People often say that simple/organic/house churches do not believe in leadership. Is that true?
No! It's just that the leadership we do believe in looks completely different. This is what is usually thought of as leadership:
Jesus said, "It shall not be this way among you!" (Matthew 20:26)
We'll explore it in the next few posts.
9 replies on “Do organic/simple churches believe in leadership?”
Leadership has been a tremendous burden for me lately, as part of a fledgling organic church. I’m looking forward to this!
My wife and I just began a house meeting too. Excited to learn.
We’ve briefly talked about this topic before. You know about my negative experiences with leadership in the institutional church. I’ll be excited to see how this discussion unfolds.
I find that many HC people are choosing HC sometimes for overly negative reasons where often because they’ve had a negative experience of leadership they then become kind of ecclesiastical anarchists. Can I coin a new phrase here? We need “doularchy”—the rule of slave / servant leaders. We mustn’t throw out babies with bathwater—the New Testament asks us to GIVE our submission to leaders and leaders to GIVE their service to the saints.
I keep coming back to the fruit of the Spirit when I try to understand how ekklesia works. This fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
How does that affect you if you are leading? How does it affect you if you are following? Is it true to say all of us should lead and all of us should follow? Jesus said that we are to make disciples (ie followers) – who are they to follow? He also said that we are not to call people ‘teacher’, or ‘father’. Why not? And how does that fit with Paul’s list of gifts – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers?
We have to take all this and more on board in understanding what church leadership is and is not.
I’m looking forward to the conversation!
I like Milt Rodriguez’s book “Community Life of God” that Christ’s life flows through one another to lead His body, so in a sense anybody living by Christ’s life can protect, guide, teach, serve, etc as we love one another. Therefore it is all about functioning, hearing Christ and following Christ, not about positions or titles.
Your diagram and passage quote imply that hierarchical is the thing that Jesus said shall not be among you. In fact, it is only the lording aspect of leadership that Jesus was speaking against.
I will also wait to see how this series of leadership posts develop. Peace and Grace
organic church has leadership, it is called ‘spirit-led.’
as we ‘serve one another’ not ‘lead one another’ – the gifts can freely flow in each one of his people by the spirit of God, why? because ‘none’ is ‘usurping’ ‘assuming’ leadership among everybody.
jesus says, ‘go and make followers.’ and you’re a ‘leader?’ who made you? do you have your own followers then?
granted there is ‘leadership’ in the church by some brethren who have the ‘most authority.’ a few scriptures indeed talks about ‘rule.’ the question is: for how long? how long are you going to lead?
the length of leadership can be a challenging question. John the baptist has his ‘own’ followers but only ‘for while.’ We may lead, granted, but only for awhile. after we make them disciples [followers of who? jesus] let them freely follow Christ leading – [our job is teach him how to have fellowship with God.]
we have leadership skills, yes, but don’t use it to your brother who is ‘found.’ Use it to the ‘lost’ – they need some ‘guidance.’ The ‘found’ has already a GUIDE.
lead the lost, serve the found.
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