Who are the leaders in your church?

We’re probably all familiar with the idea of leading by example.

​But who exactly has to do that? Just the senior pastor? Just the church staff? Just the council president? Just those who oversee a church ministry? Who exactly are the leaders in the church?

Consider this: if I wear a Green Bay Packers shirt, everyone who sees me will assume I’m a Packers fan, and rightly so. If, a week later while wearing a plain shirt, I talk very rudely about another football team or another NFL city, people may come to associate my behavior with all Packers fans. This becomes especially true when multiple people act in a similar way. We see this in action with such stigmas about, say, Philadelphia Eagles fans or Oakland Raiders fans – there's a wide stigma, true or not, that they have poor sportsmanship and are unlikeable.

Similarly, what happens if I wear a “Jesus freak” shirt or even a simple cross necklace, then talk nastily about others, engage in gossip, spout hateful values, blame others for my mistakes, insist that my personal flaws are ‘just how I am' without making any effort for self-improvement, whine instead of being constructive, act bigoted, discriminate against others, engage in hate speech or microaggressions, use negative humor and unfriendly sarcasm…all after wearing a metaphorical sign saying, “I’m a Christian”? And this sign doesn’t apply just to shirts or necklaces, of course. It may appear in the messages you post or the pages you ‘like’ on your Facebook page, the “extracurricular activities” section of your resume, the volunteering section of your LinkedIn page, the Jesus fish sticker on your car, through casual conversations, etc.

That’s not to say that being open with your faith is a bad thing – of course it is not. But we must be cognizant of the fact that we, ourselves, are advertisements for Christianity. We are the brand ambassadors. And it’s not just because we’ve been elected or appointed to serve as elected leaders at our congregation, or because we volunteer for a certain ministry – those roles are extra. The sole fact that we are Christians means that we are ambassadors, whether we like it or not. (And, really, this applies to any faith.)

So, to answer the earlier question: we all are leaders –
whether or not we chose to be, 
whether or not we felt called to be, 
whether or not we were elected,
whether or not we were appointed,
whether or not we participate in the church’s ministries,
whether or not we attend church regularly,
whether or not we attend church at all,
whether or not we want to be. 

Everyone in our church is a leader – some just may be more experienced and more comfortable with the idea of leadership. But whether we are intentional or accidental leaders, we have to be aware of the fact that we are leaders all the time. Because whether we like it or not, someone is watching, and someone is learning – through our behavior – what Christianity means.

In our society, we are well-familiar with the concept of one bad example making the rest look bad.  As Christians, we are called to confront hate, bigotry, and terrorism all in the name of Christianity.  As Christians, it’s our job to be sincere in our efforts to spread the good news, love our neighbors, and prove that those negative things are not the true Christian way.

In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” And as the old song goes, “they will know we are Christians by our love, by our love.”  May we all embrace the idea that we are all Christian leaders, and contemplate how to continually grow and develop in God, both within our church and in the world, so that the world can understand that God is love and God is good.

So, you’re a leader in the church. Whose church is it? 

The long-traditional way of viewing a church is that it ‘belongs’ to the presiding pastor and that what he – historically always 'he' – says, goes. But we must know two things: (1) our church is for the benefit of God, and (2) we function better together, so the old, hierarchical way of thinking does not apply. 

Rather than adopting a structure where information and direction flows from the bishop down to the pastor and then down to the congregation – or where pastors are sometimes treated more like weekly guest speakers or low-level-employees rather than full contributing members – cooperative church leadership structure can be thought of as a partnership. Bishops, pastors, and congregations work together, sharing information and ideas across the boundaries of titles. Within individual congregations we can push past the old theory of pastor over council over congregation, and promote the structure of pastor, council, staff, and congregation members all working together, each of them empowered to contribute to the common mission in their own way.

Not only is this partnership structure beneficial, but it is necessary. Doing God’s work is not always easy, and can sometimes garner a negative response from others. In fact, in 1 John 3:13 we were already notified: “Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you.” But with our partners, we are made strong and better able to do God’s work: “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” [1 Peter 2:4-5].

While every individual has a different role according to their gifts and talents (as we remember from the “one body, many members” lesson in 1 Corinthians 12), we all come together as equals, as we are in God’s eyes. With this understanding, we can move past the old hierarchical way of thinking and grow to a point where each person in the church is enabled, accountable, and equipped for true leadership.

Answering the call to active leadership:

As we find ourselves in the time shortly after the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we encourage the idea of re-formation throughout the church. If you haven't already, begin talking about reformation, leadership, decolonization, and partnership in your church. By coaching and empowering individuals in your organization, you can encourage them to accept and embody the leadership responsibility they already have to continually further God's loving work throughout the church, community, and world.


- Jen Jesse