Shared Leadership
I’ve grown up under leadership from all sorts of people. I remember my home church had two elders for a long time then at some point added a third. The Elders were given the spiritual oversight of the church. The Preacher/Pastor shared a lot of leadership responsibility with the Elders. The Deacons were also part of the leadership team. The other churches I served were set up pretty much the same. It hit me one day that this is really not what the Lord had in mind when He started the church. Sometimes in many church situations there is a power struggle instead of a serving contest. People really want a position instead of seeking a posture of service.
Our church leadership often looks like our nations leadership. The Pastor is the President – the Elders are the Senators – the Deacons are the Representatives. I’m guessing that the Trustees are the Supreme Court. This is not what the Lord intended for His Church.
Moses was the main leader of Israel and it was getting too much for him to handle. So the Lord gave him instructions on getting help. Check this out…
16 The Lord said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Make them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone. (Numbers 11:16-17 NIV)
There are times that leadership is incredibly hard to carry. They decisions that must be weighed out sometimes weigh the leader down. I believe it’s wise for every leader to have close counsel to help see things from different angles that might be missed otherwise. There are some leaders who “know it all” or so they think and they will often stumble with some pretty important decisions. As I started leading others, I often feel incredibly unqualified to lead and then I study the teachings of Jesus and realize that is really one of the first qualifications is realizing that it’s not about me – it’s about serving others with my life. If I’m leading at my church, I’m under the leadership of the Lord obviously, but also the Elders and Pastor. I think one of the biggest roadblocks to godly leadership is ego. I remember when I preached my first message many years ago and it was when the preacher went to the back door to shake hands as people left. People felt obligated to tell me what a good job I had done (whether it was good or not). A wise minister told me not to believe all the stuff people said about me to my face because they might just be saying something else behind my back. There was wisdom in that.
A leader simply can’t please everyone who is following. There are times when a decision has to be made and I think it’s prudent to gather as much information as you can regarding all sides of the decision and then make a decision based on the best information you have at the time. If it turns out to be a mistake – own it – correct it and move on. Leaders aren’t perfect but they usually have a strong human spirit.
As I’ve grown older, I believe the Lord has been building wisdom and discernment into my heart. I want to understand before I’m understood. I want The Lord’s Wisdom to guide my path and be the key component of my decisions. I share leadership with others, but most importantly I share leadership with the Lord.
Pressing On!
Dwayne