Theme Three: Quality of Leadership
In his book Leadership Explosion: Multiplying Small Group Leaders to Reap the Harvest, Joel Comiskey states that “Churches rise and fall on leadership. One of the reasons that church attendance is at an all-time low is the lack of leadership. Unless you have a clear plan to develop church attendees into church leaders, the ebb and flow of church attendance will continue to drop.”[1] This is a somber reality that is often talked about but does not seem to have been translated into practice across Christendom to correct the problem. There is presently a dearth of leadership. This, perhaps, may also have something to do with the modern world and the pervasive influence of unholy attitudes, thoughts, and actions that have crept into the church through the very individuals that make up the church, which in turn may have left the church ministry with few options of future leaders that would pass the Biblical test of leadership. The Bible clearly and simply lays out the requirements for elders and overseers in the church. It is these same requirements that are expected of all Christians.[2] Though, as stated above, it would appear that the average Christian in the church would not readily be able to assume a leadership position because of an inability to meet the requirements.
Thankfully, though many may not be able to meet the requirements in the early stages of discipleship, it is possible for a person to eventually grow and develop into an individual that God can use as a leader. One of the great ways for this to happen is through a cell church, which emphasizes discipleship and leadership training. In this way, effective cell churches can help slow down the decline of future leaders in the church and, perhaps, reverse the course.
However, an individual arrives at the point where they are being considered to be recognized as a leader in the church, they must meet the requirements that are expounded in Scripture. As Merkle puts it “It is essential that leaders (1) are qualified, (2) are accountable, and (3) promote godliness, defend the truth, and equip others.”[3] And for those seeking leadership, “We should seek to be (1) willing and eager, (2) qualified, (3) humble, (4) knowledgeable of Scripture, (5) an example, and (6) aware the Christ is the head of the Church.”[4]
Theme Four: Conflict Resolution
Conflict is always bound to arise in the church. After all, the people of the church were once people of the world. And when they become part of the church body, they initially bring with them the thoughts, attitudes, desires, and motivations of the world. It takes time to detoxify and get rewired so that they have the mind of Christ. There is also the enemy of God’s people at work to cause problems and division within the church. Therefore, learning how to resolve conflict is crucially important to assist in maintaining a united body.
There are at least six important components to effectively resolving a problem that must be dealt with by the leaders of the church. They are: (1) confronting the problem early, (2) getting more than just a few opinions from a select few, (3) getting opinions from a diverse assortment of people, especially those closest to the issue, (4) give a clear decision, (5) select the minimal solution, and (6) Scripture needs to be the basis for the decision.[5]
Confronting a problem early can avert many possible negative outcomes to the crisis if it were left unaddressed. And soliciting opinions from outside of one’s close circle of associates helps the decision-makers to see the problem and possible solutions through less biased eyes. Moreover, going beyond just accepting opinions to seeking out diverse opinions helps one see things from many different perspectives, thus a more complete and holistic view of the situation, which in turn should aid in the formulation of a more holistic solution. Once a decision has been arrived at, it needs to be clearly explained and supported by Scripture. This is not to say that the leader develops a solution on their own and looks for Scripture to support their preferred solution. On the contrary, the leader, after hearing all sides, enters into prayer and also searches Scripture for answers to the dilemma.
Conclusion
As can be seen, while the term “leadership” is not explicitly used in the Greek New Testament, the theme of leadership is interlaced throughout it. It was exhibited in the life of Christ when He called His disciples and trained them. It was also demonstrated by the church leadership at the Jerusalem Council as they averted a potentially catastrophic outcome because of a cultural conflict that was occurring in Acts 15. And as was seen in the account of what transpired in Acts 15, conflicts will occur even among God’s people. And conflicts can and do arise from cultural clashes. It seems these happen more and more as the modern world is one that is extremely interconnected. Therefore, many cultures come into contact with other cultures. And the Jerusalem Council provides a template for modern church leaders to look to for the application of those principles to their situation.
Just as leadership was needed in the early stage of the church back in the first century, it is still needed today. It will always be needed. And even though there is a scarcity of leadership right now, it is a problem that is rectifiable. But, the time to start is right now. Otherwise, the church will continue to decline and recede farther into the background of this society and the minds of its people. With that said, though leadership is needed among God’s people, there is no shortcut to developing and identifying leaders that will advance the Gospel and Kingdom. All prospective leaders must meet the requirements of a leader as put forth in God’s Word. It is with God-approved leadership that the church, and thus His kingdom, will be advanced.
[1]. Comiskey, Joel. Leadership Explosion: Multiplying Small Group Leaders to Reap the Harvest. (Moreno Valley, CA: CCS Publishing 2008), 21. [2]. Benjamin Merkle, “Offices, Titles, and Roles: Leadership in Early Church Polity,” in Biblical Leadership: Theology for the Everyday Leader, ed. by Benjamin K. Forrest and Chet Roden. (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2017), 390. [3]. Ibid., 393. [4]. Merkle, 393. [5]. Stanley E. Porter, “Conflict Resolution: Leadership and the Jerusalem Council,” in Biblical Leadership: Theology for the Everyday Leader, ed. by Benjamin K. Forrest and Chet Roden. (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2017), 390-406.
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