Trust is a thing earned and not demanded. At one point, most people trusted clergy almost without question. Unfortunately, recent days have brought many wolves in sheeps clothing to the forefront of the public's eye and many people have seen the ugliness of impropriety on the part of many preachers. The sex scandals, the financial scandals, the lies, the perversion and all the rest that have been heard of or experienced at the hand of clergy people has had a most distasteful affect upon those clergy who serve with pure motives and clean hands.
There are a number of places in the sacred book that command obedience and submission to our leaders, but I am one who believes that respect is earned and never demanded - even by clergy! There are numerous imperatives that command the saints to be characterized by humility and by regarding others as more important than themselves and commands to do unto others as you would have someone do unto you. With that balance, the clergyman is live in such a way that he respects people and earns their trust.
That bad things have been done by the hands of unscrupulous clergymen is undisputable, but saints should be encouraged to resist the temptation to judge all clergymen by the wiles of those trashy men we've been speaking of. Certainly, any clergyman must conduct himself as a Christian in order to earn the respect of the people he serves, but at the same time the people must be willing to trust him that he might have the opportunity to do what he is supposed to do. This business of church leadership is a two way street between the clergy and the congregation. They must trust him and he must respect them and with that comes an environment conducive for bringing God glory, edifying the saints and evangelizing the lost.
I once met a man who thought it was his job to protect the church from the pastor. Everything the pastor wanted to do was shot down by this guy. Every single time a decision had to be made or a direction had to be set, this guy was found at odds with the pastor. I encouraged him to consider becoming a pastor, himself, since he thought he knew best in every situation and since we true preachers are outnumbered and need all the help we can get. He wasn't interested. He was interested in being in charge. The Bible specifically teaches us that the pastor is in charge and it is he and the elders who oversee the work of the church - not some Bubba who is trippin' out on sometype of power or ego trip.
If clergy and churches would endeavor to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus instead of being content to uphold what they think the Word says, then much ground could be covered with congregation and pastor in step with the other. At some point, congregations must trust their pastor and pastors must trust and respect the people enough to lead them and not drive them. There is a profound difference between leading and driving. The good shepherd knows the difference and the sheep the like it!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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?
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?
Monday, March 31, 2008
Blaze Orange and Believeability
I'm not even sure believeablity is a word. Maybe credibility would be a better word. Regardless, the point is this: When you wear blaze orange clothes, people notice you, but they don't necessarily beleive you. Today, I over slept. My lateness was compounded by the fact that my car wouldn't start. That it was bad was compounded by the fact that it was cold and raining. All of the above seemed to be aggravated by the fact that the only jacket I had on hand was my blaze orange hunting jacket.
I like my blaze orange hunting jacket. It is simply blinding. It's almost a neon orange. Everywhere that I went today, people noticed me. They saw me. They stared at me. I'm not sure, but I think one little boy pointed at me from the backseat of his mom's car. There was simply no mistaking that I was in the area with this blaze orange blazing away. Now I confess that what I'm about to write is purely speculative. I have no way of veryifying or proving what I'm about to say, but I think the very people who noticed me also judged me and figured me to be some kind of incompetent, back-woods bafoon. One small group of friends even laughed at my ensemble selection of bluejean and orange. The others, though, gave me that all too familiar look down the nose that communicates their perceived superiority to one such as myself. The one decked out with the blaze orange.
What I'm talking about is credibility. Just because a person is visible, famous or in a position of power doesn't necessarily mean s/he is credible. There is no question in my mind that I was visible, but I do wonder what people thought about me in my blaze orange. I doubt anyone would have picked me to offer a theological discussion about the trinity, today. On the other hand, I could have been picked for the buck skinnin' contest. The true is I would have done well in the theological discourse and probably failed miserably in the buck skinnin' contest even though I looked more like a buck skinner than a preacher. Credibility is determined by one's character and ability, not his appearance. The next time you view someone else from down your nose, remember that he might be a buck skinner or a preacher in desguise. We need to view folks like God views folks - from the inside out, not the outside in.
I like my blaze orange hunting jacket. It is simply blinding. It's almost a neon orange. Everywhere that I went today, people noticed me. They saw me. They stared at me. I'm not sure, but I think one little boy pointed at me from the backseat of his mom's car. There was simply no mistaking that I was in the area with this blaze orange blazing away. Now I confess that what I'm about to write is purely speculative. I have no way of veryifying or proving what I'm about to say, but I think the very people who noticed me also judged me and figured me to be some kind of incompetent, back-woods bafoon. One small group of friends even laughed at my ensemble selection of bluejean and orange. The others, though, gave me that all too familiar look down the nose that communicates their perceived superiority to one such as myself. The one decked out with the blaze orange.
What I'm talking about is credibility. Just because a person is visible, famous or in a position of power doesn't necessarily mean s/he is credible. There is no question in my mind that I was visible, but I do wonder what people thought about me in my blaze orange. I doubt anyone would have picked me to offer a theological discussion about the trinity, today. On the other hand, I could have been picked for the buck skinnin' contest. The true is I would have done well in the theological discourse and probably failed miserably in the buck skinnin' contest even though I looked more like a buck skinner than a preacher. Credibility is determined by one's character and ability, not his appearance. The next time you view someone else from down your nose, remember that he might be a buck skinner or a preacher in desguise. We need to view folks like God views folks - from the inside out, not the outside in.
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