Church on The Horizon (Part 3 of 4)

Memes abound on the Internet, depicting the fictional final battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker in "Revenge of the Sith." Obi-Wan claims he's won because he has the high ground. Keeping in the realm of movie myth, 18 years earlier, Wesley attempts to gain the advantage over Inigo‘s Capo Ferro swordfighting style by using Thibault. This style relies on advantages such as the higher ground. Sure, it's all in the movies, but if only Anakin had been a better student, he might've known Agrippa, Indego's defensive choice, which adjusts to the opponent's style of encounters, their tactical advantages.

Holding the higher ground, the tactical position, in a sword fight is like viewing leadership through a positional lens. When we view leadership as a position, we often place our leaders on a pedestal. Yet, having the high ground, the position of leader, doesn't always help a leader's success. Any leadership approach, no matter how skilled and well executed, will have blind spots. And when a leader is on a pedestal, there are very few around them to watch out for their blind spots. Many businesses and churches have realized that elevating a leader by position alone may be suspect. A positional leader's victories live shorter than the bitterness of their defeats.

As we look to the church on the horizon, we need to join with the many churches and businesses that are turning away from positional leadership and toward models such as servant leadership, transformational leadership, and team or shared leadership. The church is not a place for power or position. While many leaders in churches carry great responsibilities, God never intended us to put our leaders on pedestals. God has divided the work of the church among the entire body of believers (see Ephesians chapters 2 and 4).

What happens when the entire body doesn't share the workload? It causes problems. Leaders turn to management styles that don't reflect a biblical ecclesiology. Churchgoers give resources rather than themselves. The church operates like an organization rather than functioning like a family or a body. The church becomes more of an organization than it is an organism.

How is leading an organism different from leading an organization? One word: mutuality. Mutuality in leadership means no one person is above another. Yes, there are different roles and different responsibilities; there is order and hierarchy. However, here hierarchy doesn't mean power over; rather, it means "responsible for" or "responsible to." And yes, preparing a sermon on Sunday takes some more preparation than making coffee. Yet in my experience, one can have a beneficial impact on another person with a shared cup of warm coffee or a well-exposited biblical message.

When we embrace mutuality in leadership, people are seen, they know their purpose, and respond to the invitation to serve one another. That is the real goal of leadership: to serve one another. Mutuality in leadership replaces position with presence and power with purpose. 

Check out my new book, REVIVE: Leading Change-Igniting Movement, to be released digitally on July 28 and in print on July 29. Pre-order your digital copy using the link below.