“Today,
more than ever, leadership isn’t first and foremost a formal role. It’s rather a personal capacity to exert
vision and passion that enables others to join in a common effort. Such leaders are needed in every domain of
life. They don’t hold the resolution;
they hold the capacity to draw others into seeking and working toward one. They may have a title and job description, or
they may simply be influencers”
– Mark Labberton, Called, p. 91.
The very first time I attended the
Willow Creek Leadership Summit was in 2006.
I’ll never forget the moment when Bill Hybels addressed the crowd and
called us by a simple but profound title: “leaders.” I was interning in youth ministry at a great
church, and I often joked that I was the lowest man on the totem pole and therefore
was the most expendable person on-staff.
But when Hybels said that word in that setting, I heard it in a
different way. I started to sense that
God had something much bigger for me to do and be, and even though it took many
more years for me to line that up with the call to pastoral ministry, the seed
was planted.
I’m almost done with Mark
Labberton’s brief but challenging book, Called. In a stroke of marketing genius, Fuller
Seminary sent out copies of Labberton’s book to all students and alumni this
past year, and it’s been a joy to read.
I thought the above quote was especially appropriate for FPC as we lean
into this unheralded season in the 130-history of our church. FPC has never given a pastoral sabbatical
before this year, and we’ve also never had a senior pastor stay at our church
longer than 12 years. Yes, I do think
the two are related.
But back to Labberton’s quote. One of the things many people least associate with church is
leadership. For many people, the plan is
to come to church on Sunday, sing, hear the Word, and go home. Under that framework, the idea of leadership feels
foreign in the spiritual life, with the exception possibly of how you view your
pastor as a leader or mentor in your faith.
The church of the 21st century is slowly turning to page to
enabling and equipping the people of God to do the mission of Christ in the
world which has been infused with the Holy Spirit. I’m not saying that the modern-day church is
getting this right, but I am saying that it is a paradigm shift for a lot of
people to think about their church as a place to express leadership gifting. Or, for others, the idea that they may in
fact be a leader is a stretch. Even
scarier: the idea that they may not
be a leader is a stretch.
My hope is that many of us who
might not self-identify as leaders will take another look at that role this
summer. I hope we’ll see more people who
have been on the sidelines jump in the game.
Conversely, I hope that our study of biblical leadership will help give
more people permission to focus on training up new leaders, rather than
continuing to try to lead like they always have – and mostly on their own. I hope that our church will shift into a
completely different gear as we seek to flourish in Christ this summer.
Solo Dei gloria,
Travis
