Mark IX: Biblical Leadership

Mark IX: Biblical Leadership- A Great Thing to Desire

Introduction:
Last week I reviewed the 9 Marks of a Healthy church and showed how they are all related to discipleship. Today I am going to talk about the final ingredient of a healthy church: Leadership! The right leadership is a mark of a healthy church because without it, all the other marks such as biblical preaching, biblical theology, biblical evangelism etc. fall in to misuse, disuse and abuse. Read Mark 10:32-45

The Cost of Being a Leader:
Even after repeated instruction and the living example of Jesus concerning humble servant leadership in the Kingdom of God, the disciples are still jockeying for positions of prestige and power among the followers of Jesus.

But confusion about leadership is not limited to the other side of Calvary. It prevails in the church even today, 2000 years after Pentecost. This area of church practice more than any other has been almost completely taken over by the values of secular culture. In Canada, we live in a society that is blatantly and openly hostile to any form of leadership, especially church leadership. It’s a wonder anyone even bothers to step up.

Just listen to these statistic regarding pastors:
Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in their role as pastors.
Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
Eighty percent of seminary and Bible school graduates who enter the ministry will leave the ministry within the first five years.
Seventy percent of pastors constantly fight depression
Seventy percent said the only time they spend studying the Word is when they are preparing their sermons.
Eighty percent of pastors' spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
Eighty percent of pastors' spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.
The majority of pastor's wives surveyed said that the most destructive event that has occurred in their marriage and family was the day they entered the ministry. (From article by Mark Driscoll posted on CCSB web site).

No wonder 2 Corinthians describes the Christian ministry as the aroma of death to some and asks, “who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Cor 2:16).

At the same time, leadership in the church is often seen as something to be grasped for as a place of control, power and prestige rather than a place of Christ-like humble servanthood. Paul calls them wolves and in Acts 20:29 warns elders,
29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

Oswald Sanders explains that the word ambition originates from the Latin word meaning to ‘campaign for a promotion’. Sanders writes,
The phrase suggests a variety of elements, social visibility and approval, popularity, peer recognition, the exercise of authority over others. Ambitious people, in this sense, enjoy the power that comes with money and authority. Jesus had no time for such ego driven ambitions. The true spiritual leader will never campaign for promotion.” (Spiritual Leadership, p. 15).

James and John were ambitious- they were campaigning for a promotion. And, after all, “If a man desires the position of Bishop, he desires a good thing” (1 Tim 3:1), right?

But James and John did not know what they were asking for when they were asking for positions at Jesus right and left hand. They were ambitious for rank and prestige and position and power. But what they did not know was that to ask for a position at Jesus left and right was to ask to be slandered, scourged and humiliated and crucified with him.

The Goodness of Leadership:
The Bible presents leadership as necessary and good in the church: “…they watch over your souls [so] let them do it with joy and not with grief for that would be unprofitable for you” (Heb 13:17). In fact, leadership in the church is central to the discipleship process. There can be no adequate discipleship with adequate leadership in the church.

The Structure of Leadership:
The leadership of the church is structured this way: Christ is the head of the church; he is King and therefore the church is a monarchy. The congregation forms the final authority over matters of doctrine, interpersonal disputes, discipline and membership- therefore the church is like a democracy. It is also the duty of the congregation to appoint deacons to serve in the physical ministries of the church. Finally Elders are appointed over the Spiritual leadership of the church and therefore the church is also an aristocracy.

The church is not a democracy! It is similar to a democracy but the will of the people does not rule over the church. Only scripture has inerrant authority over the church. Humans, on the other hand, are fallen. That fallenness affects our wills, therefore the will of the people is not what we follow rather we follow the will of God as he speaks through his scriptures as they are taught by the Elders whose teaching is examined for error by the congregation.

God has structured the church so that it is led by Elders who are godly men who submit to the will of God revealed in His Word. If members do not trust these men, they can replace them. However, if members have acknowledged an elder, it is grievous to God to refuse to follow them.

Elders are deacons of the Word. They are overseers of the church (that’s what elder means). They oversee the vision, the doctrine, and the spiritual ministry of the church. It is a pastoral position; “They render the highest possible service to their fellow men” (Bridges).

There are two kinds of elder in the church: paid and unpaid. That should be the only difference. Elder is not a position or rank that goes to successful business men, entrepreneurs, really nice guys, seminary graduates, or the men with the most money. It goes to men who have proven themselves as humble, christlike servants who are living examples of faithfulness to the ministry of teaching and preaching and prayer.

This church is an elder led church. Not because it is fashionable. Not because it is the latest church growth buzz. Not because it gives all the power to an elite group of men. This is an elder led church because it is biblical.

Paul wrote in Titus 1:5 that he left Titus in Crete to “set in order the things that were lacking….” What was lacking in Crete? Paul answers that: that Titus should appoint elders! Then Paul describes the character of an elder:
…if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. 7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

Paul goes on in that chapter to describe what disqualifies a man from leadership: things like insubordination, idle talking and false teaching.

Elders Choose Elders:
Elders are not nominated into the office of elder because there is a vacancy. The need is not the call in this case. Elders are placed in the office when the gift of eldership is recognized in their life.

Who should nominate an Elder? Anyone in the church can recognize that the gift of eldership is upon a man. But the Elders must investigate the gift and make the final call. They look at the mans life, his consistency, his willingness to follow and submit to the word and will of God as well as the leadership of the church. We have several men who fit that category in this church.

Once the Elders have nominated a man for the position: he is presented to the congregation for their approval. When the congregation accepts a nomination for eldership they are saying that they are willing to submit to the leadership of this man over their spiritual lives.

The Character of Leadership:
Finally, the leader of the church must behave like Jesus. Jesus was willing to lay down his life for the flock. Likewise, the elders of the church die to their own needs and live for the spiritual good of the congregation. Like any good shepherd, the elder is ever vigilant of threats to his flock. He sleeps at the door so that he can monitor who comes in and who goes out.

Jesus leadership was humble servant leadership. Jesus said,
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30

Jesus’ leadership is different from the leadership of the world, he said:
“The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. Luke 22:24ff

And Jesus modeled servant leadership:
Jesus… rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded (Jn 13:3ff).

Because the children of Adam want to become great
He became small
Because we will not stoop
He humbled himself
Because we want to rule
He came to serve


Conclusion:

Leadership is crucial to the health of the church. Therefore leadership must be biblical and patterned after the greatest leader of all- Jesus. It is therefore the responsibility of the whole church to pray for God to raise of godly men to lead the church. Likewise, we must be diligent not to put the wrong men into this position. It is also the responsibility of the congregation not to make the work of the elders a burden. They do this by submitting to the elders so that their ministry will be a joy and not an affliction. Finally, remember that
This sacred office is administered by agents, divinely called through the medium of lawful authority, and entrusted with the most responsible and enriching blessings… (Bridges).

That’s why biblical Leadership is an essential mark of a healthy church.