Dr. Meredith Griffin | The Flourishing Life™

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Rants

Courageous Leadership Needed

Let me state right here at the beginning that this is a rant. I believe that it is founded in fact and truth, but it is a rant nonetheless. The Christian Church in the U.S. is in need of more courageous leadership.

There was a time in the Church’s history in this country when it led the charge in many areas, both spiritually and culturally. For the most part, those times have passed. There are still ministries whose leaders are determined to stand with their integrity intact, while boldly advancing Christ’s mission and agenda. Sadly, the majority of Christian leaders are content to be cheap knock-offs of whatever leader or ministry seems to be the most popular at the time. This is not just sad, its dangerous.

Many of our burgeoning leaders are weaned in the vast wasteland of Christian television. Before you type in another web address and write me off, remember that this is a rant and hear me out. Not all Christian television is bad, but most only exemplifies the lack of courageous leadership that I am lamenting in this post.

Courageous leadership doesn’t follow the crowd, but stays on the path of righteousness. Courageous leadership has a clearly articulated set of beliefs to protect itself from being swayed by every wind of doctrine. Courageous leadership has God’s mission and vision as the only aim and measure of ministry success. Courageous leadership doesn’t equate the amassing of personal wealth, influence, or titles as the only measure of being in God’s will or favor. Courageous leadership is willing to make difficult decisions, to the detriment of oneself, to ensure the success of Christ’s mission.

I’m seeing too many clones of self-serving at best, heretical at worst leaders launching ministries these days. Glitz and glamour are not prerequisites to effectiveness in ministry. They may draw a crowd, but they won’t grow a people. A question that I asked many times prior to responding affirmatively to the urge to start a church was?”why does God need another Church?” What will the ministry of your church do differently from the thousands that exist, to advance his mission?

Some leaders need to find the courage to change and do ministry for God, not themselves. Some leaders need to find the courage to speak with the voice they feel inside, regardless of the crowd’s response. Some leaders need to find the courage to seek another vocation, and allow God to put a truly courageous leader in their place.

Stay blessed.

Leaders Can’t Neglect Family

We’ve counted this week to be family week in our household. It is the last week before the children return to school. Today pa amusement park day, and tomorrow is beach day. We know that we will be exhausted by the end of the week (both physically and financially) but its worth it. My wife and I believe that our family is worth it.

It is often too simple for leaders to neglect spending quality time with family for the sake of organizational success. This is a mistake. As leaders we have to understand that the ministries, businesses, and organizations we serve cannot be used as excuses to neglect the needs of our families. Our spouses and children need, and should receive consistent attention. If we understand what our organizations look like when we neglect them, then we should see that our families are no different. Go spend some time.

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.

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.

The Flow of Service

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

I recently had a conversation with a denominational leader who spoke words that articulated his heart as a servant leader. He said, “service doesn’t flow to me, service flows from me.” He, as a leader of over 70 churches and nearly 10,000 Christians, viewed himself as the servant of the local church. He believed that if military terminology were used, and he were a general (a district leader within a denomination), then his responsibility would be to ensure that the men and women at the front lines (the local church) were more than adequately equipped to fulfill their mission. “My role exists”, he said, “so that men like you can acheive the goal of Christ.”

The words of Christ, quoted at the beginning of this post are profound. So too, are the words of the quoted denominational leader. Unfortunatley, these words seem to have fallen upon deaf ears among the current crop of church leaders. Glancing at the charismatic leaders of this generations model churches give one the distinct impression that service is to be rendered to the leaders, rather than by the leaders. Many of today’s leaders believe that a sign of their success is the number of persons who are “called” to serve as their personal adjutants or armorbearers; many of these well meaning men and women being taught a perverted meaning of these ministries of service.

Let me cut to the point. It is not designed by God that service flow to church leaders, but that it flow from them to those they lead. This is the essence of servant leadership. I know that some reading this will immediately desire to quote every known verse in Scripture that you believe justifies the extravagance, and over the top lifestyles of many leaders today. Let me say, without being harsh, save it! For every verse that you quote, I will give one that demonstrates the leader’s call to give their life for others. I don’t begrudge anyone the opportunity to provide food, clothing, and shelter for their family. However, being sober adults, we must realize that much of what is being done in Christendom today is at best selfish.

Excuse the rant, but I have grow weary of men who have not resisted to the point of shedding blood in their striving against sin continually lifting up their “inheritance and kingly anointing.” We, the Church, have allowed the name of Christ to be hijacked by those who are in it to make a name for themselves and find fortune. These twenty-first century soothsayers promise much and deliver little, while making sure that their ‘cover charge’ is paid in advance. Enough ranting, back to the point. Christ makes a clear case for what the life of a servant leaders is to be.

A leader is not called in order to be served

Our call and station as leaders, while a high calling, is not one that gives us an exalted position over others. In Matthew 20:25, Jesus makes this point clear. The secular leaders in His day practiced this type of leadership, a leadership where they lorded their position over others. Christ plainly told the disciples that it was not to be that way among us.

A Christian leader is called to serve others

We are called to be servants. This means that our primary duty as leaders is to do what other persons need done to aid, benefit, or assist them. Seeing ourselves, while fulfilling these duties, as living a life like our Savior should bring us great joy.

Too many leaders see this model of leadership as being weak, soft, or allowing oneself to be taken advantage of. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you have ever been in a restaurant, a good waitperson can be an excellent illustration of a servant. This person looks forward to, takes pride in, and strives to do whatever is asked of them by the person being served. They will take your order, make sure the order is filled, exchange the order if incorrect, and generally see to it that your dining experience is an enjoyable one. In their eyes they cannot be taken advantage of because they have chosen to serve. This means that whatever they are asked to do, is what they are there for in the first place. So it is with the leader serving in the mold of Christ. If God has called me to lead as a servant, then whatever I am called to do is what I will do. This remains true because I remember that service flows from me, and not to me.

A Christian leader’s life is meant to be given

The servant leader finds joy in giving of themself, because that is their purpose. The servant leader who doesn’t give their life in service to others feels like a dinner plate that is used like a chair; out of place. As a servant leader you are fulfilled in giving yourself to other people. Christ knew that even above the miracles, teachings, and fulfilling of the Law there was the purpose for which He came; to give His life. If He had only healed the sick, raised the dead, taught the ignorant, and fed the hungry, then He would have been incomplete. A servant must give themeselves.

In sowing their life a Christian leader blessed many

Jesus said, in John 12:24, “…unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” When we willing sow our lives unselfishly into the lives of the people we are called to lead, then we bear much fruit. Believe me when I say that this is much more than the fruit that is borne when we reverse the flow of service.

Bottom line

My beginning rant aside, we need to drastically revise our view of leadership in the Western church. We need to stop following the “flavor of the month” prophet/apostle/bishop who has a “fresh word” that is guaranteed to bless our lives, and go back to following Jesus. We need to remember the admonitions of Christ in Matthew 23. In this text He rebukes the double-standard laden living of the Pharisees and scribes. He says that these men lay heavy burdens upon men, burdens that they are unwilling to lift themselves. They say things (for others to do), but do not do them themselves. They love the best seats and the exalted titles, but ultimatley the one who will be exalted will be the servant. Stay blessed.