WiseReader

In his blog of March 11, 2008, Keith Edwards of the Toronto Baptist Seminary, has commented on the true nature of pastoral ministry. He writes: 

Having served in 6 “flocks” of God’s people, I have learned a little about caring for sheep. Sheep need a shepherd - not a boss, not a “CEO” but a shepherd, in fact the word “pastor” is really equivalent to the word “shepherd.”

It’s a short post, a personal reflection concerning a conversation he had recently with a former TBS student. Why not take a look, then offer your own comments? Like Keith, I’m weary of the approach too many take toward pastoral ministry these days.

As I read Keith’s post, I was reminded of John Piper’s book, Brothers, We are not Professionals. It is a worthwhile read, and if you don’t already have it, or cannot borrow it from a friend, you can get it from Christianbook.com by clicking on the title below.

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Brothers, We Are Not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry
By John Piper / B & H Publishing Group

Should a church be run like a business? Piper says no. In this provocative critique, he takes aim at the widely held managerial/therapeutic model of ministry—warning that Christlike traits such as childlikeness, tenderheartedness, and dedication to prayer clash with the secular “professionalism” we mistakenly seek to emulate. Sure to spark lively debate! 304 pages, softcover from B&H.

Being Leaders: The Nature of Authentic Christian Leadership
Aubrey Malphurs
BakerBooks, 2003
ISBN: 0801091438
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Political maneuvering and manipulation masquerades as visionary Christian leadership in far too many churches and parachurch groups. This blind acceptance of unadulterated secular leadership principles and strategies among Christian leaders concerns Audrey Malphurs, professor of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary and president of the training and consulting organization, the Malphurs Group.

Based on Biblical principles and on extensive research in significant leadership material from the last two centuries, Malphurs provides a biblically-rooted definition of a Christian leader and leadership, challenging readers to apply his findings in their own leadership context. Genuine Christian leaders are “servants with the credibility and capabilities to influence people in a particular context to pursue their God-given direction.” Working from that definition, Malphurs concludes that authentic Christian leadership is the “process whereby servants use their credibility and capability to influence people in a particular context to pursue their God-given direction.” The entire book unpacks and applies this definition of leaders and leadership.

The author argues for servant leaders, providing convincing evidence from Scripture that this is indeed a core quality in Christian leaders. Servant leadership is “the humble service of others based on our love for them.” Sounds a lot like Jesus, doesn’t it? Servant leadership is not passively ignoring one’s own legitimate needs; it is not wallowing in one’s own weakness, doing for others what they ought to do for themselves.

A major issue for leaders today, according to Malphurs, is “having credibility that births trust.” How many leaders have you seen self-destruct because they demanded trust before they built credibility with their followers? “Character,” says Malphurs, “is the most crucial factor in all relationships,” and credibility is granted to men and women of good character. Other ingredients of credibility include competence, clarity of direction, communication, conviction, courage, care and composure.

Responding to the question as to whether leaders are born or made, Malphurs - while acknowledging both views have strong proponents - says, “No one knows for sure.” To be sure, some individuals have innate leadership skills, but the author contends that those with less than stellar gifts can also learn to be competent leaders. It all hinges on character - a theme recurring throughout this book. He says, “Each [leadership] capability is only as effective as the character that undergirds it.”

How are leaders to use their credibility and capability? Malphurs says they should influence people in their particular context to pursue what God wants them to do. Good leaders influence people, but in a Christian context, that influence should always lead toward transformation - a change in thinking leading to a change in behaviour. Effective influence, in a Christian context demands that the leader be a transformed person also.

An entire chapter is devoted to the followers of the leader, pointing out the characteristics of good followers. Here Malphurs confronts the reality of opposition - all leaders experience it eventually. Rather than merely throwing out detractors, as often happens, the author encourages leaders to listen to that opposition, seeking to discover if there are good reasons for opposition. However, there are times when opposition must be confronted, and Malphurs provides good counsel in useful, biblical ways to deal with detractors.

Particularly helpful is a chapter on understanding one’s leadership context. Four steps to increased effectiveness in leadership are presented: “know yourself as a leader, know your leadership context, compare yourself as a leader with the ministry context and make necessary adjustments.”

An added feature to this well-developed leadership discussion is a plethora of resources and tools - nineteen in all - guiding leaders in discovering their strengths, weaknesses, spiritual gifting, leadership style, ministry context, and passion, along with a host of other important issues.

In a world glutted with books, journals, schools, websites and opinions on leadership, Malphurs provides an accessible, eminently useable resource for current and prospective Christian leaders.

The rule for traveling abroad is to take our common sense with us, and leave our prejudices behind. - William Hazlitt (1778-1830) quoted in Harry Schmidt, The Incredible Dream [Schmidt Family Foundation, 2006 p.89]