The Christian Philosophy of Leadership
Matthew 20:20-28
by
Roger Smalling, D.Min
This article corresponds to the book
available in Kindle.
In the scenario described in Matthew Chapter Twenty, the
mother of James and John approached Jesus asking that her sons sit beside him in
his kingdom. This provided opportunity for Jesus to introduce three key
attitudes in Christian leadership: Suffering, parity and service.
Suffering
The pressures of leadership are enormous. A leader must
expect to suffer, often in secret, as part of his calling.
Parity
Ministers are equal in authority within the body of Christ.
They relate to one another like knights at a round table rather than ranks in
an army. Biblical government consists of ministers working together, with
mutual respect as equals. Authoritarian hierarchies have no place in GodÕs kingdom.
They are worldly in their conception and lead to the very things for which
Jesus rebuked the two disciples in this passage.
Service
Leaders have a servant
rather than ruler attitude. People
are the focus of their ministry, not merely tools for their own ambitions.
What were James and John seeking and how did they go about it?
They sought status and honor through manipulation. They
mentioned nothing of actual work to
accomplish, just ranks. They assumed the kingdom of God would be set up just
like any other government, with Jesus as supreme ruler, followed by a series of
ranks.
We can imagine them plotting, ÒYou know, Jesus can be a
little tough on us sometimes. HeÕs really gentle with women, though. LetÕs see
if we can get mom to talk to Him. Maybe she can land a good position for us.Ó
This is politicking. Such manipulation typifies the worldÕs
leadership. Jesus does not rebuke them for ambition because ambition is a good
thing if it is for GodÕs glory. Instead, he warns against seeking oneÕs own
honor.
Jesus makes it clear he is not in charge of promotions in
the personnel department. The Father is. They were asking the wrong person.
From this, we see a hint of the first principle of
Christian leadership in the New Testament: It is a gift from God.
Nevertheless, these sons of Zebedee had two laudable
qualities, though seriously misdirected:
Ambition
This is a good characteristic if directed toward the glory
of God rather than our own self-worth.
Confidence
There exists a self-confidence that is commendable if it is
ultimately based on trust in God. Unfortunately, it
was confidence in themselves rather than in God. ÒWe are able.Ó They considered themselves eminently able. The garden of Gethsemane taught
them otherwise. They abandoned Jesus and fled.
This brings up the first key attitude Jesus taught them.
First key attitude: Willingness to embrace suffering
You donÕt know what you are asking,Ó
Jesus said to them. ÒCan you drink the cup I am going to drink?Ó ÒWe can,Ó they
answered. Mt 20:22
The call to Christian leadership is a call to suffering.
The suffering involved, especially in the western world, this usually takes the
form of psychological pressure and stresses other believers neither bear nor
understand.
People often have high expectations of a leader that he is able
to meet. Some Christians may be looking more to a pastor than to Christ. When the pastor fails to meet their expectations, they may
consider him incompetent.
Some under a pastorÕs care may be insubmissive and will yield
only when pressured into it. Sometimes the leader must hold the line on godly
principles, risking misunderstanding and criticism.
Occasionally church leaders must apply biblical discipline
when it may be unpopular to do so. When dealing with such, the leaders often
cannot reveal the problem to the congregation. Members with incomplete
knowledge of the case may draw wrong conclusions about the leadersÕ decisions.
They may imagine the leaders are too harsh or too lax in discipline. The
leaders may find themselves suffering in silence. Yet, God has wisely arranged
it so.
Titles and honors that accompany the office of leader are
insufficient to compensate for the stress. Those who highly value titles or
honors more than service, soon find themselves disillusioned.
Similarly, in his book, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals,
John Piper attacks the attitude of professionalism
in pastoral ministry that undermines the willingness to embrace suffering.
We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the
pastoral ministry. The mentality of the professional is not...the mentality of
the slave of Christ. Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and
heart of the Christian ministry... For there is no professional childlikeness (Matthew18:3);
there is no professional tenderheartedness (Ephesians 4:32); there is no
professional panting after God (Psalm 42:1).[1]
Second key attitude: Parity
Jesus called them together and said, ÒYou know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over ` with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— Mt 20:25-27
On the mission field, I worked with a newly ordained
national who happened to be a medical doctor. He had some rough edges to his
personality, independent and opinionated. Over time we became great friends and
worked well together. LetÕs call him JosŽ.
Eventually, JosŽ moved to another city to work with a team.
A missionary from that team called me and asked, ÒRoger, IÕm having trouble
getting along with JosŽ. I noticed you get along fine and work productively
together. Can you give me some clues as to how to handle him?Ó
This was my answer: ÒBrother, in the first place, quit
trying to handle him. Treat him as a
colleague. Call him up once in a while and ask his advice. Ask him to help you.
Think of him as your equal because after all, he has the same ordination as
you. Do this and he will eat out of your hand.Ó
The missionary paused on the phone for about twenty
seconds. ÒI donÕt think I can do that,Ó he replied. ÒThen I cannot help you,Ó I
concluded.
This missionary could not consider a national, even a
medical doctor, his equal. He saw himself on the rung of a hierarchy with the
nationals a lower rank. Treating JosŽ as an equal would have contradicted his
entire view of leadership, inherited from his corporate business culture.
Ironically, I had used the term equal to avoid saying I thought
JosŽ was the better man! It never occurred to me to think of him as inferior.
The relationship between the two lasted less than a year before JosŽ went
elsewhere.
A tip: If you treat a man as an equal, assuming he is wise,
he will defer to you in areas he knows you are superior.
Authoritarianism and hierarchicalism support each other. It
is hard to tell which is the driving force. Do authoritarian people create
hierarchies? Or is it the reverse?
Authoritarianism is a byproduct of arrogance. Authoritarian
people often suppose their superior office proves they are inherently superior
as individuals. This is why they lord it
over others. They assume they have a natural right to do so.
Complex hierarchies are inevitable in the world. Armies are
hierarchies, with generals at the top, followed by colonels, majors, captains,
sergeants, on down to privates. Likewise, corporations. The CEO is at the top,
followed by vice presidents, department managers, on down to stock personnel in
the basement.
Hierarchies are indeed necessary in such domains. Jesus is
not teaching hierarchies are inherently wrong. He is simply saying not so with you.
In Greek the phrase, Not
so with you, is literally, It shall
not be so among you. Jesus was speaking in Aramaic, a dialect of Hebrew. In
that language, future tenses are used as imperatives. Jesus was probably
saying, ÒI categorically forbid you to put into office those with authoritarian
temperaments and attitudes.Ó
This excludes some so-called ÒnaturalÓ leaders from
Christian offices. Christian organizations often ignore this principle. Along
comes a man with natural leadership traits. Sure, he is a bit arrogant. He
likes to control. Maybe heÕs a bit overbearing at times, but so what? He has leadership. So he attains to authority
within the organization. Result: Wounded people. Good people lost, who refuse
to be the brunt of his arrogance.
Just because a man has leadership ability, does not mean he
should be a leader in a Christian organization. If he tends toward
authoritarian and controlling attitudes, he is the last person to be qualified. Controllers must be controlled.
This may be what Jesus meant by, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Some
scholars have interpreted this phrase to mean, Ôservant leadership is the way
to get promoted in the kingdom of God.Õ This interpretation may be valid.
Considering the context, however, it seems more likely a prohibition against
appointing people with authoritarian attitudes.
The point: Neither natural
leadership ability, experience in business or the military, nor psychological
profiles are sufficient indications a man should be considered for Christian
leadership. If he holds autocratic attitudes, thinks hierarchically or tends to
use or abuse people, he is disqualified as a candidate, regardless of other
attributes.
Third key attitude: Service
Éjust as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Mt 20:28
Christian leadership focuses more on helping others than
commanding them. It is a life given to service.
Many who are attracted to honors, wind up as negligent
leaders, more concerned about status than the welfare of their people. These do
harm to themselves as well.
There is a time when a man lords it over
others to his own hurt. Eccl 8:9
The goal of a Christian leader is to make his followers the
best they can be. In fact, if he can train someone to replace him, that is the
best leadership of all.
Servant leadership is essential in the kingdom of God because of the end product. In the business world, people are a resource to produce material goods. People give time and energy to produce products for public consumption. GodÕs kingdom uses material resources to produce sanctified people.
The world considers this a non-issue. After all,
sanctification is difficult to define, something only God can measure. Yet,
sanctified people is what the ministry is all about.
Occasionally businessmen say, ÒIf I ran my business like you
run your church, I would go bankrupt.Ó The answer might well be, ÒIf I ran my
church like you run your business, I would have no more sanctified people than
you do in your business.Ó
The title of this lesson is, ÒThe
Christian Philosophy of Leadership,Ó not ÒA
Christian Philosophy...Ó This is deliberate. Christ taught one philosophy of leadership. He did not say, ÒTry my suggestions
and if you donÕt like them, invent your own paradigm.Ó
Conclusion
Christian leadership involves attitudes different from worldly
systems. Embracing the suffering, whether psychological or physical, helps a
leader put his own motives into perspective. Serving others to help them reach
their full potential and treating fellow ministers as equals is more than the
mere duties of an office. It is a way of life.
From this lesson we learn:
á
There exists only one
philosophy of leadership in the Bible, the one taught by Christ.
á
Embracing suffering
and service, along with an attitude of parity toward oneÕs fellow ministers are
essential attitudes of ChristÕs philosophy of leadership.
á
Ambition is good, as
long as its focus is to see God glorified.
á
Confidence is good as
long as it is based on confidence in God.
á
God the Father alone
is in charge of promotions in his kingdom. Neither politicking nor influence
are means for obtaining them.
á
Jesus forbids his
disciples to appoint to offices those with authoritarian attitudes.
á
Neither leadership
temperament, psychological profiles nor experience in worldly hierarchies
qualify a person for leadership in GodÕs kingdom.
Smalling's
articles and essays are available at www.smallings.com