A biblical definition of headship, submission, and wisely using authority. In this brief encouragement for church leaders, Dr. Harbuck points to Jesus as our example for servant-leadership.

A good leader guards against the human tendency to abuse and control others for selfish gain. The average person would rather be the head and not the tail. However, the Bible teaches us something different. The husband was never meant to “lord” over his wife, nor a pastor to “lord” over the congregation. The church is not an institution, but a living organism. Therefore, it’s important that the shepherd-leader be in tune with the Head of the church, Jesus Christ. In today’s church the image of “headship” too often tends to reflect someone who is in control of the people.

Image: Jessica Delp

F.F. Bruce, the great British scholar has said that “head” probably is meant to reflect the “source” or “origin.” For example, the Father (God) is the source of life in the Son, as the Son is the source of life in the believer. The “headship” that is given to Christ (Colossians 1:18) must be applied and interpreted by seeing Christ as One who is loving, sacrificing, compassionate, delivering, and transforming those whom He loves. Shouldn’t a shepherd-leader have the same attitude (or mind) that is in Christ Jesus? A pastor who sees their leadership role as one commissioned to love, nurture, and build up the saints will not require blind obedience to their every command. A husband who understands accurately biblical directives will consider his wife’s feelings and ideas. Likewise, a loving and understanding pastor will not become an authoritarian, but one who understands power and authority and one who encourages the saints to reach their full potential in Christ.

Originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of Grapevine, the monthly newsletter of the Association of Evangelical Gospel Assemblies. Used with permission.

Dean Merrill, Damage Control: How to Stop Making Jesus Look Bad (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2006), 174 pages, ISBN 9780801065651.

From the journalist and author of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Church (1997) comes yet another volume which speaks to the too often “narrow-minded, exclusionary, and pushy” (back cover) presentation of the Christian Gospel. Believing that Christians do not live as individuals, but that they are “viewed as a collective body and representation of their leader Jesus Christ”, Merrill is very quick to affirm that what Christians do “reflects on the entire group, including its leader, Jesus Christ.” For Merrill, Christians and Christ are “inseparable in the public mind” (Merrill, 16).

Far from being a negative critique of current Christian testimony, Merrill also affirms the positive ways many Christians live out their faith in today’s world. He describes the responses of many Christians he recently interviewed for this book. When asked this question: “What makes you proud to be a Christian?” his respondents were quick to share their delight with the “ongoing programs of help for the needy, the sick, and the disadvantaged”. They admired” the bravery and endurance [of many] in the face of persecution, especially among Christians in the developing world”. His interviewees believed that “there is less denominational partisanship these days than in times past”, and that the Christian effort was effectively reducing “racism in American life”. Respondents also extolled the seeker sensitivity of many churches (Merrill 17). In the main, these Christians were generally satisfied with what they perceived as the Christian impact on the world.

Dean Merrill

In light of all this, he concludes with encouragements for his Christian reader to “bridge build”, to be a “representative of a higher kingdom based on love [leading] to the Way, in the pursuit of shalom” (117). Christians, says Merrill, should be persons of “one-way kindness” (chapter 11), “engaging real difficulties in a real world [giving] substance to the faith [they] possess” (131). He, therefore, calls for a Christian to present a clear and attractive message (chapter 11, 12).

Ultimately, Christian readers could do well by including this book in their devotional reading; and Damage Control could also serve as a discussion guide for groups seeking to be even more authentic in their witness for Christ.

Reviewed by Carolyn D. Baker

Further Reading:

The Pentecostal Evangel from the Assemblies of God interviewed Dean Merrill in 2006: http://www.ag.org/pentecostal-evangel/conversations2006/4810_Merrill.cfm