for themselves within the church. But others were using those names for their own ends as they gathered people to themselves. Later, Paul would describe the factionalists satirically as “super-apostles” (2 Cor 11:5). By contrast, Paul declared that his method and message, indeed the core motif of his life would be the cross of Christ. His purpose was never to call people to himself, but to point them to Christ and the cross, so that the cross would never be emptied of its power. The cross can only be full when its ministers are emptied of themselves, especially their claims to position and prestige. To be full of oneself as the all-wise leader is the very antithesis of emptying oneself which is the motif of the cross.
Gathering followers to oneself, rather than pointing them to Christ and the cross may indeed have the effect of making the church more manageable (and certainly smaller). There is a superficial efficiency about everyone being gathered around the human leader, and hanging on that leader’s words and wishes. Yet all cults of personality are a parody of the true church of the cross. While it is a ready temptation to simply lead those who already like us and let the rest go, the cross reminds us that Christ died for all, and its power is only available when our self-claimed personal power is emptied out. Just as Jesus died for all, our purpose as ministers is to minister to all without regard for how well they like us, or how capably they may be able to serve in “our” team.