Leadership and Humility
by Susan Sonnenday Vogel and Lovett H. Weems, Jr.

So let no one boast about human leaders.
I Corinthians 3:21a, NRSV

The experience out of which this verse comes is a good illustration of why humility can be such a challenge for leaders, particularly gifted leaders. Not only do leaders face the human tendency toward self-importance; they also encounter followers who often mistake the leader for the larger purpose served by the leader.

Paul addresses the Corinthians who were boasting in human leaders. In the midst of sharp divisions and conflicts, they had chosen sides by lifting up different leaders. One boasted in Paul. Another, in Apollos. Yet another, in Cephas.

This mistakes the role of the Christian leader. Such a promotion of a human leader misplaces the loyalty of Christians and misinterprets how leaders relate to followers. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they do not belong to a particular leader (or party, theology, or politics). They belong to Christ. When leaders forget this lesson, they get into trouble. When leaders operate without a theological grounding for their leadership, there is weakness.

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Book Review

Needs-Based Evangelism
Becoming a Good Samaritan Church
by Robert D. Pierson, Abingdon Press, 2006

Reviewed by Ann A. Michel

In Needs-Based Evangelism, Robert Pierson, pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, makes a simple but essential point: We must combine caring ministry with proclamation of the Gospel. Pierson blames the decline of so many mainline Protestant churches on their tendency to dichotomize good works and evangelistic witness.

The old idea that we can divide the Christian faith into two tasks – evangelism and social concerns -- is ridiculous theologically and not helpful,” writes Pierson. “Too often, Christians help others, but don’t explain why."

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Leaders do not need answers.
Leaders must have the right questions.

Robert Pierson says that the real measure of a ministry is whether it meets the needs of people. Some questions he uses are:

• Does worship provide a real experience of the presence of God?
  

• Is the sacrament presented in such a quality way that hope and understanding of the risen Christ is actually experienced?

• Are education programs dealing with biblical material in a way that is relevant to the issues facing individuals and families?

Editors:  Lovett H. Weems, Jr. and Ann A. Michel
Production and distribution:  Joe Arnold

Copyright © 2006 by the G. Douglass Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Leading Ideas material may be freely distributed with attribution (exclusive of material protected by separate copyright).