Church Leadership and Leaders

IN ORDER to evaluate Christian leadership we should not analyze a position or an office, but we should try to describe men, personalities with certain characteristics. The requirements are so com­prehensive that the apostle exclaimed, "Who is sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:16). In his first epistle to Timothy the apostle enumerates the qualifications of a bishop, or as we call him, an elder (1 Tim. 3:1-7). In Phillips' translation the following words are used to describe his character—self-control, dis­cretion, disciplined life, hospitable, gift of teaching, gentleness. There are many addi­tional qualities which when summarized describe the sum total of a Christian leader —personality, natural abilities, intellectual capabilities and acumen, spirituality.

It seems to be quite natural that when we elect men as elders we choose such men who have a certain social standing and are gifted with some degree of eloquence, for they are not only public representatives of the church but they also should be able to express themselves in a clear and con­vincing manner when standing in the pul­pit. Nevertheless, the question is whether these are the most important criteria on which we should make our choice.

The Personality of a Leader

Sometimes men have been chosen as leaders because of their eloquence who lacked some of the more important qual­ities of leadership. Moses was a poor speaker while Aaron was an eloquent man

(Ex. 4:10). Yet the Biblical record indi­cates that Aaron did not possess the wis­dom, stamina, and the moral strength re­quired for leadership. He gave in to the demands of the people and made the golden calf for them. And when he was accused of having led the people astray, he laid the blame upon the people he should have guided in the ways of God

(Ex. 32:21, ff.). It was Moses, the man without oratorial ability, who not only had the courage to face the idolatrous masses but who also possessed the spirit of selfless­ness and offered his life for the wayward flock (Ex. 32:32). Strength paired with hu­mility, resistance against evil, complete de­votion to the saving of the erring—these were the characteristics of the greatest of all leaders of Israel.

Such qualities are still needed today be­cause the leaders of the church have to preserve the unadulterated gospel. They come up against many influences and some­times insidious teachings. There are the so-called reform movements that have to be dealt with in- order to protect the church against false teachings and divisions. Such a defense has to be made intelligently, in a well-informed manner, justly, and in a Christian spirit. There are also some within the church who try to bring "new light" that is neither sound nor Biblical. The elders have to deal with such persons firmly, factually, and tactfully. Such mat­ters have to be clarified in a brotherly and humble spirit, lest some turn away from the church, not because of the new teach­ing but on account of an unchristian at­titude.

True leadership strives for unity. When men of different opinions and strong con­viction meet in committee meetings, the qualities of a leader become apparent through the wisdom with which he deals with problems. To be able to distinguish between principle and opinion, the impor­tant and the trivial, to be willing to give up an opinion but stand firm on principle —that is true leadership. To do this with­out giving offense and to be willing to suf­fer for that which is right is also character­istic of a leader. True leaders are true Christians in the first place, men, as Ellen G. White says, "who will stand for the right though the heavens fall" (Education, p. 57). "God calls for men and women of stability, of firm purpose, who can be re­lied upon in seasons of danger and trial, who are as firmly rooted and grounded in the truth as the eternal hills, who cannot be swayed to the right or to the left, but who move straight onward and are always found on the right side."—Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 75.

The Natural Abilities of a Leader

What are the natural administrative abilities of a leader? Determination to im­pose his will upon committees and congre­gations? Such an attitude is wrong, and we do well to heed the admonition of the apostle Peter when he says that elders should not be domineering (1 Peter 5: 1-3). Twenty-five years ago I was assigned as translator to Elder J. L. McElhany, in the case of a rebellious minister in Hun­gary. Never have I seen a leader of this denomination reaching out for the soul of an erring man with so much gentleness and at the same time, notwithstanding his wrong views, with so much Christian deter­mination.

The leader's capacity is best expressed in his relationship to his fellow workers and his congregation. No man should ever expect uniformity of opinion among all in all matters. Diversity of opinion can be and should be made a cause of fruitfulness and advancement of the church. But it should never cause division. The ability of work­ing together with men who know their own minds and have plans or methods shows the maturity of a man.

Again, a man is a true leader if he suc­ceeds in gaining the cooperation of the congregation in accepting and carrying into effect the plans of the church. As Seventh-day Adventists we frequently do some hard driving. Our denomination is continually involved in one campaign or another, to the extent that it appears sometimes to be burdensome even to those who are most willing to contribute. It takes wisdom and understanding to make the spiritual emphasis predominant even in material things. Thus a true leader must know how, and to what extent, he can urge his flock. An episode from Jacob's life will illustrate this point. When he had made peace with his brother Esau, he declined to rush his caravan, saying, "My lord knows that the children are frail, and the flocks and herds giving suck are a care to me; and if they are overdriven for one day, all the flocks will die" (Gen. 33:13, R.S.V.). The care for the flock, the spiritual welfare of the church, is still the greatest respon-sibility of both the minister and the elder.

It is easy to lose our sense of values in our race for goals. We can easily lose bal­ance in religion when we judge the church by achievement instead of spirituality— the leaders or ministers by their success in Ingathering, by their performance instead of by their motivation, by their activity in­stead of by their spirit.

We are living in a world that has greatly changed during the past fifty years. These changes had their effect upon the church, its position, its administration, its policy, and its finances. Ministers and elders have become organizers, administrators, build­ers, and committee chairmen. Though these things are an addition to their du­ties, they should in no wise influence their concern for the spiritual growth of the church.

Let the term "officer" not be misunder­stood, for though a man is an elder or of­ficer, he is not a commander but a man endowed with the gift and the spirit of a shepherd. It takes more of deep human un­derstanding, patience, capacity to bear and to endure the frailties of humanity, in or­der to be a successful leader than it re­quires pure intellect or administrative know-how. Although intelligence and nat­ural ability are necessary in leadership, they are by no means of greater value than the spiritual quality of a Christian man.

The Intellectual Capabilities and Acumen of a Leader

We are living in an age when knowledge has tremendously increased as foretold by prophecy. Unfortunately, we as a people do not always measure up to our own preaching. Too often we stand before the congregation with old "warmed-up" ser­mons of yesteryear, or a collection of news­paper quotations, or we use the pulpit for reading exercises. Well should we remem­ber that there is no substitute for preach­ing the Word of God, and that in order to do so effectively we must study the Bible. We must not only read it, we must dig deep, search, and increase our knowledge of it. There is more to it than archeologi-cal confirmation or speculation on the meaning of some complicated passage. The essence of preaching has most aptly been expressed by the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16, Phillips.*

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the faith and correcting error, for reset­ting the direction of a man's life and training him in good living.

And again, in order to achieve this pur­pose, Paul states that

The scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man of God, and fit him fully for all branches of his work (verse 17, Phillips).*

None of us will ever be able to fully master the Word of God. That armor will always be too big for puny man, as was Saul's armor for David. But why should we not continually enlarge our vision and our Biblical knowledge by prayerful study? Why should we not widen our understand­ing of its meaning by reading new and different translations?

There is also an endless stream of good books that enable one to get a better under­standing of the Bible in spiritual meaning as well as in doctrine and historical setting. Preaching the Word is serious business. It will not do to pick up the Bible on Sabbath morning, place it on the pulpit, and then preach on a text found where it happens to fall open.

It is here in our most serious responsi­bility that most of us fail. We do not feed the sheep; we do not feed the lambs. The church of God is starved and thus unable to grow into a greater Christian experi­ence. The worshipers never come to be­hold the glory of God, because their lead­ers fail to remember that the comprehen­sive equipment of the man of God also re­quires a comprehensive and consistent ef­fort, a prayerful intensive study, in order to handle the Word of God effectively. There is no other way to give to the church the bread of life than to do it spir­itually, intelligently, and with sound knowl­edge. This is the responsibility of any leader who has been called to stand in the pulpit.

The Spirituality of the Leader

But knowledge is not everything. What the most brilliant mind fails to achieve, genuine love and Ghristlike understanding and patience will do. There is not a single soul in this world who does not have some kind of problem. Many church members are unable to cope with their problems. There are social problems, there is sin, there are young people who need guidance, and there are older ones who seem to be­long to the forgotten ones. Some have be-come bitter, some self-righteous, some cal­lous. The church elder has to meet all of these; in fact, he has to look out for them, for his work is not only in the pulpit.

We would go out too far afield if we tried to discuss the many situations where he is required to work and to act in the same spirit as our Master, with the same infinite compassion. Many years ago some of our elders "governed" through church "discipline." It may be that some use this method even today. But let us look to our Lord for guidance. Jesus loved the rich young ruler who turned away from Him. He would keep alive the smoldering wick, the waning faith, in the heart of the ruler of the synagogue (Mark 5:36).

Halfhearted Nicodemus, doubting Thomas, despairing Peter—all found in Jesus the one they could trust, to whom they could turn, knowing that He would understand. That is the kind of spirit peo­ple still desire to find in their leaders. The human soul yearns for understanding to­day as it did in the days of Christ.

As we search our hearts today let us con­fess our shortcomings as leaders of the church, and in humility and with renewed consecration let us make a new beginning in order to fulfill this task. The primitive church used a chant in the Greek language, "Kyrie eleison," meaning "Lord, have mercy upon us." Let that be our prayer, and let us believe that He will hear us and make our ministry fruitful for the sal­vation of His church, for the time to save His people has come.

*From The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips. Copyright 1958, by J. B. Phillips. Used by per­mission of The Macmillan Company.