Dr. Meredith Griffin | The Flourishing Life™

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Leadership

Too Many Pharisees, Not Enough Servants

Let me begin by admitting that this post is a rant. I hope that it is cogent enough to be understood, and relevant enough to be useful. Yesterday afternoon I was informed that yet another “bishop” has fleeced the flock in a local church. I am not going to name the bishop, church, or even location at this time. This “bishop” was called to lead this congregation after its former pastor retired after 30-plus years of faithful service. This former pastor has been called out of retirement to lead a church in turmoil. Although the congregation seemed to grow in size in the little more than a year since the “bishop’s” installation, it is rumored that the mortgage hasn’t been paid in months. This while national television and streaming internet ministries have sprung up and expanded.

Why am I ranting? Why am I saddened? Because this is another case of a Pharisee in a pulpit, posing as a servant. We have too many Pharisees in pulpits, and not enough servants. What amazes me all the more, is that there are more Pharisees leading large congregations than there are servants. I thought that the problem may lie in the people’s inability to distinguish between the two. Let’s turn to a couple of Scriptures for some aid in distinguishing between a Pharisee and a servant.

Jesus, in Matthew 23:2-12 says,

The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for the say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth you father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Can you recognize a Pharisee when you see one? Do you know the signs? Here is a brief list of some of the warning signs. Your leader may be a Pharisee if:

They know what the Scriptures say we should do, but are not demonstrating it in their own lives.

Jesus says that Pharisees know sit in the seat of Moses (knowing and holding the authority of the Law). He charges the crowd and disciples to do what these leaders tell us should be done, but not to do what we see them doing. Why is this? Because they are not living what they are preaching. In fact, the things that they so readily tell others must be done, they would not even make the slightest effort to do.

They are always looking for the big stage to perform their service or deed on.

Jesus says that the Pharisees do all of their deeds to be noticed by men. They have the biggest phylacteries (a leather box fastened to the forehead and forearm that contains scrolls of Scripture) and the longest tassels on their prayer shawls. These leaders want to be noticed whenever they do something. They seek a crowd for their service, or send out a press release to announce what they are about to do. The more persons who witness their service, the holier they believe they are.
They are motivated by position and titles.

Jesus says that the Pharisees want the best seats at banquets, and desire to be referred to by a multitude of titles. Modern day Pharisees attach to themselves titles such as overseer, bishop, apostle, prophet, and are offended if these titles are not used when referring to them. They often seek to be called father (“dad”) or mother (“mom”), and seek parental authority without parental responsibility.

By way of contrast, Jesus in Matthew 20:25-28 says,

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever whishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Jesus in these verses, as well as His life, tell us what the leadership of a servant looks like. We should look to follow leaders who desire to lead in the manner that Jesus led, being a servant first. Your leader may be a servant if:

They think about your needs or the needs of the group before their own.

Jesus says that anyone who desires to be your leader would first be your servant. A servant-leader knows that their role is the building up of other people, so that the common goal can be achieved. In order to accomplish this, the servant-leader sees everything they do as meeting some other person’s need. Preaching and teaching are not so that I can draw a crowd or make a name for myself, but so that this group’s or individual’s need may be met, in order that we can all move toward our common God-given objective.

They are as comfortable in the role of follower as they are in the role of leader.

Jesus says that whoever wants to be first would first be a slave. A servant-leader does not mind following the lead of another person. This is because a servant-leader recognizes that a leader must be able, and comfortable following the lead of another person. It is only a self-absorbed, arrogant, or prideful leader that believes their voice is the right voice in every situation. A servant leader must have cultivated the character traits that allow them to desire the good of the group above their own good, and the desire to build others and community above building themselves.

They know, and welcome the fact that a leader’s role calls them to sacrifice.

Jesus says that a leader will see themselves as the Son of Man saw himself, as one who came to give His life for many. A servant-leader will always ask, “what must I do that will get the group closer to the fulfillment of our mission/goal?” Whatever the answer to that question may be, the servant-leader is ready to engage it.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are currently too many Pharisees posing as servants in the Lord’s church. An answer to this dilemma, is to arm the people of god with information needed to discern the difference. Everything that fills a building isn’t from the Lord. Know what you are following. I grew up watching G.I. Joe on television. At the end of each episode G.I. Joe would give us children a moral lesson. He would end each lesson by saying, “now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” Now you know.

Who Is Training Servant Leaders?

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This post is going to be quick, and it is going to pose a question. Who is training servant leaders? As I think about the pastors that I have served with, and the churches that I have come into contact with that question rings in my mind. Who is training servant leaders?

The asking of the question shouldn’t be viewed as an indictment against any person or organization. Without a doubt there are servants, and even servant leaders in many of the places that I have travelled to, and been blessed to interact with. But I believe that the fact that a ministry has servant leaders in it, is separate from whether they are training servant leaders. This is particularly the case in many neo-pentecostal, apostolic, and charismatic churches. These ministries do well at training servants for leaders, or people to serve leadership, but are slack in training servant leaders. To know what I mean when I speak of servant leaders, see my earlier post “Servant Leadership Defined.” In brief let me simply say that leaders should be servants first.

Just a quick post that I will follow up on later. Right now ponder the question, and add your thoughts. Who is training servant leaders?

Narrow Way Leadership

I recently read a blog post at The Practice of Leadership that set my mind thinking. The post, Leadership is About Blazing New Trails, was actually in line with the sermon that I preached on Sunday and where my mind has been for several quarters at least.

Let me begin with the requisite disclaimer. I believe that many churches within the contemporary Western expressions of Christianity are genuinely seeking to know and do the will of Jesus Christ. The evidence can be seen in many of the programs that are reaching into and transforming communities and individual lives. Many Christian leaders truly believe that they are hearing and obeying the voice of God, with many seeking that voice in the venues offered at the plethora of conference offerings.

With that said, I believe that there are an equal number of blindly groping copycats within contemporary Western Christianity. Those who believe that the will of God for their leadership context is to follow the leader, and do whatever seems to be working down the street. These leaders aimlessly wander from conference to conference, bookstore to bookstore, in an attempt to catch the next “wave” to successful ministry. The saddest indictment of this seemingly never ending trend is the long trail of sincere men and women who believe they are following God’s “anointed” man or woman.

You might ask, “what does this have to do with anything” or “how can you be so sure that they aren’t doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing”? I’m so glad that you asked. It should be clear to the discerning Christian that our call in Scripture was always designed to be one that didn’t gain wide acceptance. We are called to walk through the narrow gate by Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14. Peter says that we are a “peculiar” people in 1 Peter 2:9. It was God’s intention that we be a people set apart from the world we are called to influence. This doesn’t mean that we are an elitist, separatist, xenophobic group who believes that unity and uniformity are synonyms. Neither does it mean that we are a people who tolerate sin, and skewed interpretations of Scripture for the purpose of inclusion. It means that we are people who are called to be the unique possession of God himself.

Here is the rub. Much of what is passed off as Christian leadership (and as a result, Christian ministry), is neither unique or possessed of God. In many areas it is, in fact, compromising, without spark, and a retread of some well-worn idea from a self-proclaimed guru. If it is nothing else, Christian ministry is meant to be incarnational. Christian leaders, ministries, and those within them are supposed to be the manifest expression of Jesus Christ in whatever context they find themselves in. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23,

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews, I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I share with them in its blessings.

Paul knew that in order to reach the very ones that Christ died for, he would be required to step outside of the box. He would have to become an exegete of the culture he was seeking to reach, and translate the gospel into a language they could understand. All of this was to be accomplished without “dumbing down” the message, accepting sinfulness as normal, or in any other way compromising the name of Christ. All of these elements are essential for narrow way leadership. We must make the gospel message relevant without compromising its truths. We must confront injustice and sin, without becoming legalists. We must be cutting edge in our approaches to outreach and evangelism, without embracing heresy or indulging “itching ears.”

I lament the fact that there are few narrow way leaders in contemporary Western Christianity. I also lament the fact that those who are narrow way leaders, are either marginalized, persecuted, or eventually themselves become the stale establishement that they were sent to replace.

Servanthood Should Be At Our Core

I formerly belonged to a church that transitioned from a denominational expression to a non-denominational one. In this transition, the church embraced the tenets of the neo-pentecostal, charismatic, and apostolic movements. One of the hallmarks of the neo-pentecostal movements is an embracing of a new type of episcopal structure. This church, along with about six others, founded an episcopal organization and elected one of the pastors the bishop. While, hierarchical in nature, as are most episcopal structures, it was supposed to be a “relational” episcopacy. This episcopal structure was to be driven by the relationships among the leaders, and not by the positions or ranks that they held.

While the movement has many of the flaws that are inherent in a charisma-driven, hierarchically-structured, blind loyalty-demanding system, there was one very visual aspect that espouses what it means to be a servant at the core. This post is not meant to be a statement regarding my support or disdain for neo-pentecostalism or the proliferation of “reformations” and “apostolic networks, but simply a testimony of the symbolic nature inherent in some of the trappings and their underlying meaning for servant leadership.

At the inception of the group, I was able to witness and participate in the consecration of a bishop. The service was filled with pageantry and symbolism. The spirit of God filled the sanctuary, and emotions were overflowing. But underneath all of the outward pageantry, liturgy, and anthems was a prominent yet inconspicuous fact–the new Bishop, even in his dress, proclaimed his role as servant.

While studying the episcopacy in preparation for this auspicious event, I studied the various garments that bishops adorn themselves with. During the consecration service the new bishop was vested in these garments, layer after layer. I can only imagine that the many layers of garments were both heavy and hot. This fact alone can be seen as a metaphor for the weight and pressure inherent in the office to which a bishop, as chief servant, is called.

The bishop is first dressed in a cassock. The cassock is a simple, straight, unadorned garment that symbolizes the servanthood of the one wearing it. The next garment worn is the cincture. The cincture is a cummerbund type belt that girds the waist of the wearer, and symbolizes the humility of the wearer. It is fashioned after the towel that Jesus girded himself with as he washed the disciples’ feet. The rochet symbolizes the wearer’s role as priest, and is fashioned after the ephod worn by Aaron and his sons. The chimere is worn over the rochet, and symbolizes the prophetic role of the wearer, proclaiming his/her role as Chief Preacher and Defender of the Faith. The zucchetto is placed upon the bishop’s head. This skull cap is symbolic of prayer and submission.

The celebration garments that adorn the bishop are worn at various times, and include the cope (a cloak-like garment), the chasuble (worn during the celebration of the Lord’s Supper), the mitre (a head covering that embodies symbols of the cloven tongues of fire and the Holy Spirit), the crosier (Shepherd’s staff), and the bishop’s ring (symbolizing episcopal collegiality).

It is clear that there are many garments that are worn simultaneously (although not all listed above are worn at the same time), but it is the order of the garments that bears a closer look. The garments themselves symbolize many things; priesthood, prophet, defender of the faith, chief preacher, prayer, episcopal collegiality, worship, etc. But the first garment adorned, the cassock, is the most important. This foundational garment speaks volumes to the role that the bishop, and by extension all Christians, are called to fulfill.

Undergirding every other role that the bishop is called to play, is a servant. The cassock represents this well; a simple garment without gold or silver buttons or adornment. A close fitting garment that, along with its cincture, reminds the wearer that he/she is not to be exalted. It reminds them of the life of Jesus Christ, who though he was God, did not perceive this fact as something to be grasped. Christ took upon himself willingly the form of a servant. That is the call for all who would seek higher service in the Lord–it is a call to servanthood in greater degrees. While the other garments sport ruffled or adorned cuffs, gold clasps, or are made from ornate fabrics, under all of these are the garments of a simple servant.

The message is simple. It doesn’t matter what position in ministry you hold. Whether bishop, priest, pastor, brother, deacon, usher, choir member, janitor, or cook, we are all called to be servants at the core. God doesn’t care how we dress ourselves outwardly, he merely cares what exists underneath of it all. Are you a servant at your core? Do you exist for the outward trappings that others will see? Is your motivation to climb the ladder of church hierarchy? If so, then look at the top and take your cue from there. Christ, at his core was a servant. Christ said “whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.”

Servant-Leadership Defined

In the inaugural post for this blog I discussed the fact that our current notion of leadership is in need of transformation. The leadership paradigm that I believe is best able to position leaders in both the sacred and secular arenas for long-term efficiency and mission success is servant-leadership. There are many varied definitions of servant-leadership being espoused in the world today, with all of them have similar characteristics and origins. Allow me to define what I mean when using the term, servant-leadership. This definition has been refined (and may be refined even more) through reading other definitions, and personal experience.

I define a servant-leader as one who, by intentionally serving and sacrificing for the needs of others, is able to influence them toward common goals.