Finally, leadership

I think ‘leadership’ became something of a buzz word at some stage during my 35 years of church-based ministry. It seemed that on one side you had accomplished managers bringing their insights (from secular publications and university courses) to the table enhanced with Bible proof-texts to enhance the Christian context. Then in the other corner, seasoned church pastors, modelling their ministry on Christ’s servant-leadership role as expressed and depicted in the Gospel narratives. Of course, these worlds were more than able to coexist. Biblical leadership was clearly rooted in acts of service, forgiveness and even sacrifice, whilst still expecting the leader to show spiritual authority, to have knowledge of God’s word, and the pastoral heart to comfort the pained. Yet since the ‘church growth movement’ of the 1980s started to influence churches, mainly in the United States, the concepts of strategic management increasingly came to the fore. I’m remembered of my old mantra,

simple isn’t always easy.

To change the subject briefly, we continue, in our own strength, to fill local congregations with words, rather than His Spirit. The eternal instructions of Galatians 5:24-25 are simple – but NOT easy. It’s much easier to memorise the nine fruit in verses 22 & 23, and then beat ourselves up over failing in various categories, often forgetting, or neglecting, Paul’s applications in the following two verse.

Anyway – I digress… leadership -without a doubt we need it. But we need helpful, gracious, productive, Spirit-filled, biblical leadership. But that is also pragmatic and not stuffed with unattainable aspirations and a tendency toward self-righteousness.      

Presently, with the rising needs for assistant pastors, youth pastors, children’s workers, and church administrators, we obviously need management skills. Yet ‘two roads diverged in the middle of the woods’ – the difference between leaders and managers. As one author put it,

Leaders focus on the future, inspire, and guide others towards a common goal, while managers focus on the present, organize, and control activities to ensure efficiency and predictability.

If we insist on needing a Bible verse to support our thoughts, we might turn to Acts 6 and in particular verse 2. The Twelve were not going to be distracted by the disputes arising from the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jewish believers; their focus had to remain on ‘the ministry of the word of God’. Let’s not get overly controversial, but such a phrase in the context of the Early Church (the very very early church!) in the Book of Acts probably doesn’t mean what some conservative Christians automatically understand it to be. The world of expository preaching had not yet been formulated. The term (used elsewhere in Acts) is most probably an evangelistic phrase, with an emphasis on sharing the ‘words of God’ (Scripture) about the Word of God (Christ), and these ‘words’ would undoubtedly involve their own words of personal testimony – Paul’s own conversion is recorded three times in the Book of Acts.

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb  

and by the word of their testimony;

they did not love their lives so much

as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11

Sadly, the Early Church would soon learn the ultimate cost of bearing testimony to Christ’s all sufficient sacrifice.

Let’s return to the subject of managers and leaders; growing a church needs both skill sets, but did we realise that? Did we know their differences. For over thirty-five years I’ve mused over the tension between ‘mission and maintenance’, without fully understanding how these two objectives play into different church roles. If I’m pastoral (or even simply bear the title – Pastor), then caring for the flock and maintaining structures and procedures to house and feed the congregation will be a priority. But what of the sheep outside of the fold?

Have you ever seen the entertainer spinning plates on the end of long poles? And how as more plates are spun, the artist needs to rush from pole to pole to add additional energy/force to keep the plates spinning. Is that your life? Is that your ministry? Let me introduce to you to the concept of delegation. But not simply delegation, but the need for empowerment within the remit of that defined delegation.

If the plates serve the Kingdom values and priorities of the local church, then we need them to keep functioning, but with empowered (and envisioned) leaders. Then, as the Church Leader, Senior Pastor, Core Team Leader (whatever the terminology you’re using), your job is not to spin the plate but to encourage and equip the recently envisioned and empowered leader whose job it is to keep their assigned ministry functioning.

How you choose to manage that in the present is a task that may well need changing as growth continues. Moses’ father-in-law had some ideas how to best organise his struggling son-in-law. Though as a leader you may want to delegate such procedures, giving you more space to envision, encourage, equip and empower.

The hired-hand simply managers the flock they can see. The skilled envisioned shepherd seeks to expand their flock.  Read John 10, the Good Shepherd had many skills, voice acknowledgement (they knew each other!), the ability to impart ‘life’ and life to the full, and the awareness that there were more souls to find.

Finally, leadership. After our focus on prayer last month, these notes should freshly envision any leader, lay-leader, empowered volunteer (again, whatever your denominational terminology of choice is) to see their role: its limits, its potential, its purpose, and how to avoid all the usual pitfalls.  

Don’t just be informed. That would count as a FAIL. Be transformed by the collective godly wisdom of those who have already sought to run the race. Amen.

Simon Rennie

31 January, 2026.

Finally, leadership