I found this link on a friend’s website. Check it out!!!

www.storyofstuff.com

I think we need to be more aware of the systems we live in.  I will write more about this in the near future.

I think sometimes it is easy to disconnect ourselves from history. This can be dangerous because in history we learn the dynamic nature of both life and God. And if it is true that both life and God are dynamic, we cannot remain static. All of this comes to mind as I wrestle with the formation of leadership in the church.

For many of us, we assume that present church leadership is how the church has always functioned (for the most part). This makes it easy to embrace. It is all we have ever known personally. And we have not witnessed any “better” alternative. This is not only true of church leadership, but the church itself – its structure, purpose, and practices.

In the past couple of years I have been challenged to both reconnect with history and dream again what the church (and its leadership) might be “in a time such as this”.

1) The early church: Lead by apostles, focused on mission. “Devoted themselves to the apostles teaching” (Acts 4). This developed into pluralistic leadership based on calling and gifts. Deacons were assigned responsibilities very early. In Ephesians we read that God has given some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. And all of leadership was for the purpose of “equipping the saints for ministry”. In other words, all who were followers of the Way were ordained into ministry/mission.

2) From apostles to priests: The church moved from the margins of society to being the official religion of the state (empire). Infant baptism determined who was part of the church. In this transition, the leadership of the church became priestly. The mission of the church in proclaiming the “kingdom of God” now became more a function of the empire. Leadership became responsible for holding services, administering sacraments, interceding for people. In a way, the church became the chaplain of the empire. Leadership during this period included a lot of power and authority (very hierarchical).

3) (Reformation) From priests to pedagogues (literally “teachers of children”): Although the Reformation was a very large paradigm shift, it did not alter the assumptions of church leadership too much. The nature of the church changed. What was the “true” church became important. Thousands of splits and denominations emerged. So while leadership remained hierarchical, doctrine became extremely important and a point of contention. Therefore, the function of leadership became that of a teacher – teach correct doctrine (which many people disagreed and fought over), the “true” gospel, etc.

4) From pedagogue to professional: The Enlightenment brought with it the rise of science and education. Reason became the driving force of truth. The church tried to keep pace and made theology an academic pursuit, placing alongside science and philosophy in the university. As this developed, leadership developed into professional, seminary trained theologians. In addition, the training of ministers almost solely focused on teaching. Reason and education did not have categories for apostles, prophets, etc. Or, if these things were addressed, they became a subject to be taught. “Professional” ministers trained in academia became the dominant leadership model. Again, this inherently priviledged certain trained Christians for ministry while lay people remained more passive.

5) Today, we still inherit a “professional” model: Church leaders and leadership still operate in a very professional and specialized mindset. Theologians, pastors, counselors, managers (executive directors), youth specialists, etc. are all professional job titles. The church most often functions as a business. There is a very distinct line between professional church “staff” and lay leaders. The Enlightenment still informs a leadership philosophy where teachers/pastors are given priority over apostles, prophets, evangelists. The congregation is largely the group of people being ministered to, and rarely considered ordained by God to the mission of the church.

6) From professional to missional leadership: As America (and the Western world) becomes more and more pluralistic, Christianity is again going to be moved to the margins of society. While America is use to sending missionaries to foreign lands, America itself has become a mission field. Churches as businesses are competing for a shrinking customer base (I hate that language by the way). Therefore, churches and church leadership need to re-discover their missional identity. A pastor/teacher ministering to and leading a congregation will not be sufficient. Leadership will not be for a single person, but for a community of multi-gifted people. Even more, the ministry of the church will not fall on the shoulders of a professional staff, but is the responsibilty of the “priesthood of believers”. There are no professionals- there is a community of called people, each with their own gifts and experiences (some leadership). This community is the body of Christ called the to mission of God in the world.

How do we move forward? How do we stay dynamic as God’s people in the world? What do you think? Is your church a missional community? a priesthood of believers? Are you static as a community, leaving the professional leadership to be active for you? Are you competing with other churches over Christians in your city, or engaging together missionally to reach a pluralistic world? Where are you in God’s Story?

Reflections

My world is at peace when neighbors are mirrors
And answers come easy when talking to peers
Belief is like music tickling my ears
Community a blanket covering my fears

My reflection looks good staring at friends
But when belief equals love, it always depends
So say what you want and be who you are
Cause love’s unconditional, if you don’t wander too far

So I beg you my friend not to open your soul
Cause love gets tricky when my agenda’s the goal
And if what I see in you doesn’t seem right
The mirror gets ugly and I fear the sight

Cause if staring at you is looking at me
My soul is something I’m not ready to see

The role or office of the prophet was very important in the history of Israel. In fact, there is a very large section of our Bible that is called ‘the prophets’. Many scholars say that the role of a prophet was a huge part of Jesus’ ministry. And even in the early church (Eph 4) we see that the office of the prophet was identified and considered given by God.

So my honest question is: Where did all the prophets go?

I had a little fun with this question- trying to imagine what I know of biblical prophets in the context of some modern church structures. Still, my question is honest and I would love to hear what you think. Is there a role for prophets in the local church? Does the “prophetic voice” still exist? Where is it at work in the ministry of the church today?

Top Ten Reasons Churches Don’t Hire Prophets

10) Lack of social etiquette and people skills

9) Calling for repentance is not part of the church growth plan

8 ) The ministry of the prophet would focus primarily on the church leadership responsible for hiring him/her (especially the executive director of …).

7) No accredited seminaries have prophet degree or ordination programs

6) Most prophets are more commonly known as “heretics”

5) “The board” has never heard of a prophet and doesn’t understand why we would need to hire one (especially when we need more directors, secretaries, administrators, and team leaders)

4) We like the budget just the way it is

3) Most prophets would not look good on our webpage (not that the pictures on our webpage are of the people in our church anyways).

2) Can you imagine a prophet trying to go through the canidating process?

1) The “prophetic voice” was not high on the spiritual needs survey