LEADERSHIP IS INFLUENCE

John Maxwell as a favorite saying: "leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less." He then goes on to criticize what he calls "positional" leadership that bases authority on a title or position in a top down hierarchy.

Jesus was very clear that authority was not based on a title or position. I once did a careful study of the four gospels to see what theme came up most repetitively in Jesus’ teaching. It was the theme of the servant nature of bottom-up leadership. In three passages, Jesus is critical of the “gentile” style leadership which involves “Lordship” and is translated “lording it over…”

MAT 20:25 But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.

MAR 10:42 And calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, "You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them.

katakurieuo, “to exercise dominion over”

In Luke the word is only slightly different. Without the “kato” it is literally to ‘rule” or be lord of…

LUK 22:25 And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.'

2961g kurieuo_ - to be lord of, rule (5)

I also take this teaching of Jesus to be the spirit of his comments in Matt. 23 about allowing people to call us Rabbi, father, or leader/teacher:

MAT 23:8-11: "But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.
But the greatest among you shall be your servant."

Maxwell says that true leadership is influence. I have come to the belief that biblical authority is not positional – it has nothing to do with a ecclesial office – it is more like moral authority, “soft power” in the words of Joseph Nye.

This is why St. Catherine of Sienna had several popes writing her for advice at one time or another…and why she is one of only three women saints in history named as a “doctor of the church” in the sense of being a teacher. Her level of grace/virtue was such that people listened to her words and followed her advice – even popes. But she never imposed herself over people from a position of authority.

As long as men grasp for positions of authority based on a title or an office, for whatever ego motivation, in order to “lord it over” their companions, women will also grasp for authority. However, when we heed Jesus’ teachings on the true nature of divine authority, no woman or man would want to grasp for such a position, and moral persuasion of surrendered servant leaders will rule the day.

Unfortunately, ego is ingrained in the nature of fallen man (and woman). Humanity is adept at setting up hierarchies and pecking orders. There is a chapter devoted to this issue in Donald Miller's Searching for God Knows What called “Lifeboat Theory.”

I believe the early church moved rapidly in this direction (institutionalized bureaucracy) after the death of the last apostles, even in the second and third generations, a long time before Constantine politicized the church. This greatly influences my view of the nature of apostolic authority and local church leadership and leads me to a preference for keeping structure as simple and organic as possible and keeping human authority (or leadership) to the minimum.

As Alan Hirsh points out in his recent book, The Forgotten Ways, it is no accident that when the Chinese Communists killed the pastors, expelled the missionaries, and closed down the schools and churches, that the Chinese Church exploded in growth. Obviously, the missionaries and the pastors (and buildings) were the primary obstacles to growth.

I believe we are to know and appreciate the history of the church…we are to honor and revere those who have gone before, and in some mystical-spiritual way, we are one with the saints—the great cloud of witnesses, including those who have been put to death by other members of Jesus’ church, be they Baptist, Puritan, Catholic, Huguenot, or Orthodox. That does not mean, however, that we cannot discern where the church has strayed and attempt to correct our own models and theologies in our time.

The primary thrust of the postmodern critique of Christianity and the church is aimed squarely at the issues of domination, power and politics. And we must humbly recognize that there much truth in their critique and learn not to ‘lord it over men’ or to seek to be teachers, fathers or leaders, but rather servants.