Is it all firefighting?
What is the essence of leadership in the local church? A variety of ideas might come to mind. Is it prestige? Sometimes, men think it is. But the Lord Jesus was very clear that such thinking, although common in pagans, has no place among His people (Mk.10:42-45). Spiritual leadership isn’t about prestige.
Is it control? Again, such an idea is quite natural in the world, but we’re expressly told that elders are not to lord (lit., exercise dominion) it over God’s flock (1 Pet. 5:3). Spiritual leadership isn’t about control.
Is it about dealing with problems that arise? Certainly this is vital work—part of shepherding sheep is to protect them from a variety of dangers. But, important as such work is, spiritual leadership isn’t exclusively about handling problems.
Genuine spiritual leadership entails not simply the “negative” work of dealing with the difficulties that arise but also the positive work of guiding the assembly forward so that believers grow in grace. It’s not simply that we don’t want to regress in our Christian lives; we don’t want to stagnate either. The biblical idea is to press forward, to increase in Christ-likeness (2 Pet. 1:8a). True spiritual leaders will foster spiritual growth in the lives of those entrusted to their care.
It has been well said that a garden is more than the absence of weeds. Certainly, weeding is a necessary part of competent and successful gardening. But weed-free dirt is, well, dirt. It isn’t an end in and of itself; it is the basis for the healthy growth of something greater than itself. The local assembly is God’s field (1 Cor. 3:9). The Lord desires spiritual fruit from it. Elders, as those charged with leading the assembly, need to deliberately work toward that end. A number of considerations come to mind:
• Elders cannot spend all of their time putting out fires. Obviously, there may be weeks or months where a pressing problem occupies much of the elders’ time and attention. Ignoring such problems would be irresponsible. But, as a rule, do we devote significant time, prayer, and labor to working to move the assembly forward spiritually? Not as isolated, hastily-considered efforts, but as our consistent, purposeful, characteristic work.
• Do we have spiritual goals for the assembly? Have we given serious and prayerful thought to what steps can be taken to encourage spiritual growth? Or are we content to merely stave off disasters? We need to understand that a lack of spiritual growth is a disaster.
• When people in the assembly begin to show spiritual zeal, are we careful to nurture that zeal? Like the Lord Jesus, we should be characterized by helping the weak. But at the same time, let us not forget to sustain one standing (Zech. 11:16). Paul instructed Timothy to find some faithful men and pour his efforts into them (2 Tim. 2:2). Clearly, we ought never to ignore those who are having difficulties, but if we neglect eager Christians, let’s not be surprised when they get discouraged and join the ranks of the struggling.
• This will all take time, work, prayer, and sacrifice. A man who isn’t ready to offer up those essentials is not providing the spiritual example necessary to properly lead others. If we are too busy with our jobs and hobbies and homes to be committed to the Lord and His work, then we cannot provide spiritual leadership.
It is easy for elders to get so busy dealing with crises that we never get around to actively cultivating spiritual fruit in the assembly. Our Lord Jesus didn’t neglect problems. But, in focusing on nurturing spiritual growth, He showed us where we ought to concentrate our efforts, too. Not surprisingly, that’s the best way to prevent problems in the first place.
What are we doing to move the assembly forward?