HELPING CHRISTIANS ASCEND TO HIGHER LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS (Eph. 4:15,16)
"No longer should we be like children tossed like ships to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, the prey of cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men (gamblers engaged in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.
Rather, let us our lives lovingly ecpress truth in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him, Who is the head even Chrit the Messiah, the Anointed One." (Eph. 4:15,16 Amplified)
Illustration: Growing in faith involves learning to weigh the consequences of our decisions. Occasionally, it is necessary to take a proper evaluation of our productivity. Pruning of dead branches is essential for getting maximum results with any individual or group. In 1956, a certain denomination had one church in a strategic townJos, Plateau State in Nigeria. During that year, the leaders of the mother mission organization,SIM, came to ask him if he would like help in starting a daughter church.
After several weeks of deliberation among the church elders, the Pastor told the mission director, "We have decided not to start a new church at this time for five reasons. First, we are afraid we would have to tax our members for more funds to build the sanctuary and pay the salary of another Pastor. Secondarily, we are afraid that this might create tribal divisions by encouraging one group to stay at the mother church and other groups would flock to the daughter church. Third, we are afraid that our youth would abandon the mother church and they would get out of control. Fourth, we are afraid that other denominations will suspect disunity in our church. Fifth, we do not want to start something that we cannot control.
Three years passed and the same Pastor returned to the mission director to ask him if they were still willing to help start a daughter church. The director said, "Yes, but why now and not three years ago!" The Pastor bowed his head and said, "All of those problems I mentioned to you before for not wanting to start a church have occurred. We feel God is now bringing severe judgment on our congregation and its leaders for failing to obey God. Many of our people are getting sick and nothing seems to provide them with healing. Dozens of the women in our church are unable to get pregnant. The ladies who managed to get pregnant are having miscarriages. We are afraid that unless we obey God and start a daughter church, even worse things are going to happen to us. Please help us get out from under this cloud of God’s judgment!"
Within two years the daughter church was as large as the mother church and prosperity came in a full measure to both congregations. Today, there are 283 fellowships that have developed from that experience. Many people now appreciate that what Jesus said is true, "I will build my church and even the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). People need to see God’s pruning before they are willing to surrender everything to His will. Usually, people have to see things get worse before they can get better. As David wrote, "Search me Oh God and know my heart and see if there be any shortcoming in me and lead me in the everlasting way. (Psalm 139:23,24)
Some people have a tendency to warn people of punishments rather than to allow individuals to mature in unique ways according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Many well meaning Christians are uneasy with individuals learning to grow without the oversight, supervision and accountability of an assigned spiritual leader. Without mature leadership, an organization cannot reach its qualitative or quantitative productive potential. The following is adescription of the levels of maturity that characterizes the difficulties of trying to rise above petty sanctions, controls and regulations.
LEVELS OF PASTORAL MATURITY
1. The Pastor as a Ruler - Authoritarian
This Pastor sees his role as a ruler of his congregation. The members are seen as privates in his army who need to obey what "God’s man directs them to do". In this environment, members only do what they believe the Pastor feels is right. Members know that the Pastor’s displeasure will mean their shame, alienation and punishment. Some people feel more comfortable where there are clear rules, regulations and procedures. Members are commended only in so far as they do what the Pastor expects them to do - no more and no less.
Illustration: The Boss
Rule #1: The Boss is always right.
Rule #2: When the Boss is wrong, refer to rule #1.
Source unknown
2. The Pastor as a Model - Facilitator
The Pastor at this level of maturity sees himself as the pacesetter for his members. By setting a good example, this Pastor believes that he can facilitate the growth of his church. Consequently, the members do what they think is right according to the example given by the Pastor. However, unless the Pastor gives his members specific incentives for reaching a higher level of maturity, the people continue to look to the Pastor for their role model, rather than Jesus Christ. The members of this kind of church do what is right because they believe it will bring them benefits. The Pastor preaches messages on topics that show the members the "how to’s" of growing as a Christian. Mainly, this kind of Pastor is an instrument for helping people grow to the next higher levels of maturity
Illustration: Charles Finney
Finney wrote how God gave him mighty infillings of the Holy Spirit “that went through me, as it seemed, body and soul. I immediately found myself endued with such power from on high that a few words dropped here and there to individuals were the means of their immediate conversion. My words seemed to fasten like barbed arrows in the souls of men. They cut like a sword. They broke the heart like a hammer.
Multitudes can attest to this...Sometimes I would find myself in a great measure empty of this power. I would go and visit, and find that I made no saving impression. I would exhort and pray with the same results. I would then set apart a day for private fasting and prayer...after humbling myself and crying out for help, the power would return upon me with all its freshness. This has been the experience of my life.”
Touch the World Through Prayer, W. Duewel, OMS, p. 232
3. The Pastor as a Partner - Co-Laborer
This Pastor realizes that he is mainly a co-laborer with the plurality of godly leaders in the church. The Pastor acts as a conductor in a symphony to bring out the best in each person with the applications of gifts. By helping the members discover their gifts and abilities, this Pastor assigns responsibilities to various people in the church to help them grow in all aspects into Christ. The Pastor believes that his main job is to equip the leaders in the church for the work of the ministry of all arms of the church. Consequently, this Pastor will spend a good deal of time counseling, discipling and training leaders at various levels of maturity. This Pastor helps to form prayer groups within the church that serve as sub-shepherding units to the members and their neighbors for community outreach. This Pastor does not get jealous when a certain leader surpasses him in areas that he is not gifted in.
Perhaps, the biggest problem this Pastor faces is that he is afraid that certain key leaders in his fellowship will not like him. This Pastor has a hard time living more by the fear of God rather than by the fear of men. As a result, the Pastor spends a lot of time preaching on how to enhance the peace, harmony and love between the members of his church. Fellowship times are especially important to this Pastor since he cherishes the feelings of belonging and acceptance. Without continued maturing, this Pastor eventually becomes stressed out by the constant need to please as many of the important people in the church as possible.
Illustration: Harmony
Charles Osgood told the story of two ladies who lived in a convalescent center. Each had suffered an incapaciting stroke. Margaret’s stroke left her left side restricted, while Ruth’s stroke damaged her right side. Both of these ladies were accomplished pianists but had given up hope of ever playing again.
The director of the center sat them down at a piano and encouraged them to play solo pieces together. They did, and a beautiful friendship developed.
What a picture of the church’s needing to work together! What one member cannot do alone, perhaps two or more could do together—in harmony.
Don Higginbotham
4. The Pastor as a Consultant - Resource Agent
The Pastor who has ascended to this highest level of maturity recognizes that he is merely a servant called by God. The Pastor assists his members in learning how to rely on God and the Holy Spirit for all things. This Pastor has brought his members to the point where they are encouraged to initiate their own ministries. The leaders in this church come to the Pastor for advice, counsel and assistance in acquiring the resources to carry out their responsibilities. This Pastor is not threatened by the idea of his disciples surpassing him in prestige, power or status on their way to helping each department become all that God wants it to become. When the leaders in this congregation reach a high level of maturity, the Pastor is optimizing his contribution to the qualitative and quantitative growth of the church.
The Pastor at this level of maturity preaches sermons based on passages that teach transcendent principles applicable to all levels of ministries and peoples’ needs. By helping his members to operate on a Biblical code of ethics, the Pastor guides the people in going to the Lord for solutions to personal problems. This consultant-Pastor is able to operate more by faith in God’s word than on culture, feelings or the approvals of people.
Wealthy but Lived in Poverty
It was 1916, and Hattie Green was dead. Hattie’s life is a sad demonstration of what it is like to be among the living dead. When Hattie died, her estate was valued at over $100 million; yet Hattie lived in poverty. She ate cold oatmeal because it cost money to heat it. When her son’s leg became infected, Hattie wouldn’t get it treated until she could find a clinic that wouldn’t charge her. By then, her son’s leg had to be amputated. Hattie died arguing over the value of drinking skim milk. She had money to meet her every need, but she chose to live as if it didn’t exist.
Application: This poverty stricken state is observed in many fellowships where the rich reservoir of resources available in the plurality of godly leaders is not accessed. Many the Lord help us to remember that I Tim. 3:1-6 say, "The office of an overseer is always given in the plural and the singular.
Turning Point, March, 1993
Conclusion: Advice
Caution to newly promoted executives—remember what the mamma whale told the baby whale: “When you get to the top and start letting off steam, that’s the time you’re most apt to be harpooned.”
A football coach gave this advice on how to deal with failures. “When you’re about to be run out of town, get out in front and make it look like you’re heading a parade.”
Bits & Pieces, April 30, 1992
