Two realities:
1. Leading and leadership development are major emphases these days among people atop the hierarchies of the American institutional church.
2. I have been critical of all of this leadership stuff, which I see as a fad, perhaps to the point of obsession. (But, prophets are like that.)
I'm a member of a, well, denomination, which has, fairly recently, created a first-time-ever Statement of Faith. It also "refined" its Doctrinal Statement, which it entitles, We Believe.
In both documents, my brothers and sisters declared that the Bible is, quoting the new Statement of Faith, "our only rule of faith and practice."
I may be in error here, but in my group, I'm not aware that the Bible ever has been cited as a source of authority for our hierarchs thinking of themselves as leaders nor for their efforts to develop other leaders.
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I just read 1 Corinthians 12.
It seems to me that, in that discourse, Paul smashes the leadership/leadership development fad to smithereens.
In that chapter, as I read it, Paul is addressing the problem, created by the belief of some in Corinth that, because of their spiritual gifting, they are superior to others.
Paul answers their claim by comparing the church to a body in which each member is equally dependent on all of the other members.
On this blog, and elsewhere, I have repeated, ad nausem, my contention that Jesus came announcing the coming of the Kingdom of God...
...and that, in a kingdom, the only leader is the King.
So, in Paul's description of the church as a body of interdependent members, where is the leadership? Who is the head of the body?
Certainly, no person is head. There is only one head on a body and, in the Body of Christ, if you're human, the head ain't you.
The head of the church is not a human being.
Neither is the king of the Kingdom of God.
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I see nothing in the Bible, which is my authority, my only rule of faith and practice, to justify the human leadership/leadership development fad.
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However,...
I confess here and now that what I've stated is nothing more than my, sincere, bible-oriented, opinion.
My biggest problem with the leadership gang in my denomination is that, as far as I can tell, they all defy our claim to be people of the Word.
They, in reality, are ones who are insubordinate...
...insubordinate to the authority of the Bible.
Would someone please at least attempt to justify the leadership thing from the Word?!??!!!!
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ReplyDeleteThe people in the church who want to be thought of as leaders do operate as if they are business big wigs, that is for certain. How well others in the church are willing to be led? Seems not.
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