Pastor’s Corner August 2005

The following was published in our monthly newsletter, the Redeemer Report.

Leadership Development at Redeemer

There are a number of reasons why someone may become interested in leadership in their local church. Here’s a list of some that are not so honorable:

– To impress people with their position or title.
– To become recognized or feel important.
– Because they think their ideas are generally better than others.
– They enjoy the feeling of being in charge, of telling others what to do.
– They want to be viewed by others as superior to average members.

Jesus experienced this problem with his own disciples. James and John sought to obtain what they considered the seats of privilege on the Lord’s right and left. Here is Christ’s response:

Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. [26] It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [27] and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, [28] even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Apparently, James and John had this “lording it over” attitude. It is perhaps the default setting for everyone ambitious for leadership. But Jesus said: “Not so with you.” He calls for a brand new kind of leadership. We call it “Servant Leadership.” Servant Leadership can be defined like this:

“One who leads not from self-interest, but with the best interest of those he is leading at heart.”

I believe it’s right to expect this kind of attitude before giving someone a leadership role in the church. That could mean expecting someone to serve faithfully in obscurity, maybe even for months. Sometimes we will ask a new, but obviously gifted, individual to postpone taking a leadership role until the church has seen them demonstrate a servant’s heart over a period of time. Someone with a servant’s heart wouldn’t resent this. They would understand the importance of leading by example.

As Redeemer grows, the training of new servant leaders is imperative. Each year, from September to December, on selected Saturday mornings, I teach a leadership training class. The class is open to all members of Redeemer, men and women alike. It is a required class for those men who are interested in the office of deacon or elder. If you are interested in becoming a more faithful, biblical, Christ-like leader, join me for this class. Below is the schedule of classes and topics- sign up by calling the church office.
Class 1 (09/10)- Leadership Practices Today: Sacred & Secular
Class 2 (09/24)- Christ’s Model for Leadership
Class 3 (10/08)- The Necessity of the Bible for Leadership
Class 4 (10/22)- How to interpret the Bible
Class 5 (11/12)- The Necessity of Prayer for Leadership
Class 6 (11/19)- The Necessity of Accountability for Leadership
Class 7 (12/03)- The Challenges of Leadership
Class 8 (12/17)- Making Leaders for the Next Generation

In the Lamb,
Pastor Tony Felich