In a recent article, David Finch attempts to make the case that leadership as we know it is not a biblical model. While pastors are indeed called to show responsibility and concern for others, the way that leadership is described in Christian conferences and books is often based on a model that does not come from the Bible. Finch lines up five main points which help him make his point that leadership is not a Biblical model. These five points include 1. The word leader is generally not included in the New Testament. 2. Whenever the word leader is used in the New Testament, it is subverted by the church. 3. Jesus Himself subverted the term leadership. 4. Christian leadership is defined by the posture of submission- to the world this is not leadership. 5. The business model of leadership will handicap us from leading into mission. I think that Finch brings up many intriguing points in his article. I do think, however, that Finch is not arguing against leadership in the church, but merely against the prevailing notion of what society or the world says a leader should be. While the article title “Is Leadership Biblical?” is an eye catching title, I don’t think it best captures what Finch is arguing for in his article. I think that what Finch is really railing against is the corporate culture that can sometimes take over a church work force, and not “leadership” in general.
got this one
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking of whether or not leadership is Biblical and some of the points that Finch brought out it reminds us that the way the world views leadership is not the way God views leadership. We often times get caught up in handling our church with the same principles of the world only to quickly find how antithetical it is to the ways of God. We trade in submission for power, humility for pride and integrity for the perspective of whatever it takes to get ahead attitude and selflessness for selfishness. Jesus reminds us in the Sermon on the Mount that the one who is the least among you will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. The more I submit myself to God, the more He elevates me. The principle is the same with giving. The more I give, the more I receive. Leadership in the church is significantly different from leadership in the world and the challenge is to transform our thinking from trying to separate our corporate life from our Christian life to allowing our walk with Christ to be used in the corporate world to transform their thinking so that they see that God’s way is The Way.
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