Leading The Saints

10/14/02

Someone once said that the problem of leadership is that one's not always sure if people are following or people are chasing.  Whether following or chasing, the call of the pastor is to be out in front.  One of the crises in the mainstream Protestant movement is that too many pastors choose a passive role of following the congregation in some sort of supportive role when it is our gift and responsibility to lead people to experience the realm of God.

We are not ashamed to declare that The Jesus Connection process demands a pastor who is willing to take the lead by setting the spiritual tone through his or her own connection with Jesus, interpreting the great commission for the local situation, gathering people and resources, and providing strategic leadership as gifts are shared in ministry.

The dire straits of many mainstream congregations naturally has us looking for quick fixes, or thinking that if we work a little harder we can change direction.  The truth is that we first need to slow down, be alert, and strengthen our connection with Jesus.  Pastoral leadership begins by listening through the din of daily living for the still, small voice.  Styles and spiritual disciplines can certainly vary among pastors involved in this process, but we need to be committed to our own way of connecting with Jesus and modeling Christian spirituality for those who journey with us.  I believe it is a crucial point of integrity that instead of offering a program that we offer ourselves, our experience, and our conviction that we are proceeding in this process because we believe it is what God would have us do.

As preacher and teacher for the congregation, the pastor holds a gift and responsibility to interpret the setting through the lenses of scripture and Christian tradition.  This is certainly not unique to The Jesus Connection but I think we add the emphasis of helping people discover the gifts they have for ministry.  Part of our interpretative role is sounding the call for gifts and ministries that we or others discern are needed.

Equipping the saints is not just resourcing Christians who have discerned their spiritual gift or call.  As a coach I'm not just responsible for having equipment on the field when the players arrive.  I'm responsible to have a plan how the team is going to utilize the equipment to increase their skill.  At the same time I am actively observing gifts and graces, sometimes seeing things in players they have not yet seen themselves, sometimes discerning their particular gifts for a position before they do.  A pastoral leader needs to actively watch for gifts that can be put to use for the sake of the faith community.

Pastors have a special opportunity because of the gifts of the office, education, and visibility to cast visions, dreams, and possibilities before the congregation.  Four years ago we began casting a vision at First United Church surrounding the question, "What would our congregation and ministry look like if we began to organize as a spirituality based, gift-evoking community instead of a non-profit organization?"  It may have been easier to go with the flow of traditional structure, and its many boards and committees, instead of teaching people a new thing.  But my calling is not to make things easier, but to lead people to connect with Jesus.  Many in our congregation believe the process has enabled them to do just that.  Ideas, dreams, and visions don't creep in through the bathroom window.  They are shared by leaders who desire that those they lead experience something more than they have before.