How Do YOU View Your Leaders?

 

I didn't know I was going to have a four-part series of posts about Letters to the Church by Francis Chan, and yet, here we are.

I held back on posting a summary of each chapter because that wouldn't do Chan's thoughts justice. It would be far better for everyone to actually read the book. (And you should!) But a single sentence in the final chapter jumped off the page and demanded to be featured here.

In fear that some critics of the Church would take the chapters of this book that spell out how we've strayed from the biblical imperatives about being the Church and march into their pastor's office to berate them to a pulp, Chan closes the book with what he calls "A Leader's Guide to Loving the Arrogant." (He wanted to write the chapter to the arrogant and self-righteous, but realized they probably wouldn't recognize themselves anyway.)

That single sentence that stopped me in my tracks?

[God's] desire is for us to view church leaders as God's gifts to the Church since He sees them that way.

Here's the context:

God wants the Church to be the one institution that loves authority. He wants us to be different, a strange group of people who actually love having a King and are grateful for His commands. His desire is for us to view church leaders as God's gifts to the Church since He sees them that way.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.
(Ephesians 4:11-12)

God "gave" these leaders to the Church in order to bring her to maturity. When's the last time you heard someone refer to leaders as gifts?

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Truth is...not every pastor is the kind of Scripture-soaked, Spirit-led servant-leader Yahweh wants them to be. All of us are works in progress. But still, when's the last time you've encouraged yours?