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The Essential Element of Leadership
In The Lord's Churches
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1986
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

The Essential Element of Leadership In the Lord's Churches

Unit Two

Chapter 20

True Leaders Are Not Saviours

Ephesians 4:16

"From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

God forbid that the false illusion be created here that true leaders, especially church leaders, are virtually perfect people, who are all things to all people. They are not. Yes, they are quality people in many regards, but they have their flaws, and they are not miracle-workers. They can't solve all the problems, and it's not their job to do so, though many followers think it is. They don't have all the answers, and can't do all the thinking. It is self-destructive to a church, or other enterprise for that matter, to have such a misconception of leadership. Such thinking makes the people too dependent upon their leadership and weakens their ability to function effectively on their own once the leader saturates or departs. An over dependence on any savior, other than the Lord, is a dangerous weakness.

Proper Perspective

True leaders constantly work to help their followers learn to stand on their own. By its very nature the ability to help others maximize their abilities and stand on their own involves good perspective. Invariably, good church leaders who teach their people to stand on their own, which is proven by a second and third generation vital to the long-term welfare of a church, have good perspective. They're able to view and assess situations accurately. They're able to recognize what the situation is, where they are in it, and where others are as well. They analyze well and diagnose well, which is usually quite hard.

Good perspective demands objectivity. People are prone to shams and veneers. Anger, jealousies and fears tend to cloud issues making it hard to see the truth. Too seldom are issues decided on their own merits. Emotions and preconceived ideas most often dictate the direction most people will go and a congregation will take. The power an old "bell-cow" member has, without even intending to do so, to influence other members in his or her direction is phenomenal.

On many farms of yesteryear, cows were allowed to roam open range. Farmers would often put a bell around the neck of an old cow, knowing that the younger cows would follow this cow wherever she went. This way the farmer could know the location of the herd by the sound of the bell.

In far too many cases, decisions regarding the direction of the church and doctrinal positions are not determined upon the merits of the issue at hand. They're determined by what an old respected or bully member thinks. Such a member can, and often will, capitalize on the preconceived ideas and emotional basis of the majority to get his way. Tempers can flair and hostilities arise very quickly. A needed action can go down in merciless defeat, or a truth can be rejected, without ever being considered on its merits. In fact, its case is never heard.

I recall a church with less than one acre of land, which had an opportunity to buy ten adjacent acres for $120,000.00. The church was growing. The soon-coming need for more property was obvious. The ten acres was in the very center of growth in a town of over 100,000 people, right on the main entrance to the city. When the subject of buying the land came up, an old "bell-cow" member said, "I don't think we need any more property. we're not filling up what we have now. Besides, we don't have that kind of money. And, why not wait until we need it, and then buy land?"

The rest said "Yes!"

The idea of purchasing died. Sad to say, but just over a year later, a wealthy businessman bought the ten acres for $120,000.00. Within a few weeks, he had sold just over four acres of the tract to an automobile dealer for more than $120,000.00. He developed all but one-half an acre adjacent to the church into an apartment complex. In just over two years, the church had grown to the point that it could not physically park all the people wanting to attend its services. It finally bought the half acre lot from the businessman for $45,000.00.

I'm talking about a matter, like so many in churches, that died without ever being considered on its own merits. Emotions, anger and a bell-cow member really hurt the church in the long run.

Real issues

True and good church leaders, and others, look through the shams, veneers and smoke-screens to the real issues. They make it their business to see that the real issues are brought to light. That's often hard to do in a church. Unfortunately, most church people don't think very much for themselves. They follow old bell-cows. They don't know what the real issues are. They will dance all around the obvious without ever seeing it. They get mad and emotional.

True leaders must rise above such pettiness and dishonest bias. They must be able to see through all the diversions and get to the truth. On the old TV show "Dragnet," Sergeant Friday was always saying, "Just the facts, sir. All we want are the facts."

Thank God for the good people in His churches who have the good ability and sense to get to the facts, to see things straight, who are levelheaded enough to not be swayed by emotions and preconceptions. It is Proverbs 18:13 which says, "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him."

Getting the truth of a matter may take time, research, lots of listening and observing. That's how God taught the Jews to do it, as you can see from the question of John 7:51, "Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?" Good leaders cannot afford to be taken in. If they have the welfare of the church at heart, they will ever seek to keep the church from blindness to the truth and the reality of matters. Jesus said in John 8:32 that it is the truth which liberates.

Error, poor judgment, failure to face the true issues of any matter always hurts in the long-run. Any immediate relief and appearance of success which results from not facing the truth, the true issues of any matter, is "fool's gold." It may take a few years, or even a generation or two for that to become obvious, but time will always tell, and those who refuse to be objective, who lose true perspective, always lose in the long-run.

True leaders can't be given to fear, anger, emotions and false conclusions. They must look at things as they are and be able to get the true picture. This is, in part, the nature of the scriptural directive in Ephesians 4:14, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

The truth of what is being said here can be seen in the Bible's representation of the deceitful nature of sin and its ensuing confusion and misery, and its warning that God's people "be not deceived," as in I Corinthians 15:33. People who lose, or can't get, true perspective are deceived.

Diagnosing problems

People of good perspective are the ones most likely to see where the real problems and needs are. Churches will be indifferent to false concepts and needs they do not see. Unseen problems remain. Diagnosis is one of the first steps in correction. Thus, it is self-evident that a church needs leadership which will diagnose problems.

Leaders must be perceptive enough to see what is needed. Jesus said, "If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch," in Matthew 15:14. When leaders become confused and unclear in their thinking, thus losing sight of reality and true perspective, they're in no position to diagnose and identify needs. Thus, it is essential to the welfare of the church, that a leader maintain clear, unclouded perspective.

There is a strong and prevailing misconception along these lines as to what leadership is. A great many view their leaders as problem-solvers. To them, the leader is a sort of "savior," someone with a sack full of answers, including an answer to almost any given problem. That is a very faulty concept of leadership. Yes, good leaders will have some answers, but no leader has all the answers. In fact, as a church grows, it becomes more complex. Sooner or later, the best leader will saturate, problems will arise, and he won't have a solution.

It is not the role of leadership to have limitless answers or solutions. Woe be unto the church that becomes too dependent on any church leader. "Cursed be the man that trusteth in men, and maketh flesh his arm," says Jeremiah 17:5. A leader's role is not to supply all the answers. His role is to provoke or lead the congregation as a whole to come up with solutions before God out of its own ranks. He's to help a congregation learn to stand on its own. Enrichment of a church body is not to come from just the pastor or a few other leaders. Enrichment is to come from each member contributing to the welfare of the whole. The pastor, and other leadership, has a contributing role, part of which is the objective evaluation of the whole, identification of needs, and the orchestration of the body as a whole toward the meeting of those needs. However, the final solutions are not to come from a pastor or other thin core of leadership; they're to come from the body as a whole under the guidance and watch-care of leadership. Hear this truth in Ephesians 4:16, "From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

Note well that every member of the body is to contribute to the resolution of its needs. As the body members as a whole contribute, they are to do so in a cooperative way, not every man on his own, but under the direction of leadership. Thus Paul commanded in Hebrews 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."

No supermen, please

True leaders in church know they can't, and shouldn't, do it all single-handedly. God's way is to involve others, to tap the creative resources of the whole, realizing and admitting personal limitations. True leaders know that if the church is to continue to progress, more and more of the rank and file will have to become an active part of the process. So, less and less of their energy is spent in solving church problems, and more and more time is spent in involving the church as a whole in the solution of its own problems. You can hear Paul saying it to young Timothy in II Timothy 2:2, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

Doing this is not always as easy at it may sound. It's generally a very painful process, and it seldom occurs very thoroughly. Generally you will find it easier to do it yourself than to get somebody else to do it. Most people are lazy. They'd just as soon you do it. When others do things and make decisions, they usually don't do as good a job as you think you'd have done. Getting others functional is time consuming and often frustrating.

They don't want to do it. They don't like shouldering the responsibility. Most churches feel secure and comfortable knowing the pastor and other leaders have things under control. They feel good knowing "they'll" take care of things. Some of them will balk when they face the prospect of having to help solve their own problems and sharing the blame for things which don't work out very well. They usually won't call or keep a preacher who is not perceived to be a Santa Claus with a bag full of answers and solutions for everything. Furthermore, getting a church involved with its own welfare means giving up some authority and responsibility into the hands of the people. That's a frightening prospect to many in leadership positions. They're afraid to give up power and authority. They're afraid they may lose their grip on things and that things won't go as they want them to go. Because it is easier to look for a "savior" than it is to face reality and shoulder one's own responsibilities in the welfare of his affairs, including his church, most leaders hang on to their power, trying to dictate the whole life of the church, and most churches refuse to assume a substantial role in their own welfare, but look to the pastor and a few other leaders to supply all the answers. Of course, in this arrangement, they can conveniently blame the pastor if things don't work out, which takes the blame off themselves.

Yes, involving others is not easy, but it's the right way to approach the leadership of a church. Good leaders make no attempt to be all things to all people and come up with a Santa Claus load of answers to everything. They do attempt to identify needs and help the people find answers to their needs. They do not attempt to be a savior. They do attempt to mobilize their followers and see that they go in the right direction.

Earlier I said true leaders find a way. That is true, but that is not to imply that the leader is going to do everything himself, or that he will personally know all the answers. It doesn't mean that the leader will sit down and ignore and do nothing about a need or problem. Though he does not have the solution, he will not rest until a solution is found. He will not hunt it alone; he will rally the people. Answers, solutions and forward progress will not be coming from a single savior or small core of leadership. No. The welfare and prosperity of the church will depend on the input of the whole. The leadership will neither be doing everything nor nothing. True leaders will be busily orchestrating the whole body to realistically attend to its own welfare. Churches are never to be spiritual welfare agencies looked after by saviors who burn themselves out in the process. Every church that does degenerate to that point will pay a heavy toll once that savior departs for heaven or some other calling.

God's way is that every member of the church be involved in its welfare, even as every member of the human body is involved in the welfare of the whole body. See I Corinthians 12:14-26. Leadership's role is not to do everything for the church, but to actively orchestrate the church's efforts to help itself.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"