A mentor of mine once said, “you’ll know you’re a leader when you turn around and there is a group of people following you.” That very practical definition has stuck with me it get around who is “in leadership” and who is not and cuts to the core of what an actually is. A leader is anyone that leads people from one place to another. They might lead somewhere good, they might lead somewhere bad. A leader might do a great Job of caring for those they lead, and they might not. Equipping someone to be a leader is as easy as giving them a megaphone and a location to go to. Equipping ministers in the task of discipleship is not so easy.
Jesus commanded his followers that as they went out to new locations they should make disciples by baptizing them into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; teaching them to obey all he had commanded. This passage points to the location towards with all pastoral and lay ministers should be leading, the community of the Trinity. It also shows that one of the primary goals of christian leadership is to create new Christian leaders.
Not only is the Trinity the destination of Christian leadership it is also the vehicle. A good minister in the church leads by the power of the Holy Spirit, with the gifts of the Father, through the authority of Christ. The first mission of a leader in the church is to help define
this reality in light of the culture they find themselves in. These three aspects need to be fleshed out a little bit.- By the power of the Holy Spirit – Being a leader in the church means you are joining a movement that has been underway long before they got there, and will be there long after they leave. Christian leadership must be in cooperation with the Holy Spirit’s work not the other way around.
- With the gifts of the Father – To lead well it is essential to recognise that all good things come from God. This includes the gifts, the people, the resources, and the history of the community you hope to lead. Recognizing and affirming what God has given is essential to effective church leadership.
- Through the authority of Christ – Christ has given authority to the church to do great works. Believing in Christ means believing in those he has chosen. This means that those in pastoral leadership need to believe that God is at work in the members, and places trust in the lay leaders. It also means recognizing that there is a particular call in the office of the ministry in which Christ moves in unique ways through the word and sacrament. In all roles it is essential to recognize that Jesus authority is rooted in His humility (Phil 2). To be a christian leader in any capacity requires being a servant of all.
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