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| Leaf, on our car mirror |
At Redeemer, leadership happens when God speaks to people in our community (our "church"). This can include me, the pastor. But much of what is happening is due to myself and my fellow elders and others listening to God speaking, often through our community, then discerning, and empowering. (Our elders are a team of discerners, and non-task-oriented. See HERE.)
When Linda and I came to Redeemer twenty-six years ago (!!!), we saw a church being led by God, including a team of elders. Not a "governing church board." Thank God we did not have to battle this! (This is where the pastor becomes a hireling.)
Michael Brown, in Revolution in the Church, writes:
"Do away with the notion of Christian leaders-for-hire (or of ministers seeking jobs or positions), also discarding the concept of a non-elder governing board...
The church is not a business (or company or franchise) and, ideally speaking, leaders should not be “hired” and “fired” as much as “called in” and “sent out,” unless some kind of moral failure or doctrinal error leads to their removal...
The notion of a board running the church is also unbiblical, unless the word board refers to the governing elders. Otherwise we must reject this binding, archaic worldly system of a church board comprised of influential or long-standing (but not necessarily spiritual) members who can constrain or even cripple the leader(s). Where is there an ounce of support for this in the Word? What New Testament model does it follow? And how does it enhance the work of the ministry or advance the Kingdom?" (Brown, Kindle Locations 2087-2099)
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My two books are:
Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God (May 2016)
Leading the Presence-Driven Church (January 2018)
I am now writing:
How God Changes the Human Heart
Technology and Spiritual Formation
Linda and I plan to co-write our book on Relationships
