Here is the full script of the talk summarised in the September Church bulletin. This was originally given in October 2009 and as it's about leadership in the Church it might help people think their way through Deacons' elections.
Leadership Matters
This is not just a matter of "Church housekeeping" - an obsession with details. Paul begins by saying "This is a trustworthy saying..." This is a strong phrase that suggests the whole issue of leadership within the church is to be taken seriously as a theological matter. Leadership matters because leadership shapes the church. It matters because the church matters. At the end of the chapter Paul states his concern for how people behave "in the household of God, the Church (Assembly) of the living God, a pillar and face of the truth." It is interesting that Paul use two words of human relationship - one small and intimate, the other bigger and organisational - before using the impersonal structural words about doctrinal purity: the pillar and surface of the truth. The church is people.Everything the Church does should reflect the fact that the church is people. Its leadership, its constitution, the way we make decisions, the way newcomers are brought into membership: we need to look at all we do in the light of what the Bible says - not just proof-texts but the principles of what the Church is.
Leadership is functional.
SO as he gives guidance about leadership, he uses patterns drawn from Greek culture. (Remember Timothy was Pastor of the church in Ephesus) Even the job titles themselves were familiar to Greek culture. A bishop (AV) or overseer was anyone, who had responsibility for supervision mentoring or management. The man in charge of a building site, the woman in charge of the kitchen, was an overseer. And a deacon was as servant, a waiter, someone who runs errands: the root of the word diakonos is the word dioko meaning "I pursue." A diakonos is one who chases around, a "gopher". These were commonly used, functional words, not ecclesiastical titles that meant the holders could wear fancy robes or strut around giving orders. So I wonder why we have turned these functional words into official titles. I wonder whether we would not be better discovering the original meaning of these words and using these original meanings. After all, our forefathers fought to be able to read the bible and pray in our own language instead of Latin: why do we call our church officials by Greek titles?
At least, we can and should understand that leadership is functional. It is a matter of function not office. John Wimber was right when he said "an Elder is and Elder as long as he elds." The title is meaningless without the function.
Leadership is service
And we can and should understand that the functions of leadership are diverse: leadership is an expression of ministry, that is to say service in the body of Christ. The church needs to be led by people who are able to oversee and to serve. Until such times as we decide as a church to separate oversight from practical service, we need to find those who have the strength for oversight and the heart to serve. And even if we divide between those who lead and those who don't, we need to remember that even Paul described himself as a Deacon - one who runs errands. (2Co 11:8)
Leaders are people.
Paul then goes on to give lists of required qualities, and they are a bit haphazard, in no particular order. This rather random list of qualities and requirements was something common in Greek culture: yon could find a list of the needful characteristics of a king, a general, or even a midwife. So Paul says what we are looking for in Church leaders.
The first specific qualities Paul looks for, taken together, are surprisingly basic really: husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. (v2f). Nothing about having qualifications, money, important jobs; nothing about being up at six every morning to pray for an hour before going to work. You're not looking for the accountant or the schoolteacher. You're not looking for the silver-tongued orator or the guy who owns a string of shops; you're not even looking for the person who sees the sick healed. You're looking for moral qualities, social skills and inner strengths.
Leadership is about character
Moral qualities. The leader should be the husband of one wife means strict moral uprightness, not someone who is unfaithful, who has affairs or even who flirts. They should not be someone who is greedy for financial gain, not a lover of money. They should be honest in their words; not double tongued (literally double-worded, saying one thing and meaning another; saying one thing to one person and the opposite to another person) and not a slanderer (The Greek word is a diabolos: destroying someone's reputation is a diabolical, devilish thing to do). Richard Foster wrote a little book entitled "Money, Sex and Power." How we handle money, our sexuality, and any power we have over others is a moral matter.
Inner strengths. For each of these inner strengths, Paul repeats himself using two different words: he says leaders should be sober-minded - the meaning is literally "an abstainer"; then a little later he uses another word: not a drunkard, not always got his nose in a glass of wine. Free from addictions. They should be self-controlled, that is wise rather than impulsive, and "respectable" (ESVelse's face. Not someone who gets into fights.
And social skills. The leader should be hospitable, able to make other people feel at home around him; when I was a kid we would occasionally have special visitors round for tea after church. The best china would come out. That's not - necessarily - an expression of hospitality. The word literally means "loving strangers". The leader should be able to teach - not full of fancy words but able to impart truth. And he should be able to bring the best out of people as seen in his or her own family.
So that is the set of abilities that we are looking for, under the mantle of God's anointing: moral qualities that mean a person is honest, reliable and pure; inner strengths that mean a person is under control; and social skills that mean a person is able to handle people.
It's not exactly rocket science. But it's better to have a vacancy than to have the wrong person doing the job. It is vital that leadership models and expresses the values and character of Jesus; if it doesn't, then one of two things happen and both of them are disastrous. Either the leadership lose all credibility and become unable to lead, because everyone can see through the discrepancies between the character of the leader and the character of Jesus. Or, I guess even worse, people don't see through the discrepancies, and either allow themselves to be bullied into compliance or excuse their own faults as they copy the ugly character of a leadership that isn't like Jesus. And in a Baptist Church, as power is handed down to the ordinary church member, everyone has to handle that power in a godly way.But what a privilege for those called to lead: who can help the church share the Father's love and reflect the character of Jesus. Leadership is about godliness, and godliness is about Jesus:
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
© Gilmour Lily October 2009
