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Friends United Meeting |
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July/August 2003
Spiritual Leadership
By Doug Shoemaker
"I know who you are!" was the greeting I received from the youngster riding his bicycle through the meetinghouse parking lot. "You're the guy who owns the church!" he continued. "No," I assured him, "I don't own the church; I'm just the pastor here." As my young visitor persisted, he obviously wanted to figure this out. He continued by asking, "Well, then, who does own the church?" That is a good question.
It seems that Friends especially struggle with questions relating to the role that spiritual leaders should have in our meetings. We generally agree that God "owns the church" and hopefully we agree that we want God to "run the church." What we don't always agree upon is how much power or authority should be placed into the hands of men and women in positions of responsibility within the Society of Friends.
Jesus may have given his disciples authority over unclean spirits, but Quakers often struggle with giving lesser authority to their spiritual leaders. Some traditions have made the mistake of putting human leaders on too high a pedestal, but this isn't the issue faced by most Friends. We tend to struggle to affirm spiritual leadership among us. What is the Quaker view of spiritual leadership and how should we respond to it?
One of the more amazing facets of God's involvement in human history is that the Almighty has chosen to use fallible women and men as tools to accomplish divine purposes. Knowing how prone to weakness and failure people tend to be, it seems as though it would be much more efficient for God to simply do all the important stuff alone. Yet, Christian history consistently records the stories of common and ordinary people being used in uncommon and extraordinary ways to accomplish God's purposes. God uses leaders to both mobilize God's people and position them to receive God's miraculous activity.
Moses was such a person who, in spite of limitations such as his speech impediment, was used by God to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. Saul of Tarsus was used by God to spread the gospel in many far away cities throughout the world. God has consistently raised up men and women. Leaders like Martin Luther, George Fox, Jonathan Edwards and Billy Graham come to mind. Few could argue with the impact these lives have had. Yet, even these acknowledged leaders were no strangers to criticism, distrust and opposition.
Moses, God's instrument of deliverance, faced the ungrateful complaints of the very people he was trying to help (Numbers 14) as well as an all-out rebellion staged by Israelites who questioned his right to lead them at all (Numbers 16). Here was a reluctant leader — one who would have been content to spend his days herding sheep in Midian prior to God's burning-bush call on his life — now faced with mutiny among those he had been called to lead. Exasperating? I'm sure it was.
In Spiritual Leadership, Henry and Richard Blackaby observe that even Jonathan Edwards, pastor of the prestigious Northampton, Massachusetts, Congregational Church, and a leading figure of the eighteenth century First Great Awakening, wasn't exempt from criticism. When Edwards sought assurance that those in his congregation had experienced genuine conversion, a group of discontented church members took exception. They launched a slanderous campaign against him that ultimately led to his dismissal from the church he'd made famous. Malicious detractors forced one of the greatest theological minds and most devout pastors in American history out of his church.
Saul of Tarsus, better known to us as the Apostle Paul, similarly struggled with faithfully fulfilling his calling while being misunderstood and even mistrusted by those he was called to lead. His New Testament letters written to the Corinthian church bleed plea after plea to cooperate with the spiritual leadership he was earnestly seeking to provide. Paul felt very awkward, even foolish (2 Corinthians 11), when forced into a position of having to defend his right to exercise spiritual leadership.
While there is a very real danger in regarding human leaders too highly, there is just as great a danger in regarding them highly enough. In Romans 13:7 (NIV) we are given this advice: Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. Just what do we owe those who have been called by God to exercise gifts of leadership among us? I would suggest, for starters, respect.
In the Old Testament we find a fascinating account of David, the soon-to-be king, being hunted like a wild animal by King Saul. Twice David had the opportunity to easily kill Saul (1 Samuel 24 and 26), but his respect for the God-appointed king prevented him from doing so. In 1 Samuel 26:9 David rebuked his military companion for wanting to run a spear through the sleeping Saul. David said, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?" (NIV) Even though Saul was behaving in a manner that was not worthy of respect, David deeply respected the position he held.
I sadly confess I have not always acted so honorably. I have too often tolerated an attitude of disrespect toward spiritual leaders as being acceptable. Most of these leaders probably never set out to be in such positions of leadership, but experienced the call of God leading them into uncharted territory. Wouldn't it be helpful if people like me would at least try to cooperate with them in their efforts? Several years ago I was deeply convicted by the following scripture: Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 NIV) I have come to recognize that my attitudes of disrespect toward spiritual leaders say far more about my spiritual shallowness than about the quality of their leadership.
I find myself struggling with two sides of the spiritual leadership issue, both as one who is under the leadership of others, and as one called to exercise leadership of others. If the key word for the one being led is respect, then the key word for the spiritual leader must certainly be responsibility.
As a pastor I am challenged by a verse found in Hebrews that I refer to as the scariest verse in the Bible. It reads like this. "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." (Hebrews 13:17 NIV) This verse alerts me to the fact I am accountable to God for how I exercise my calling as a spiritual leader. Some leaders want to take this verse of scripture and wear it like Barney Fife's badge — a symbol of authority. We are better off choosing an attitude that humbly assumes the weighty responsibility that comes with leadership, and remembering we are ultimately responsible to God for the exercise of it.
Responsibility isn't just a key word for pastors, but for anyone in any position of leadership. It's true if I'm a pastor I'm accountable to God, but an elder is likewise responsible. Youth leaders are responsible to God. Sunday School teachers are responsible to God. Meeting clerks are responsible to God. Weighty Friends get to be weighty by carrying well the responsibility of spiritual leadership.
If I am not in a position of leadership my role is to respectfully cooperate with those who are responsible to lead me. Respecting a leader doesn't require we never disagree with her; it simply means that we do so with a proper attitude. It doesn't mean that we never confront a leader, but that our confrontations take the form of respectful appeals, not emotional tirades. Respecting spiritual leaders means praying for them, supporting them and demonstrating a spirit of cooperation.
Repeatedly we are warned of a leadership crisis among Friends. I'm wondering: Have we been unsuccessful in developing sufficient leadership from among us, or have we failed to appropriately labor with the leadership that has already been provided? Do we have a shortage of men and women willing and able to shoulder the responsibility of leadership, or do we have an over-abundance of disrespect toward spiritual leaders that has crippled their ability to lead effectively?
Yes, we do need men and women, called of God, who will boldly step up and humbly shoulder the weighty responsibility of leadership. We also need fresh commitments to respectfully cooperate with those who are carefully seeking to be obedient to Christ by daring to attempt to lead. As we cooperate with them, we will find ourselves cooperating with God, and after all, God is the One who owns the church.
A Friends pastor for 27 years, Doug Shoemaker has served the 13 years at Westfield Friends Church, Indiana. He and his wife, Kris, are the parents of three children, Kyle, Adam and Kelsie.
Copyright (c) 2003 Friends United Meeting
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