Leadership in the Local Church: Discerning Practical Value and Developing Theological Foundations

 

Defining a Refined Leadership Focus

The preceding certainly suggests that leadership—practical as well as moral and spiritual—is highly prized in the biblical tradition. However, in Pentecostal institutions the focus of formal ministerial training is usually on doctrine, history, and polity. In recent years more of an emphasis on pastoral counseling and care of souls has also developed, but most specific practical pastoral skills, including leadership skills, have usually been formed through a rather informal tradition of mentoring. Mentoring, as Conn observes, has clear biblical precedents and certainly can be exceedingly effective.³¹ However, mentoring tends to be uneven and irregular, relying altogether too much on vast variations or fluctuations of style and skill in the individual participants.³² Additionally, even when leadership is sufficiently valued pressing it into a secular paradigm or shaping it according to a secular mold tends to be a common trend. Therefore, carefully defining the focus of pastoral leadership or other forms of local church leadership becomes paramount.

“Leadership” in general is often variously defined. John Maxwell defines leadership simply as the ability to influence others.³³ George Barna admits leadership is an art defying precise definition. He accepts a workable definition of leadership as “mobilizing others toward a goal shared by the leader and followers”.³⁴ A more specific description of pastoral leadership by Jay Adams, suggesting “guidance by example,” may be the underlying principle.³⁵ Robert Dale says, “Pastoral leadership is an action-oriented, interpersonal influencing process practiced in a congregational setting”.³⁶

In a different vein, Paul Walker defines the overall role of pastor in terms of leadership. “The pastor is defined as a minister placed in the position of the leader of a group of believers in the role of one who sincerely cares [original emphasis]”.³⁷ Somewhat similarly Thomas Oden, utilizing “shepherding as pivotal analogy,” asks us to “picture the shepherd patiently moving ahead, but not too far ahead, of the sheep—calming and at times entertaining them with music, gently guiding them beside still waters”.³⁸ He carefully defines pastoral leadership and authority in terms of service.³⁹

All of the above definitions are meritorious. No doubt leadership involves influencing others and means mobilizing people toward shared goals. Certainly pastors, even more than other leaders, guide by godly example. Also, the pastoral role intrinsically involves leadership, and the shepherding model of pastor-leader has undeniable biblical and historical precedents. Finally, good pastoral leadership involves action and influence in a congregation.

Maxwell’s view of leadership as influence, however, is not specific enough for application to pastoral leadership. Nor does his definition seem to have been designed as such. Maxwell’s definition of leadership strikes a note as a secular understanding of leadership—at least in the sense of not being purposefully pastoral or even specifically spiritual. The same might be said of Barna’s definition of leadership, and surprisingly Barna, with his previous work on the importance of vision in leadership, adopts a definition of leadership which seems to assume visionary goals already in place before leadership begins.⁴⁰ While Adams’ definition is indeed intentionally and practically pastoral, it may be too specific in that at times pastoral leadership encompasses more than members merely following the pastor’s example. This study calls for a simpler, more straightforward summary than Dale’s technical-sounding definition. Both Walker and Oden are less concerned with actually defining pastoral leadership than in defining the overall pastoral role as intrinsically inclusive of leadership.

For our purposes, a definition of leadership is needed that is clear and concise and preeminently pastoral in its perspective. It should be both biblical and practical. Accordingly, I will work throughout this project with an understanding of pastoral leadership as “guiding a congregation for God.” Latent within this definition is my understanding that God in his wisdom uses a pastor to help his or her congregation move towards the goal of becoming and doing all God intends. Although not without room for improvement, this definition is pointedly pastoral, describing the pastor’s leadership role as a particular type of ministry activity as well as the specific context within which it is carried out and identifying the one to whom the pastor is ultimately responsible and accountable in performance of the ministry of leadership. It also, as shall be shown, builds on a biblical-theological interpretation of the leadership task in a pastoral setting.

Barna asserts that when “millions of Americans turn to churches for spiritual, emotional, and material help … what they receive is largely dependent on the leadership pastors exert within their churches”.⁴¹ Amidst the challenges of an increasingly complex culture “the quality of pastoral leadership is one of the most significant indicators of the current health and potential influence of the Church in America”.⁴² Pastors are consistently called upon to exercise leadership at the local level of ministry. At the very least, a foundation of general principles for pastoral leadership needs to be identified. The aim of the following, therefore, is to ascertain and describe those principles that leaders and pastors within Pentecostalism may find helpful in building effective pastoral leadership.

Tags: church, developing, discerning, foundations, leadership, local, practical, theological

Category: Fall 2010, Ministry