The Myths of Leadershhip (Pt. 2)
Myth #6: Leaders possess a certain temperament and certain gifts.
When we consider the job description of leaders, we often focus on certain temperaments and gifts. We expect the person to be forceful and driven, a hard worker who will see a project through to completion. He is someone who is charismatic and appealing. We assume the person will be an excellent communicator who is comfortable being in front of people, teaching others the truths of scripture. However, as we examine scripture we discover that there is a difference between spiritual gifts and their function within the church and the position of leadership. A person who is to be the “pastor” is to be one who is gifted as a pastor-teacher (Ephesians 4:11). This position within the church is related to their spiritual gift. However, nowhere in scriptures do we find the position of an elder (i.e. board member) restricted to a specific spiritual gift. Rather the qualifications relate to character rather than giftedness. While the person should be able to teach (that is communicate the truth of God’s word to others) that does not mean that the person must demonstrate the gift of teaching. Just because a person is not able to get in front of people and teach a Sunday School class, does not mean that the person is unable to teach.
Myth #7: “That is what we hired to the pastor to do.”
Often in the small church when we are confronted with the responsibility of overseeing the spiritual health of the congregation and ministering to the needs of people, our response is “That is what we hired the pastor to do!” When someone is in the hospital and in need of spiritual comfort, we call the pastor, expecting him to do the visitation. When someone is going through a time of testing and difficulty, needing the encouragement and support of prayer, we rely upon the pastor to fulfill the role. If someone comes to church with questions about their relationship with God we refer them to the pastor.
Nevertheless, when we examine the pages of scripture we find that there was no such distinction in the New Testament. The pastor is not the only one who is responsible for the spiritual well-being of the congregation; rather it also was the responsibility of all those in leadership. The board is accountable to insure the doctrinal integrity of the congregation. The board is to provide prayer, encouragement and counsel for those going through times of testing and difficulty (James 5:14). The board, not just the pastor, oversees the spiritual health and well-being of the people within the church (Hebrews 13:17). All those in leadership are responsible to live in such a way that their lives become a testimony to others (1 Peter 5:3). The pastor is one who is given the task of teaching and preaching, but it is the board that is responsible for the spiritual vitality of the congregation.
Myth #8: The Board’s primary role is to maintain the peace.
Because the small church is relationally driven, the board often develops the perspective that its primary role is to maintain unity and peace within the church. As Aubrey Malphurs points out, “Though most aren’t aware of it, many boards believe that their purpose is to keep everybody happy for the sake of peace and church unity. While this is true in both small and large churches, it’s characteristic of many small churches that pride themselves in being one happy family. The board’s goal is to keep it that way.” Consequently decisions are based not upon scripture or upon the goal of transformation, but the goal of maintaining relationships. When this becomes the driving force, we become reluctant to make hard decisions; decisions that are necessary and mandated by scripture but unpopular with people in the pew. For example, we become reluctant to exercise church discipline because it might damage the relationships that exist within the church. It is important that we always remember that the board is ultimately not accountable to the congregation, but accountable to God (Hebrews 12:17). Like the people in Jesus’ day, we can become pressured to gain the approval of men, but in the process violate our responsibility before God. In John 13:42-43 we find this sad indictment of the religious leaders, “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” Unity is a critical indicator of the health of the church, but it should never come at the cost of biblical truth.
Myth #9: “I don’t have enough time.”
We live in an increasingly fast paced society. The nostalgia of the small town has painted a picture of a slow paced society where people have time to sit at the local diner visiting with friends and neighbors. Our view of rural America often corresponds to Mayberry RFD, where the men spend the day at the local barbershop playing checkers, talking about sports and arguing about politics. The women gather together to tie quilts for the next local church bazaar and discuss the latest scandalous town gossip.
However, reality is often far different from the myths that color our perspective. Farms have increased in size while the amount of manpower available (and needed) has decreased. As a result the farmer must do more work with less people. More and more people are still living in the small town, but driving an hour to the next town to work. The old adage that one works from sunup to sundown is not only true for the local farmer, it is true for the businessman as well. The women likewise spend their day at work as more and more families need two wage earners to keep up with the rising cost of living. The result is a significant decrease in the amount of time people have to give to the ministry of the church. When the pastor brings up the topic of the board becoming more involved in ministry there is a collective and audible groan as exhausted board members baulk at one more thing on their plate. Many of us object to doing more than just meeting once a month because “we don’t have the time.”
First, in utilizing our time we must recognize again that perception is often different than reality. While the perception may be that we do not have the time, the reality is that we do. The issue is not about time but priorities. We find the time to do what is important to us. This is true from the busiest farmer to the overworked businessman. We always find time to attend local sporting events or a local farm auction. We find time to go golfing with a business associate. We find time to pursue a hobby. We do so because these things are important to us. Second, it is critical that we realize that God never calls us to a task without first giving us everything we need to accomplish the task. The very nature of God demands that he supply all our needs to accomplish all his demands. This includes not only the resources needed for the task, but adequate time as well. The issue is not an issue of time but an issue of God’s calling and our priorities. If God has called us to be spiritual leaders within the church, then we must make it our highest priorities. Third, we need to recognize that the amount of time required is not nearly as extensive as the perception we have. Calling someone on the phone to see how they are doing takes little time but is critical to providing spiritual and emotional support to someone who is facing struggles in their life. Stopping by at the hospital when we are in town only will cost of 20-30 minutes of our time, but brings spiritual encouragement to people. In most cases we do not need to spend more time visiting with people, we just need to be more focused in the time we spend with them. Instead of talking about the weather, sports and local politics we need to talk about how things are going with them spiritually and how we can be praying with them.
When we consider the job description of leaders, we often focus on certain temperaments and gifts. We expect the person to be forceful and driven, a hard worker who will see a project through to completion. He is someone who is charismatic and appealing. We assume the person will be an excellent communicator who is comfortable being in front of people, teaching others the truths of scripture. However, as we examine scripture we discover that there is a difference between spiritual gifts and their function within the church and the position of leadership. A person who is to be the “pastor” is to be one who is gifted as a pastor-teacher (Ephesians 4:11). This position within the church is related to their spiritual gift. However, nowhere in scriptures do we find the position of an elder (i.e. board member) restricted to a specific spiritual gift. Rather the qualifications relate to character rather than giftedness. While the person should be able to teach (that is communicate the truth of God’s word to others) that does not mean that the person must demonstrate the gift of teaching. Just because a person is not able to get in front of people and teach a Sunday School class, does not mean that the person is unable to teach.
Myth #7: “That is what we hired to the pastor to do.”
Often in the small church when we are confronted with the responsibility of overseeing the spiritual health of the congregation and ministering to the needs of people, our response is “That is what we hired the pastor to do!” When someone is in the hospital and in need of spiritual comfort, we call the pastor, expecting him to do the visitation. When someone is going through a time of testing and difficulty, needing the encouragement and support of prayer, we rely upon the pastor to fulfill the role. If someone comes to church with questions about their relationship with God we refer them to the pastor.
Nevertheless, when we examine the pages of scripture we find that there was no such distinction in the New Testament. The pastor is not the only one who is responsible for the spiritual well-being of the congregation; rather it also was the responsibility of all those in leadership. The board is accountable to insure the doctrinal integrity of the congregation. The board is to provide prayer, encouragement and counsel for those going through times of testing and difficulty (James 5:14). The board, not just the pastor, oversees the spiritual health and well-being of the people within the church (Hebrews 13:17). All those in leadership are responsible to live in such a way that their lives become a testimony to others (1 Peter 5:3). The pastor is one who is given the task of teaching and preaching, but it is the board that is responsible for the spiritual vitality of the congregation.
Myth #8: The Board’s primary role is to maintain the peace.
Because the small church is relationally driven, the board often develops the perspective that its primary role is to maintain unity and peace within the church. As Aubrey Malphurs points out, “Though most aren’t aware of it, many boards believe that their purpose is to keep everybody happy for the sake of peace and church unity. While this is true in both small and large churches, it’s characteristic of many small churches that pride themselves in being one happy family. The board’s goal is to keep it that way.” Consequently decisions are based not upon scripture or upon the goal of transformation, but the goal of maintaining relationships. When this becomes the driving force, we become reluctant to make hard decisions; decisions that are necessary and mandated by scripture but unpopular with people in the pew. For example, we become reluctant to exercise church discipline because it might damage the relationships that exist within the church. It is important that we always remember that the board is ultimately not accountable to the congregation, but accountable to God (Hebrews 12:17). Like the people in Jesus’ day, we can become pressured to gain the approval of men, but in the process violate our responsibility before God. In John 13:42-43 we find this sad indictment of the religious leaders, “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.” Unity is a critical indicator of the health of the church, but it should never come at the cost of biblical truth.
Myth #9: “I don’t have enough time.”
We live in an increasingly fast paced society. The nostalgia of the small town has painted a picture of a slow paced society where people have time to sit at the local diner visiting with friends and neighbors. Our view of rural America often corresponds to Mayberry RFD, where the men spend the day at the local barbershop playing checkers, talking about sports and arguing about politics. The women gather together to tie quilts for the next local church bazaar and discuss the latest scandalous town gossip.
However, reality is often far different from the myths that color our perspective. Farms have increased in size while the amount of manpower available (and needed) has decreased. As a result the farmer must do more work with less people. More and more people are still living in the small town, but driving an hour to the next town to work. The old adage that one works from sunup to sundown is not only true for the local farmer, it is true for the businessman as well. The women likewise spend their day at work as more and more families need two wage earners to keep up with the rising cost of living. The result is a significant decrease in the amount of time people have to give to the ministry of the church. When the pastor brings up the topic of the board becoming more involved in ministry there is a collective and audible groan as exhausted board members baulk at one more thing on their plate. Many of us object to doing more than just meeting once a month because “we don’t have the time.”
First, in utilizing our time we must recognize again that perception is often different than reality. While the perception may be that we do not have the time, the reality is that we do. The issue is not about time but priorities. We find the time to do what is important to us. This is true from the busiest farmer to the overworked businessman. We always find time to attend local sporting events or a local farm auction. We find time to go golfing with a business associate. We find time to pursue a hobby. We do so because these things are important to us. Second, it is critical that we realize that God never calls us to a task without first giving us everything we need to accomplish the task. The very nature of God demands that he supply all our needs to accomplish all his demands. This includes not only the resources needed for the task, but adequate time as well. The issue is not an issue of time but an issue of God’s calling and our priorities. If God has called us to be spiritual leaders within the church, then we must make it our highest priorities. Third, we need to recognize that the amount of time required is not nearly as extensive as the perception we have. Calling someone on the phone to see how they are doing takes little time but is critical to providing spiritual and emotional support to someone who is facing struggles in their life. Stopping by at the hospital when we are in town only will cost of 20-30 minutes of our time, but brings spiritual encouragement to people. In most cases we do not need to spend more time visiting with people, we just need to be more focused in the time we spend with them. Instead of talking about the weather, sports and local politics we need to talk about how things are going with them spiritually and how we can be praying with them.
posted at 4:34 PM
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