Being examples…
Robby Mac has an interesting post called “Among“. In this article he discusses the difference between leading from above and leading from among. He says:
I’ve noticed something peculiar over the years, however, which this passage also addresses. Jesus is calling people to be leaders who “lead among” rather than “lord it over”. And the peculiar thing I’ve noticed is that (perhaps not surprisingly) this runs counter to the contemporary wisdom that puts gifted people into administrative positions that suck the life and vitality out of them.
I also agree that leaders (pastors, elders) are supposed to lead by example, by serving among people and with people. This is not the same as directing the activities of people nor is this the same as administrating and making decisions.
I understand some of the concerns that come up if leaders are not directing, administering, or making decisions. But, perhaps, God expects each of us to take on these responsibilities instead of delegating them to others who are told to lead by example. Plus, where does Scripture indicate that leaders are to make decisions for other believers?
1 Corinthians 14 and the Leadership
Because of several questions and comments on my post called “What do we do with 1 Corinthians 14?“, I have prepared a summary of 1 Corinthians 14, but it is long. So, I am planning to divide it into sections and publish it over two or three days next week. In this post, I would like to return to the question of leadership that I have been examining over the last few months (see “Leadership, Obedience, and Authority…“). Specifically, I would like to examine of role of leaders during the meeting of the church.
Without doubt, 1 Corinthians 14 gives the most extensive view of a meeting of the church by any New Testament author. However, leaders are nowhere in view in the book of 1 Corinthians, much less in chapter 14.
In Gordon Fee’s commentary on 1 Corinthians, he has this to say about leadership in regards to chapter 14:
What is striking in this entire discussion is the absence of any mention of leadership or of anyone who would be responsible for seeing that these guidelines were generally adhered to. The community appears to be left to itself and the Holy Spirit. What is mandatory is that everything aim at edification.
Is Fee correct? Does Paul expect believers to rely only on the Holy Spirit to conduct affairs when the church comes together?
Let me ask a series of questions. I hope you’ll think through these questions and share your answers in the comment section.
1) Why do we believe that one person (or a small group of people) is responsible for scheduling the meeting of the church? Where do we find this responsibility given in Scripture?
2) Why do we believe that only educated and prepared people should speak during the meeting of the church? Where do we get the idea that a 20-45 minute explanation of Scripture is the best way to teach people? Where do we find this idea in Scripture?
3) Why do we believe the “preacher” or “pastor” is always responsible for bringing a teaching, but other people in the church are not? Where do we find this in Scripture?
Perhaps you believe the some or all of these questions can be answered by Scripture. I hope that you will share that with us.
I end this post with one more question: What would happen if the meeting of the church was left completely to the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all of the believers both before and during the meeting?
Series on 1 Corinthians 14:
Prologue 1 – What do we do with 1 Corinthians 14?
Prologue 2 – 1 Corinthians 14 and the Leadership
Context & Verses 1-5 – Summary of 1 Corinthians 14 – Part 1
Verses 6-25 – Summary of 1 Corinthians 14 – Part 2
Verses 26-40 – Summary of 1 Corinthians 14 – Part 3
Concluding Remarks – Summary of 1 Corinthians 14 – Part 4
People and Pastors and the Will of God…
I know at least three people who are currently praying about opportunities that would require them to move to other states. All of these people are part of the church. They are all friends of our family, and they are all important members of the body of Christ.
One is praying about moving to San Francisco for further education. He and his family believe this is God’s will for them, and they are making arrangements to move this summer. We have been praying for them as a church for several months now.
Another is praying about moving to the northeast. They are planning to work with family members in an area where there are very few Christians. They believe this is God’s will, and they are waiting for their house to sell before they make a move. This decision has moved fairly quickly, but we are praying for them as a church.
The third friend has been contacted by a college in another state. The college has asked him to consider teaching for them full time. They are praying for this, and they have asked the church to pray as well. If they decide to accept a position on the college, they would move in just over a year.
This third example is my close friend, Mael (from “The Adventures of Mael & Cindy“). Mael asked the church to pray for him and Cindy as they try to discern God’s will in this (please, take the time to read his letter in the post “Deciding in Community“). I am very proud of Mael and Cindy for telling the church about this and for asking us for prayer. It was not an easy decision for them, and telling the church was a decision that many would counsel against. You see, Mael is one of our elders/pastors.
In many Christian communities, pastors keep this kind of thing secret from other people. Pastors generally do not tell the church that God may be moving them to another city or state. We expect people to ask the church to pray for God’s will in making decisions, but when it comes to pastors, things are different. I blogged about this a year ago in a post called “Are Pastors Part of the body?”
So, consider this: if a pastor thinks that God may be calling him to move to another state, what should the pastor do? Should he keep it to himself? Should he share it only with people who are outside the church? Should he share it only with a few people in the church? Or, should he share it with everyone in the church? What are the pros and cons of a pastor sharing this and asking the church to pray for him and his family?
Think about your answer. Does your answer show that you would treat the pastor the same or different from other members of the body of Christ? Why?
What does a non-bishop oversee?
A few weeks ago, I posted a blog called “What does a bishop oversee?” In this post, I suggested that the επίσκοπος (episkopos) / επισκοπÎω (episkopeo) word group, when used in Scripture for Christian leaders, should be translated “looking after people” or “being concerned about people” as opposed to “overseeing an organization”. I followed this blog with an example (a negative example, from my point of view) in a post called “The Church or the Organization?” I was surprised at the response to this blog post (three times the page views and comments of the next most viewed/commented post). I did not originally intend to discuss the church / organization dichotomy. Instead, I was heading in another direction, which began in a post called “Leadership, Obedience, and Authority…” I will continue in the original direction in this post, which is looking at Christian leaders and their function and operation among the church.
In this post, I would like to continue to examine the επίσκοπος (episkopos) / επισκοπÎω (episkopeo) word group. Specifically, what does this word group mean for those who are not elders/bishops? Or, does it apply to non-elders/non-bishops at all?
Apparently, the author of Hebrews believes that this function does apply to all believers. For example, consider this passage:
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it [from επισκοπÎω] that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. (Hebrews 12:14-16 ESV)
If you need to check the context, read from Hebrews 12:1. It is clear from this context that all believers are in view, and all believers should be “looking carefully” (as the NKJV translates the participle επισκοπÎω in 12:15).
Commenting on the word επισκοπÎω in 12:15, William Lane says in the Word Biblical Commentary:
The call to vigilance expressed in επισκοπουντες [that is, the participle of επισκοπÎω] refers not to some official expression of ministry but rather to the engagement of the community as a whole in the extension of mutual care (cf. 3:12-13; 4:1; 10:24-25). Christian vigilance is the proper response to a peril that poses an imminent threat to the entire community… In view of this very real danger, the members of the house church are urged to vigilant concern for one another. [451-52]
Thus, Lane understands the verb επισκοπÎω to mean “to show vigilant concern”. This is very similar to the definitions that I suggested in my previous post (“What does a bishop oversee?“): “to look after” or “be concerned about”. In this case, it is clear that the object of concern is not an organization, but the people (that is, the church) themselves. Believers are to show concern for other believers so that they do not fail to obtain the grace of God, so that no root of bitterness springs up, and so that they are not sexually immoral or unholy.
If all believers are “to show vigilant concern” for other people, could it not also be that bishops and elders are “to show vigilant concern” for other people (Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:1-2)? Once again, I suggest that this is quite different than “overseeing an organization”; yet, this is the way the verb επισκοπÎω is often presented when it comes to Christian leaders. Perhaps, elders are supposed “to show vigilant concern” for other people not because they are elders, but because they are believers. In fact, they should be more likely “to show vigilant concern” for others because they are supposed to be good examples of what it means to follow Christ and obey Him.
The important thing to realize in Hebrews 12:14-15 is that it is our responsibility to be concerned about one another. This is not only the responsibility of Christian leaders. However, we all realize that there are occasionally hindrances and obstacles that prevent us from showing proper concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sometimes, those hindrances and obstacles are in our lives; sometimes, they are in the lives of others.
What are some of the hindrances or obstacles to showing vigilant concern for other believers? How can we overcome some of these hindrances and obstacles?
Ephesians 4:12 and Equipping Ministries
In a previous post, I suggested from the grammar and syntax of Ephesians 4:11 that there are only four “items”, which precludes a “five-fold ministry” (see “Ephesians 4:11 and the Five-Fold Ministry“). The “five-fold ministry” is often said to be distinct from other types of “ministry” because only the “five-fold ministry” are given the responsibility of “equipping” the church. In this post, I hope to look at the “equipping” that is listed in Ephesians 4:12. Once again, let’s begin with the Greek text:
Ï€Ïος τον καταÏτισμον των αγιων εις εÏγον διακονιας εις οικοδομην του σωματος του ΧÏιστου
Here is the translation of Ephesians 4:11-12 in the ESV:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ… (Ephesians 4:11-12 ESV)
From this translation, it does appear that the apostles, prophets, evangelists, etc. function to equip the saints. There is a problem with this view though: the phrase Ï€Ïος τον καταÏτισμον which is translated in the ESV as what looks like an infinitive (“to equip”), is actually a prepositional phrase: the preposition Ï€Ïος (“to”or “toward”) combined with the noun τον καταÏτισμον which has various glosses.
(As an aside, the prepositional phrase actually includes at least the following words των αγιων — “of the saints”. The prepositional phrase may include more of the sentence. However, a prepositional phrase always includes at least a preposition and a noun. So, for the sake of simplification, I am only going to discuss the basic prepositional phrase Ï€Ïος τον καταÏτισμον.)
Before I discuss the meaning of the noun τον καταÏτισμον, it is important to note the use of the entire prepositional phrase, Ï€Ïος τον καταÏτισμον. To begin with, what is a prepositional phrase? Daniel Wallace, in Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, says, “Prepositions are, in some respects, extended adverbs. That is, they frequently modify verbs and tell how, when, where, etc. But, unlike adverbs they govern a noun and hence give more information than a mere adverb can.” [356] Thus, the prepositional phrase Ï€Ïος τον καταÏτισμον functions in the sentence as an adverb, modifying or further explaining a verb in the sentence. Within the prepositional phrase itself, the preposition Ï€Ïος explains how the verb in the sentence is connected to the noun of the prepositional phrase, τον καταÏτισμον.
So, the preposition Ï€Ïος works to connect τον καταÏτισμον to the verb. But what is the verb? To find the verb, we must go back to the beginning of Eph. 4:11: και αυτος εδωκεν – “And he himself gave”. “Gave” is the verb of this sentence. Therefore, the prepositional phrase modifies this verb, not the objects of the verb. Furthermore, the preposition Ï€Ïος explains how the verb “gave” is connected to the noun τον καταÏτισμον.
In this case, the preposition Ï€Ïος is probably used to describe the purpose or result of Jesus’ “giving”. There are other usages of Ï€Ïος (spatial: toward, temporal: toward, opposition: against, or association: with). However, in this case purpose (for, for the purpose of) or result (so that, with the result that) is probably best. There does not seem to be a connection of space, time, opposition, or association in this sentence. Sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish between purpose and result; and sometimes it does not change the meaning significantly. At this time, I’m not going to attempt to differentiate between these two usages.
So far, we have seen that the prepositional phrase Ï€Ïος τον καταÏτισμον describes the purpose or the result of Jesus’ giving. This is significant. Because we can now see that the prepositional phrase does not identify the function of the gifted people that Jesus gives. In order to see this more clearly, consider the following sentences in which I have replaced the adverbial prepositional phrase with an adverb (Also, I shortened the list to make the sentences easier to read in English):
He himself gave apostles wisely.
He himself gave prophets abundantly.
He himself gave evangelists quickly.
The prepositional phrase Ï€Ïος τον καταÏτισμον in Eph. 4:12 modifies the verb “gave” in Eph. 4:11 in the same way that the adverbs “wisely”, “abundantly”, and “quickly” modify the verb “gave” in the sentences above. Neither “wisely”, nor “abundantly”, nor “quickly” describe the apostles, prophets, or evangelists. Instead, those adverbs tell us how Jesus gave.
Similarly, the adverbial prepositional phrase Ï€Ïος τον καταÏτισμον tells us for what purpose or for what reason Jesus gave: “for the equipping”, “for the purpose of preparation”, “with the result of training”. These glosses are highly confusing, because in English it appears that the author is saying that apostles equip, or prophets prepare, or evangelists train. As the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers function, this will occur. But, this is not what Paul is telling us in Eph. 4:11-12. Instead, he is telling us that the saints are equipped, prepared, or trained because Jesus gave, not because apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers carry out their functions.
Why is this important? Because in this passage, Paul associated equipping with Jesus’ giving, not with the function of certain types of gifted individuals. There is no reason (in this passage) to limit Jesus’ ability to equip, prepare, or train the saints to the functioning of those listed in Eph. 4:11, just as there is no reason to limit the number of spiritual gifts to those listed in Romans 12:6-8, or to those listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, or to those listed in 1 Corinthians 12:28-30. Each believer is Jesus’ gift to the church. Therefore, Jesus can and does work through all believers (through the gifting that He provides) in order to equip the church.
Ephesians 4:7-16 Series:
1. Ephesians 4:11 and the Five-Fold Ministry
2. Ephesians 4:12 and Equipping Ministry
3. Ephesians 4:7-16 and the Growing Church
4. Ephesians 4:7-16 and Consistency
Ephesians 4:11 and the Five-Fold Ministry…
I have read several books that discuss the “five-fold ministry”, taken from Ephesians 4:11. (Two important books that deal with “five-fold ministry” are Wolfgang Simson’s Houses that Change the World and Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch’s The Shaping of Things to Come.) According to the “five-fold ministry” concept, the list in this verse (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers – sometimes called APEPT) represent five types of Christian leadership. I’m trying to be very broad in my terminology, because different authors use different words to describe the “five-fold ministry”. Some call them offices; some call them functions; some call them gifts.
At this point, I do not plan to discuss the purpose of the people listed in Ephesians 4:11 – that will come in a later post. Instead, I would like to focus on the number of “items” listed in the verse. Unfortunately, to make this point, I will have to include the Greek text:
και αυτος εδωκεν τους μεν αποστολους τους δε Ï€Ïοφητας τους δε ευαγγελιστας τους δε ποιμενας και διδασκολους…
A literal translation would be:
And he (himself) gave on the one hand the apostles, on the other hand the prophets, on the other hand the evangelists, on the other hand the pastors and teachers…
There are three reasons to see this as a list of four items instead of five.
First, the μεν … δε (men … de – “on the one hand … on the other hand”) conjunction pair works to separate this list into four distinct elements. When using the μεν … δε conjunction, it was perfectly acceptable to the Greeks to have more than two “hands”, but they still used the conjunction pair to mark off the items in the list. Today, in English, we use commas and conjunctions to do the same thing. By examining the μεν … δε … δε … δε construction in Ephesians 4:11, it seems that the author was pointing to four items.
Second, the author also uses the definite article τους (tous) to separate the items. Notice that in this verse, there are four uses of the definite article τους. The last two nouns (ποιμενας και διδασκολους – “pastors and teachers”) share a definite article. This shows a correlation between these two nouns that the author does not indicate between the other three nouns (αποστολους… Ï€Ïοφητας… ευαγγελιστας – “apostles… prophets… evangelists”) since each has its own definite article.
Third, according to Daniel Wallace in Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, the combination of the μεν … δε conjunction pair with the definite article implies a mild contrast. [212-213] For this reason, many English versions translate this conjunction pair with the definite article as “some” and “others” (i.e. “some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers). However, this “mild contrast” does not exist between the last two nouns (ποιμενας και διδασκολους – “pastors and teachers”). Instead, they are connected by a different conjunction (και) which is connective or correlative. So, the author is contrasting four distinct groups, with the fourth group containing two connected nouns.
In other words, I would contend that the grammar and syntax of Ephesians 4:11 would create a bulleted list as shown below:
- apostles
- prophets
- evangelists
- pastors and teachers
I am not asserting that a “pastor” and a “teacher” are the same thing. That is a completely different discussion. At this point, I am simply examining the grammar, syntax, and construction of the Greek text. It is my belief that the Spirit worked through the authors to produce the text as He desired. Thus, we can know the intention of the author by reading the text itself. Once we know what the text says, then we can begin to discuss what the text means.
Also, I am not asserting that these giftings no longer exist nor am I asserting that God no longer works through individuals as apostles, prophets, etc. Again, that is a separate discussion.
So, what is my assertion? There are four items listed in Ephesians 4:11. I think it is problematic to base the concept of a “five-fold ministry” on a list that only contains four items.
Ephesians 4:7-16 Series:
1. Ephesians 4:11 and the Five-Fold Ministry
2. Ephesians 4:12 and Equipping Ministry
3. Ephesians 4:7-16 and the Growing Church
4. Ephesians 4:7-16 and Consistency
Following those who are further along on the journey…
I have been greatly encouraged by reading the blog of “Aussie” John – “Caesura“. He describes himself in this way:
I’m an old Christian bloke, retired, through ill health, from being a teaching elder (pastor) amongst God’s called out people. I have seen my retirement as God’s gift of a caesura (a pause prior to an emphasis. see Wikipedia),and am looking forward to what He has in store.
Did you catch that? John is “retired” but looking forward to what God has in store. He recognizes that God still has a plan to use him. One of the ways that God is using John is to encourage younger (ahem…) men, like myself. First, John taught me the phrase “fair dinkem”. Now, in his latest post, which you can find here, he challenges me once again. Consider his final two paragraphs:
It’s encouraging to see that there seems to be a new generation of young men, who are seeking an honest, open relationship with congregational brethren, recognising that “the ministry” is not their exclusive province while the congregations remain passive soaks of pastoral wisdom. They are recognising that, as elders, they are part, but not the most important part, of the whole, and as such have no need to play the super-spiritual, pious giant among men.
I trust they are recognising that there is only one such indispensable person to whom they are to point all men and women, and even He “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin”.
Take the time to read John’s entire post. Read about his journey and the wisdom that God has shown him in his 70 years (three score and ten). John is a good example of why God exhorts us through Scripture to follow those who are more mature and further along on the journey.
Slaves with private offices?
I want to point you to the blog of another friend of mine. Isabel, who blogs at “amateur“, has posted two blogs concerning the book The Jesus Style by Gayle D. Erwin. Her two posts are called “Recommended…no, almost required” and “Slave of All“.
Consider these quotations from The Jesus Style:
I have had the chance to see a good measure of church unity. It is always present when people are living the servant-style of Jesus. I have had a chance to see a good many church splits and it has become obvious that no church has ever split because two factions were arguing over who would get to be slave, or who would get to be least, or who would get to be last, or who would get to be of no reputation, or who would be the last use force.
Perhaps a good way to handle the trappings of leadership would be to put Slave over the door of our plush offices and take away everything from the surrounding that is incompatible with that.
A slave should have no title that raises him above that lowly level and definitely no title that raises him above others. A slave should have no status symbols except the scars that come from hard work. You would not expect a slave to have a special parking space more accessible than his master’s.
This last quote reminds me of this passage of Scripture:
Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ (Luke 17:7-10 ESV)
I’m looking forward to Isabel’s continued posting on this book.
Why are we passionate about leadership?
I’ve noticed a trend on my blog. Whenever I post something about leadership, that post is read more and receives more comments than other blog posts in general – even though I do not post on leadership very often.
For example, last Thursday, I posted a blog called “What does a bishop oversee?” On Friday, as a follow-up, I posted a blog called “The Church or the Organization?” In less than four days, this blog post was read by more people than other posts that have been on my blog for much longer (50% more than the next most read post, and climbing). Also, it now has the most comments of any of my other blog posts. In fact, five of my top ten most read blog posts are on the subject of leadership in the church (6 out of 10 if you count “Messy Meetings“.)
Why are we so passionate about leadership? Relatively, Scripture says little about specific leadership such as elders, bishops, etc. Certainly, there is more in Scripture about general leadership attitudes, especially in the Gospels. But, Scripture has much more to say about other topics, such as a believer’s conduct, or faith, or even eschatology (gasp!).
I do not know the answer to this. I have never been able to gauge the reaction of readers to my blog posts. Some posts that I am very passionate about, other people seem to have less interest (measured by the number of times the post is read and the number of comments it receives).
So, since I don’t know the answer, I hope to learn from you. I ask you to consider my question: Why are you and others passionate about leadership? Please, comment and let me know what you think.
Christian Leadership around the Blogosphere…
Since my last two posts have covered the topics of Christian leadership, specifically elders, I thought I would post some links to others who are discussing the topics of Christian leadership, elders, ministers, and organizations:
My good friend Maël, from “The Adventures of Maël & Cindy“, examines the use of the English word “ministers” to describe Christian leaders.
A new blogging friend, “Aussie” John, who blogs at “Caesura“, has added his own thoughts to mine in a post from Thursday, March 29, 2007.
Two other blogging friends, the husband and wife team of Brandon and Heather, describe their interactions with the church and the organization. Brandon, at “Eleutheros“, calls his post “The death of a dream and the birth of a dream“, while Heather, at “Free Heart Reflections“, calls her post “The Institution At What Costs?“
Finally, here are a few of my previous posts concerning leaders, elders, and servants which you can add to “What does a bishop oversee?” and “The Church or the Organization?“:
1. “Leaders and Servants“
2. “More on Leaders and Servants“
3. “Leadership, Obedience, and Authority“
4. “Who is your pastor?“
5. “Qualifications and Examples“
I hope you enjoy reading these.