The odd metaphor of Christian leadership (TBC)
Christian leadership is a popular topic today. While Jesus and the Bible definitely spoke about those in political authority in their time, we do not often limit the term today to refer to those in office. Where do we find the concept of a Christian leader in the life of Christ and the early church? What is significant about "leading"? Is it a core Biblical concept, or is it merely a baptism of the modern love of effectiveness and managerial prowess?
To find what is meant today by Christian leadership, we must first ask to whom and in what situation this term is directed. Those most often termed "Christian leaders" or seen as in need of leadership training tend to fall into three types, sometimes overlapping, each with a corresponding leadership "axis": the pastor as leader of their church, the influential businessperson as leader in their business relations, and more generally the Christian as a leader in their relationships with neighbors.
The Bible and the early church certainly spoke to all three of these relational axes, and particularly to the dynamics of power in these axes. It is not clear, however, that these axes were primarily approached in terms of "leadership". Or, conversely, if the contemporary reader were willing to broaden the concept of leadership so much to include whatever we may discover about these axes in the Bible and early church, there seems little reason to prefer the term "leadership" when there are other terms more readily at hand, such as "discipleship".
An agrarian image often used for the pastor is that of a shepherd. One may think that the shepherd is the leader of the flock, but this is only loosely correct. A shepherd is there to tend to the feeding and growth of the flock, and to protect it from harm. (....)
As the early churches became more established and institutionalized, the role of the bishop and priest was not to lead the church but to represent the structure of the body of Christ in the world. They were not the head but rather the joints. Even the role of the pope is not to lead the church, but to maintain the apostolic authority of Peter in the world. (....)
(....)
There are few examples of independent wealthy businesspeople in the Bible, primarily because the middle class and wealth-as-capital is a relatively recent phenomenon. Historically, wealth was tied to political power. (....)
To find what is meant today by Christian leadership, we must first ask to whom and in what situation this term is directed. Those most often termed "Christian leaders" or seen as in need of leadership training tend to fall into three types, sometimes overlapping, each with a corresponding leadership "axis": the pastor as leader of their church, the influential businessperson as leader in their business relations, and more generally the Christian as a leader in their relationships with neighbors.
The Bible and the early church certainly spoke to all three of these relational axes, and particularly to the dynamics of power in these axes. It is not clear, however, that these axes were primarily approached in terms of "leadership". Or, conversely, if the contemporary reader were willing to broaden the concept of leadership so much to include whatever we may discover about these axes in the Bible and early church, there seems little reason to prefer the term "leadership" when there are other terms more readily at hand, such as "discipleship".
An agrarian image often used for the pastor is that of a shepherd. One may think that the shepherd is the leader of the flock, but this is only loosely correct. A shepherd is there to tend to the feeding and growth of the flock, and to protect it from harm. (....)
As the early churches became more established and institutionalized, the role of the bishop and priest was not to lead the church but to represent the structure of the body of Christ in the world. They were not the head but rather the joints. Even the role of the pope is not to lead the church, but to maintain the apostolic authority of Peter in the world. (....)
(....)
There are few examples of independent wealthy businesspeople in the Bible, primarily because the middle class and wealth-as-capital is a relatively recent phenomenon. Historically, wealth was tied to political power. (....)
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