Thinking about Leadership and the Bible

I've been spending a great deal of time of late thinking and talking about church. That is to say, I've been spending a great deal of time talking about how we elected leaders, how we oversee the budget, manage receipts and disbursements, place teachers, offer ministries and on and on... Of those things leadership has been at the top of the list. As someone once said, "Apart from the intervention of God, everything rises and falls on leadership." This is a true statement. Everything rises and falls on leadership and God has intervened by giving us a great deal of information about leaders.

In the Bible, you find all kinds of references to leaders, their character, their selection, their removal or discipline and their purpose. We learn that there are civil leaders, church leaders and family leaders. We learn that there are certain responsibilities for each of these leaders and responsibilities for those in their circles of influence. In other words, leaders are to lead and those who are under their influence are supposed to follow them. Even if the leaders are wrong in their leadership, we who are under their influence / authority are to follow their lead. See Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 4:12-16; Romans 13:1-7. There are other passages that discuss this concept that, to the modern mind seems antiquated, but to the heart of God demonstrates humility.

In that last passage listed above, God's Word gives us some very specific instruction concerning our relationship to the governemental authorities that are in the world. He tells us of first order that those authorities are established by God and that they act on his behalf. He goes on to tell us that we are to submit ourselves to their leadership. This submission is required in the good times as well as in the bad and oppressive times. This concept has led to much discussion and the creation of much history. For instance, during the civil rights era, people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. through their acts of civil disobedience sought to correct governmental injustice in a way that was submissive to the authorities that were oppressing them. The writer of Romans 13 never intended to give license to governments to abuse people and he never expected people to quietly and submissively tolerate blatant injustice when the power to change that rests with the very people who are told to be submissive.

In an election year of a republic form of government like ours, Christian people are duty bound to select men and women for public office who uphold our Christian values. There is a responsibility on the part of those of us who believe to learn what our candidates believe, what their voting history is, where their passions lie and what kind of character they possess. To find in any candidate a lacking in any of these areas is to find sufficient reason for not voting for that person. By the same token, if our investigations of candidates reveals a person with similar convictions and consistent voting patterns and impeccable character, then we have found sufficient reason to vote for that candidate.

I believe that God is working behind the scenes in the '08 election year to direct history toward its final consummation. I believe that as Christians in a representative form of government, we need to lay aside our political affiliations and personal agendas, and vote for the person who best represents our convictions and values. By doing this, we allow God to work through us as he directs history and we get the opportunity to demonstrate our obedience to him. It is a true statement. Apart from the intervention of God, everything rises or falls on leadership. Who are you going to vote for?