How should we lead the church?

In this Pneuma Review conversation, Pastor-scholar Tony Richie discusses what having good leadership means for a local church

Introduction

“We’re a good church, but we need a good leader!” The preceding sentence expressed the sentiment of the good people of the John Sevier Church of God in Knoxville, Tennessee, during our interview for the pastorate (December 1997). These words also resonated with my own experience a few years prior when had I entered the Doctor of Ministry program at Asbury Theological Seminary. My Bachelor of Arts degree had been in Philosophy-Religion, with a minor in Biblical Languages, and I had earned a Master of Divinity degree from the premier seminary of my denomination. As I surveyed the various emphases offered by Asbury, I realized that my training in theology, language, hermeneutics, homiletics, and counseling had not practically prepared me specifically for the role of pastoral leadership; nevertheless, as a pastor I was consistently called upon to function not only as a preacher or a counselor but as the leader of my congregation. Accordingly, contrary to my previous approach to education and yet with a deep sense of divine direction, I chose the leadership track for my studies at Asbury.

Tony Richie chairing a panel discussing ecumenism at the 2014 convention of the Society for Pentecostal Studies.

My experiences at John Sevier and Asbury have been echoed in my overall pastoral experience. I have been in the ministry for nearly thirty years, more than twenty-seven of which have been spent serving as a pastor. I have enjoyed relatively successful ministry in each pastorate, yet I have not infrequently felt an absence of confidence concerning my leadership duties and abilities. Slowly, I have come to suspect that the missing sense of certainty may be due, at least in part, to a failure to understand and apply a specific, sound theology of leadership for the pastoral setting, especially in my own ministry context as a Pentecostal Christian and churchman.¹

Discerning Practical Value

The almost incomparable worth of morally and practically competent leadership and the tragedy of evil or inept leadership is a consistent and recurring theme in Scripture. Further, an important element of the leadership challenge includes carefully defining leadership in local church settings.

Incomparable Worth of Competent Leadership

Throughout the biblical record the issue of leadership is noticeably prominent. Very early on the problem of corrupt leadership is latent. Hartley notes that Nimrod was the first empire builder.² An enigma to scholars, he appears to have been regarded in almost godlike terms.³ He was apparently a powerful leader. Nimrod’s rule was centered in the region of Shinar (Gen. 10:8-12). The account of the height of human arrogance and divine displeasure over the tower of Babel is set in Shinar, later known as Babylon (11:1-9). That this “famous city symbolizes commerce, human achievement, and the pursuit of pleasure” appears clear.⁴ The attitude of heaven toward haughty human leadership is underscored in the divine dispersion and division of the human race. Throughout the Scriptures Babylon is often encoded as the enemy of God and of God’s people (e.g., Rev. 17-18).

In complete contrast to the pride and pomp of Nimrod and Babylon stands the piety of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. A comparison of the patriarchal narrative of Scripture with ancient historical evidence strongly suggests the patriarchs lived in a dimorphic society consisting of pastoral nomads and village dwellers, probably early in the second millennium BC. The family units of the patriarchs were basically “autonomous tribal chiefdoms”.⁵ In the culture of the ancient Near East, “the patriarchs themselves were chiefs of seminomadic clans”.⁶ The patriarchs exercised definite leadership influence within the realm of their usually somewhat large family unit and its accompanying assortment of servants, friends, visitors, and, to some extent, neighboring peoples. For instance, Joseph’s timely leadership position and ability is of key import to Israel’s physical and national survival and divine destiny as the people of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 37, 39-50).

Graham Cooke, Developing Your Prophetic Gifting (Chosen Books, 2003), 284 pages, ISBN 9780800793265.

I operate well in the gift of prophecy and interpreting tongues. I thus enjoy reading the thoughts of others who, too, share this realm. My first experience with prophecy was back in the late 60’s when the Philadelphia Gospel Temple was in its heyday. The Temple sponsored a Labor Day convention each year, and the Saturday afternoon session featured the visiting pastors, the Temple pastors and several members of the Temple board who laid their hands on various candidates and spoke what they perceived as the mind of God over each of those who had sought this experience. I wanted that experience.

The seekers always outnumbered the places available so it took several years for me to work my way up on the list. When my turn finally came, I was dismayed when the voice of God came through Johnny Green, a member of the Temple board, and not through one of those mighty visiting preachers. I wrote down what I remembered Green saying shortly after he spoke. It was something like “You (me) will be like a well re-dug and a dam overtopped with flood waters for out of you will flow rivers of living water, you will touch thousands for Christ and your marriage will be an example to many.”

Nothing much happened to change my life’s direction for ten years, then my wife divorced me, I was relieved of my church teaching duties and I soon moved 2,500 miles to California in 1979 to start over. It seemed at that time that John Green’s prophetic words were merely some nice thoughts uttered among many others one Saturday afternoon long ago. And then after several years in California, they all came true. Amazing and astonishing.

I never heard of Graham Cooke until his book appeared on a list of potential book reviews. Even then his name meant nothing to me until I began to read his book on one of the airplane rides I seem to constantly take. Graham Cooke’s writing was fascinating and compelling as he unfolded his experiences and knowledge about the gifting and calling of a prophet. I ended up with 22 pages of notes in my journal, and then I used those notes in the session on Prophecy in my class at Pacific Rim Bible College. Next year I will add his book to the texts for the class.

The class session on prophecy is always fascinating as I teach my students how to prophesy by doing so over almost every one in the class. After I work my way through this, I invite the students to try their wings and see if they too can fly. Often the class ends with a season of protracted tarrying and tears, students everywhere on the floor all over the class room. In no other class of mine is the power of God so evident.