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Editorial:
Life begins at forty Comment:
Leadership on the move From
the director: The discipleship factor Four
things for leaders to do at the end of the world Pastoring
people in prophetic living Being
a servant leader Interview
with Maria Garvey: Oil and water Nurturing
the next generation The
Word made flesh - East Belfast The
Word made flesh - North Belfast The
Word made flesh - Derry The
Word made flesh - Enniskillen The
Word made flesh - Poleglass Resisting
temptation Review:
And now let's move into a time of nonesense Review:
Christianity for Dummies |
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COMMENT:
'Let me pass.
I have to follow them. I am their leader.' 'You’ve
observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,' Jesus said,
'and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their
heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants
to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among
you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done. He
came to serve you, not to be served – and then to give away
his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.' In thinking about Christian leadership there are several pitfalls to be avoided. One of the most obvious is being seduced by concepts of leadership that are flavour of the month in, for example, political and business spheres. Likewise the reverse of this: the outright rejection of such models and techniques because in their theory they are thought to be at odds with the gospel and in practice are often carried to excess. Both of these responses betray an unthinking approach – characterised, respectively, by the aphorisms 'swallowing it hook, line and sinker' and 'throwing the baby out with the bath water'. It is also important to be aware that the leadership model(s) which we have experienced, perhaps in our fellowships and denominations or through observing Christians in the world of politics or business, are not the only ones available. We should be more ready to evaluate them and in so doing obey the biblical injunction to 'first remove the beam that is in your own eye.' Inherent in the concept of leadership is movement. This is clearly demonstrated in the lives of numerous biblical characters. This means, amongst other things, reading the signs of the times in a changing world; asking the hard questions about values and priorities and acknowledging failure. It is setting an example that will not only inspire and enthuse the people of God but will speak to the world outside through the radical nature of the message and the gracious manner in which it is communicated. One of the roles of a leader is to challenge those who take refuge in the status quo. Comments such as, 'we have always done it this way' or 'we have never done it that way' or 'if it isn’t broke don’t fix it' frequently come from people in positions of leadership in a congregation. This exemplifies the difference between being a leader and occupying a leadership position. It also raises the question, 'by what processes are leadership positions filled?' It would be interesting to know what motivates those who express such sentiments. In so doing are they displaying a sub-conscious desire to exercise control rather than discharge their leadership function? Of the quotations at the beginning, the first displays a stark honesty and is seen in action day and daily: when a politician derives his/her mandate from victory in an election it is understandable that he or she will be particularly sensitive to the wishes of the electorate and will have an eye to the next poll. In the second quotation, Jesus is acutely aware of human nature and our propensity to let power go to our heads. The only antidote is to recognise this and model ourselves on him. Two differences are noteworthy in comparison. One is the motive of the budding leader regarding the ‘led’. In the former case it was to dignify the self-interest of the crowd, in the latter the temporal and spiritual welfare of his people. A further difference is the expectation that each had for their future. The former seemingly looked for popularity, while Jesus – wise to the temptation – 'set his face to go to Jerusalem', to end up on a cross. Leadership, then, is not a right to be exercised but a trust to be discharged. STANLEY McDOWELL is a member of Fitzroy Presbyterian Church and spent his career in the public sector in central and local government. |
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