In recent years I’ve grown disillusioned & dismayed by the modern focus on leadership in the church, though admittedly I also fell prey to its relentless drum beat for decades. The New Testament does not place the great emphasis on leadership that modern-day church “experts” do. John Maxwell is the most prominent proponent among them (in both the church & business worlds) with his famous mantra: “Everything rises & falls on leadership.” But if that’s true, then why doesn’t Jesus speak of it in those terms? If He didn’t focus much on it, why should we?
I’ve always rejected the use of honorific titles. Jesus forbade them. I’ve eschewed being called “Senior Pastor” because it’s foreign to the New Testament. Though I’m a “Lead Minister,” it’s more of a descriptive role or function than a title. It’s what I do, not who I am. So I’ve always said just call me “Brett.” The same is true for the titles of “deacon” (servant), “pastor” (shepherd), & “bishop” (overseer)–they’re functions. While folks may prefer to use titles as a sign of respect, we don’t find that practice in Scripture. Emphasis on titles can lead to pride, “lording it over” others, & conveying that some have a greater “rank” than others–which is what the false clergy/laity distinction does (Matt. 23:6-10, Mark 10:42-45).
It’s really silly anyway to think the word “minister” is special or lofty. It just means “servant.” All Christians are to be “ministers” (1 Pet. 2:9, 4:10-11). For a few years, our church fell into the practice of using the modern staff title “Executive Minister” because it was commonly practiced among large congregations. But I never liked it because it sounded too “corporate.” So I finally did away with it a few years ago & declared we would never use it again.
Some addressed Jesus as “rabbi” (teacher), but His only real title was “Christ” (Messiah). What did Jesus focus on? Servanthood, not leadership. Though He had all authority, He didn’t demand to be called “Most Holy Reverend Dr.” If anyone deserved to be “reverenced” it was Him. But among His Disciples, never once do you find “Reverend” being used. In fact, those early Church leaders didn’t use any titles. Though we use the title, “The Apostle Paul,” he never spoke of himself like that. He simply called himself “Paul, a servant [minister] of Christ Jesus” (Rom. 1:1, Titus 1:1). The same is true for Peter & Jesus’ half-brothers (2 Pet. 1;1, James 1:1, Jude 1).
When I attended a Maxwell conference as a young church planter, I was captivated by the practical teachings I’d never learned in my formal schooling. I used to promote some of his books among those I was seeking to develop for church leadership. While certainly many churches were being led by those who didn’t know how to lead well, in retrospect, it became an over-correction & turned into an industry.
At the same time of Maxwell’s burgeoning influence in the mid-1990s, another leadership conference was being launched–the Global Leadership Summit featuring high-profile speakers. Hosted annually by the influential Chicago-area Willow Creek megachurch & broadcast via satellite to multiple church sites in America & even globally, it grew to become the largest such conference. I attended one in person & a couple via simulcast. But in addition to prominent pastoral speakers, others were being featured from the secular sectors of government, business, entertainment, & philanthropy in order to draw in business people. I understood why, but also thought that it was detracting from church leadership principles which are supposed to be different than other kinds of leadership. Would Paul or Peter have promoted a “Ted Talk” event like that?!
Nevertheless, our church agreed to be a satellite site in 2016, hoping that it would be helpful. But it really wasn’t & I didn’t think it was worth ever doing again. Still, even as recently as 2020 I was still talking about our about our church becoming a breeding ground for developing leaders. But I tempered it by saying: “It’s not about having a church full of leaders, but of disciple-makers.” Since then I’ve become more convinced that generating more leaders isn’t nearly as important as it’s been made out to be. That’s not to say having the right kind of leaders doesn’t matter–it’s just that all the leadership training & strategizing isn’t that important.
I threw out most of my books from Maxwell as well as other iconic church leaders who are now discredited or disreputable. I no longer listen to such podcasts. It’s tragically ironic how many megachurch celebrities that evangelical leaders used to listen to because they were “experts” with large “ministries” have been exposed for scandals & abuse of authority, or become involved in wokeism & false teachings. Behind the scenes, they were a mess, yet telling the rest of us, “Here’s how to do things.” Some ended up going to therapists because they were under such unhealthy pressure to be “great” leaders.
We value biblical leaders. But instead of striving to be experts in goal setting, organizational strategy & systems management, we ought to instead strive to be the best servants we can be. Because our influence is based on Scriptural qualifications, our leadership is through godly example, faithful teaching of God’s Word, & equipping the saints for the work of “ministry” (1 Tim. 3:2, Eph. 4:11-12).