Leadership Structures for Local Congregations
Throughout the country, many churches are struggling for vitality and life. Although we might identify many reasons for this decline, one consistent factor is an impoverished leadership structure. I talk with church leaders on a daily basis; they are spiritual and godly persons. Yet in far too many places, the structure of leadership—the way in which decisions and deliberations are handled—creates obstacles for the congregation’s mission.
Here are some of the false assumptions that I often witness in congregations:
Elder groups hold the power in a congregation.
Ministers and church staff work for the elders.
The way to bring about change in most churches is to raise a stink about the thing you don’t like.
Elder groups either become gatekeepers (holding back new possibilities) or rubber stamps (saying anything goes).
Held by leaders and members alike, these assumptions create a culture that quenches God’s preferred future for local churches and stagnates the life that God desires to draw forth in congregations. Let’s take a look at these assumptions.
Elder groups do not hold power; God does. Whenever a church begins to ask who holds the power, then that community has lost sight of God’s gracious action and power. In actuality, God releases power into communities who humbly place themselves in a posture of receiving God’s Spirit. Elders and other church leaders may be stewards entrusted with the process of discerning God’s will. May the Lord’s Prayer offer a useful antidote in our congregations: “for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours!”
Ministers and staff work for God, not for the elders. The service they render and the lives they lead have a single aim or focus: to partner with God for the transformation of God’s people. The same goes for elders and other leaders in congregations. Of course, in congregational terms, ministers are accountable to elders, just as elders are accountable to congregations. But neglecting the prime calling of all church leaders to serve first God’s work in the world distorts the lordship of Christ and sends leadership teams into all sorts of rabbit holes that distract them from pursuing God’s preferred future.
Squeaky wheels can be greased, but healthy leaders resist the temptation to walk around with grease guns. Instead, they practice discernment that is grounded in God’s mission rather than in what makes people comfortable.
Decision-making may be a popular notion about leadership, but it’s really not a thing in congregational life. The church is the one place where “leaders” are not decision-makers. Rather, leaders are persons of wisdom and prayer who discern God’s will. Since God is the true leader, those who steward the care of a congregation and who are entrusted to facilitate the mission of the church are constantly asking, “What is God up to?” Gates and rubber stamps are not needed. What is needed is the capacity to embody the Christian story and to ask the hard questions about how the local church bears witness to the gospel.
What leadership assumptions are present within your congregation? Do leadership structures enable or restrict God’s leadership in your context? What might you and others do to follow God’s lead and help elders, ministers, and others function more fully as agents of God’s transforming work in the world?
