BlogSeriesonBiblicalEldership(Fall/Winter2018)JosephH.Hellerman

(ofOceansideChristianFellowshipandTalbotSchoolofTheology)IntroductoryComments(fromP.J.Davis)-WhatfollowsinthisdocumentisaseriesofblogpostswrittenbyJoseph“Joe”Hellerman.JoeservesthebodyofChristintwoprimaryroles:1)Asastaffpastor-elderatOceansideChristianFellowship(OCF),anEvangelicalFreeChurchofAmericacongregationinSouthernCalifornia;2)AsaProfessorofNewTestamentLanguageand Literature at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University). In this series of posts, Joedescribeshis(andOCF’s)understandingofpastoralleadershipinthechurchundertakenbyateamofco-equalpastor-elders.IhighlycommendJoe’swordstoyourconsideration.WhereI’vefeltitnecessaryorhelpful,I’veaddedmyowneditorialcomments.Theseappearinbrackets,withbluefont(goAirForce!),soastoclearlydistinguishJoe’swordsfrommyown.Additionally,I made a few grammatical and formatting edits when transferring Joe’s blog posts to thisconsolidated document. You can find this blog series online at OCF’s website:https://www.ocfchurch.com/pastors-blog/Attheendoftheday, Jesus’churchwillbeled(humanlyspeaking)bysomeoneandinsomefashion.Thequestionis,“How,andbywhom?”Itismyconviction,andtheconvictionofthisdocument,thatGod’swordhasmuchtotellusonbothcounts.

ISPLURALITYLEADERSHIPBIBLICAL?(BlogPost#1)

OurlastpostexplainedwhywepreachthroughtheBiblethewaywedoatOCF.Inthisandthe next several postswewill consider anotherOCF “non-negotiable,” namely, our teamapproachtopastoralministry.OCFhasnoseniorpastorleadingourchurchfortworeasons:

1. BIBLICAL:WebelievethatsharedministryisGod’sidealforhischurch.

2. PRAGMATIC:WebelievethathavingapluralityofpastorsishealthierforboththeleadersandthemembersofOCF.

Thefirstthreepostswilloutlinethebiblicaldata.PARTONE(today)looksatspecificNewTestament passages that portray early church structure. PART TWOwill consider Jesus’contributiontotheteamapproach.PARTTHREEwilltackletheissueaspartofthebroaderemphasisintheBibleoncommunityandrelationshipsinGod’schurch.Intheweekstofollowwewillconsiderthepragmaticbenefitsofhavingateamofpastor-eldersleadalocalchurch.

PARTONE—NewTestamentPassagesonLeadershipThemost common take on church leadership structure assumes that the Bible does notprescribeasinglemodel.ThosewhotakethispositioninsteadfindavarietyofstructuresinScripture.Theyconcludethatleadershiptodaycan(andshould)betailoredtotheculturalsettingsinwhichwefindourselves.Thismayverywellbethecase.ItistruethatwhatwereadaboutleadershipstructureintheNewTestamentisdescriptive(howtheydiditbackthen),ratherthanprescriptive(howitshouldalwaysbedone).ThereisnoverseintheBiblethatreads,“Youshallhaveapluralityofpastorsleadingyourchurch.”Thereis,however,awholelotofdescription.Andthisdescriptionisquiteconsistent.Weencounternext-to-noneof the variety of approaches to leadership that thepopular viewclaimstofindintheBible.Instead,adistinctpictureemerges,onewhichportraysapluralityof elders leading each early Christian congregation. I have assembled the data below,providingsomecontextforeachofthebiblicaltexts.[Ifindithelpfultothinkintermsof“prescriptivedescription.”Inotherwords,therearesomethingsaboutwhichScripturespeaks“prescriptively”becauseofthewayitspeaksaboutthem“descriptively.”Biblicaleldershipisonesuchissue.ThereisnoverseintheBiblewhichreads:“Thoushaltappointeldersineachandeverylocalchurcheverywherearoundtheworldatalltimes.”But,thewaytheNewTestamentdescribesthechurchanditslife,nottomentionPaul’sprescriptive statements regarding elders, leads us right down the road of shared pastoral(“shepherding”) leadership undertaken by a team of pastor-elders. In this sense, the NewTestamentis“descriptivelyprescriptive.”]PluralityLeadershipinTheGentileCongregations:PaulandBarnabasappointedeldersfor them ineachchurchand,withprayerand fasting,committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust(Acts 14:23). [Paul andBarnabas appoint leaders in the Galatian churches on their way back from the firstmissionaryjourney.Noticetheemphasisuponelders(plural)ineachchurch(singular).]FromMiletus,PaulsenttoEphesusfortheeldersofthechurch(Acts20:17).[ReferstotheleadersofthechurchatEphesus,wherePaulministeredforseveralyears.]PaulandTimothy,servantsofChristJesus,ToallthesaintsinChristJesusatPhilippi,togetherwith theoverseersanddeacons(Philippians 1:1). [Paul’s churches in Europe reflect thesamemodelofpluralityleadership.Notethat“elder,”“overseer,”and“pastor”refertothesameofficeintheNewTestament.]ThereasonIleftyouinCretewasthatyoumightstraightenoutwhatwasleftunfinishedandappointeldersin every town, as I directed you(Titus 1:5). [Again, notice the contrastbetweentheplural(“elders”)andthesingular(“everytown”).]1Totheeldersamongyou,Iappealasafellowelder,awitnessofChrist’ssufferingsandonewhoalsowillshareintheglory

toberevealed:2BeshepherdsofGod’sflockthatisunderyourcare,servingasoverseers—notbecauseyoumust,butbecauseyouarewilling,asGodwantsyoutobe;notgreedyformoney,but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, butbeing examples to theflock.4AndwhentheChiefShepherdappears,youwillreceivethecrownofglorythatwillneverfadeaway(1Peter5:1-4).[Petersimplyassumesthatallthechurchesthatwillreceivehisletterin“Pontus,Galatia,Cappadocia,AsiaandBithynia”(v.1)areeachledbyagroupofelders.By theway, “Chief Shepherd” actuallymeans “HeadPastor” in theoriginalGreek.LookslikeOCFhasaSeniorPastor,afterall.HisnameisJesus.]PluralityLeadershipInTheJewishCongregations:Obeyyourleadersandsubmittotheirauthority.Theykeepwatchoveryouasmenwhomustgiveanaccount.Obeythemsothattheirworkwillbeajoy,notaburden,forthatwouldbeofno advantage to you(Hebrews 13:17) [Unknown author, writing to Jewish Christians,assumespluralityleadership.]Isanyoneofyousick?Heshouldcalltheeldersofthechurchtoprayoverhimandanointhimwith oil in the name of the Lord(James 5:14). [James, addressing the Jewish Christiancommunities in the eastern diaspora (1:1), can assume the presence of elders in everycongregationinwhichhisletterwillberead.]Thatisawholelotofchurches,eachledbyapluralityofelders.ThemodelprovestobethenormamongJewishandGentilecongregations,locatedinAsiaandinEurope.Novariety.Noculturaladaptation.Noseniorleaderinsightanywhere.ApossibleexceptionisJesus’half-brotherJames,intheJerusalemchurch.AnditisstandardfairforthosewhofavortheseniorpastormodeltoappealtoActs15.Whatunfoldsinthispassage,however,isacollaborativeapproachtodecision-makingthatdiffersmarkedlyfromwhatgenerallytranspiresintoday’slarge,senior-pastor-ledchurches.The use of Acts 15, moreover, to support one-man leadership brings up the broaderhermeneutical issue of the relationship between biblical interpretation and theologicalsynthesis.Frankly,IgetabitnervousasaNewTestamentscholar,wheninterpretersdefendapositionbydrawinguponasinglebiblicaltextthatcanbereadinmorethanoneway.Ithinkweareonsafergroundleaningonthelargergroupofclearpassagesoutlinedabove.So,asourblogtitleasks,IsPluralityLeadershipBiblical?As we have seen, the New Testament consistently describes the apostles establishingchurches ledbya teamof elders. Iwouldbe abithesitant to cite the abovepassages ascategorical,prescriptiveevidenceforthepluralitymodel.However,Ithinkthereisenoughsoliddescriptionforustotakethebiblicaldataveryseriouslyaswedevelopourtheologyofchurch structure—especially since team leadershipwas so utterly countercultural in thebroaderworldoftheNewTestament.[Seemycommentsaboveon“prescriptivedescription.”]

AnticipatingPARTTWO:As a historian, I have been trained to look for cause-and-effect. In the case of pluralityleadership,wewouldwanttoask,“WhydidearlyChristianleadersadoptthismodel?”Thequestionisaparticularlythornyone,sinceeveryothersocialinstitutionintheancientworld—fromempiretofamily—wasmarkedlypatriarchal,withasinglemaleleaderatthetop.Whatledtheapostlestoadoptsuchacounter-culturalalternativeforchurchleadership?Wereallydon’tknowforsure.ButwemaybeabletoteasesomehintsoutoftheGospels,whereweseeJesuspreparinghisdisciplesfortheirfutureroleaschurchplanters.NextweekwewillcontinueoursurveyofthebiblicaldatabyconsideringJesus’contributiontoearlychurchleadershiporientationandstructure.

PLURALITYLEADERSHIPINTHETEACHINGSOFJESUS?(BlogPost#2)

Iendedthepreviouspostwithaquestion:Whatledtheapostlestoadoptpluralityleadershipasthepreferredoptionforchurchstructure?The model is radically counter-cultural, given the universal preference for one-manleadershipacrosstheempire.So,wherediditcomefrom?DidJesusinstructhisdisciplestoorganizetheearlyChristiancongregationslikethis?Wereallydon’tknowforsure.ButwecanteasesomehintsoutoftheGospels,whereweseeJesuspreparinghisdisciplesfortheirfutureroleaschurchplanters.Jesushadawholelottosayaboutthecharacterofleadership(leadersasservants).Butthereare some intriguing hints that hemay have given instructions concerning thenumberofleadersheanticipatedinalocalcongregation,aswell.Leadershipcharacterandnumberarenotunrelated.We’llseeinfuturepoststhattheteamapproach (number) provides precisely the kind of community and accountability thatencourages servant leadership (character). But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let’sreturntoourtopicfortheday.CanwefindanyevidencethatJesusmayhaveinstructedhisdisciplestoestablishchurcheswithapluralityofpastors?We’llbeginbyconsideringJesus’takeonfatherhood.Jesus&FatherhoodSolemaleauthoritywasthenormeverywhereintheancientworld.Theconceptwasrootedprimarilyintheculture’spatriarchalfamilystructures.Everynaturalfamilyhadanearthlydaddywhoexercisedabsoluteauthorityovereveryoneintheextendedhousehold.Theroleofthefatherwassoculturallydefiningforpeopleintheancientworldthatpaternalimageryproved serviceable farbeyond theboundariesof thenatural family.TheRomanSenategave to theemperorAugustus the title “Fatherof theFatherland” (PaterPatriae).Religiousgroups,liketheworshippersofthegodMithras,appointedapater,asingle“father”figure,tooverseethecommunity.Afather-figureofsomesortheadedupnearlyeverysocialinstitutionintheNewTestamentworld.ThisbackgroundmakesJesus’commandinMatthew23:9radicallycounter-cultural:“Callnomanyourfatheronearth,foryouhaveoneFather,whoisinheaven”(Matthew23:9).Jesushastwofathers inviewinthiscommand:anatural father(“onearth”)andadivineFather (“in heaven”). The distinction is instructive, because as we read the Gospels wediscover:

(1)JesusemphasizedthefatherhoodofGodmorethananyonehadbeforeinIsrael’shistory.(2)Jesushadsomeratherscandalousanddisruptivethingstosayaboutnaturalfatherhood.Theevidencefor(1)GodasFatherintheteachingofJesushardlyneedsmentioning,sinceitis on page-after-page of the Gospels. We are less familiar with the fact that (2) Jesusunderminedpaternalauthorityinawaythatwouldhavemadeaprofoundimpressiononhisdisciplesandotherswhoheardhisteaching.HerearejustthreeofJesus’strikingstatementsrelatedtonaturalfatherhood:[IfIhaveacritiqueofHellerman,havingreadoneofhisbooks,it’sthatsometimesheseemstooverstatethingsabit.Forinstance,IwouldnotsaythatJesus“undermined”paternalauthority,though I understand the point Joe makes here. Rather, I would say that Jesus radically“redefined” paternal authority, perhaps giving it a renewed God-honoring center, whilestrippingawaythecrustofculturalidolatryetc.Eitherway,IthinkHellerman’spointstandswithrespecttobiblicaleldership.]Mark1:19–20—HesawJamesthesonofZebedeeandJohnhisbrother,whowereintheirboatmendingthenets.Andimmediatelyhecalledthem,andtheylefttheirfatherZebedeeintheboatwiththehiredservantsandfollowedhim.Matthew8:21-22—Anotherofthedisciplessaidtohim,“Lord, letmefirstgoandburymyfather.”AndJesussaidtohim,“Followme,andleavethedeadtoburytheirowndead.”Luke14:26—“Ifanyonecomestomeanddoesnothatehisownfatherandmotherandwifeandchildrenandbrothersandsisters,yes,andevenhisownlife,hecannotbemydisciple.”Jesus (1) emphasized the Fatherhood of God in his teaching and actions. But he (2)intentionallydestabilizednatural fatherhood [seemycommentabove…Iwouldnotuse theword“destabilized”],bothinpassageslikethosecitedabove,andinhisinsistencethatnaturaldescent fromAbraham(theultimateJewish“father”)countedfor little inGod’srelationaleconomy(seeJohn8:34–59).Ourkeytext(again)summarizesJesus’viewpointondivineandhumanfatherhood:Matthew23:9—“Callnomanyourfatheronearth,foryouhaveoneFather,whoisinheaven.”Jesus&LeadershipDoesJesus’takeonfatherhood/FatherhoodhaveanythingtodowithleadershipstructureinthefamilyofGod?Thereisapieceofevidencethatsuggeststhatitdoes:Mark10:28-30—28Peterbegantosaytohim,“See,wehavelefteverythingandfollowedyou.”29Jesussaid,“Truly,Isaytoyou,thereisnoonewhohaslefthouseorbrothersorsistersormotherorfatherorchildrenorlands,formysakeandforthegospel,30whowillnotreceiveahundredfoldnowinthistime,housesandbrothersandsistersandmothersandchildrenandlands,withpersecutions,andintheagetocomeeternallife.”

PeterandJesusherediscussthesacrificesmadebysomeofJesus’discipleswhohadtoleavetheirnatural families (who likelydisowned them) inorder tobecomepartof Jesus’newfamily of faith (v. 29). Jesus assuresPeter that thesenatural family relationshipswill bereplacedbyrelationshipsinthechurchfamily(“inthistime”[v30]).Acomparisonofthetwolistsisquiterevealing:FiveRelationshipsSacrificed:“brothersorsistersormotherorfatherorchildren”(v.29)FourRelationshipsGained:“brothersandsistersandmothersandchildren”(v30).Don’tmisswhat’smissing.SometimeswhattheBibledoesnotsayisasimportantaswhatitdoessay.AmongtheFourRelationshipsGained,“father”isconspicuouslyabsent.DidJesusjustforgettoinclude“father”?Asimpleoversight?Hardly!Jesusleft“father”offthesecondlistbecauseheanticipatedthattherewouldbenohumanfatherinthechurchfamily.ThatroleisreservedforGodalone.SummaryTheblogtitleasks,PluralityLeadershipInTheTeachingsOfJesus?Iincludedthequestionmark,becausemostofusassumethatJesushadvirtuallynothingtosayaboutchurchstructure.Thepassagescitedabovesuggestotherwise.JesusgavehisdisciplesalotofinstructionthatdidnotmakeitintoourfourGospels.Luketells us, for example, that after the resurrection Jesus spent forty days with hisdisciples,“speakingaboutthekingdomofGod”(Acts1:3).ItisonlyreasonabletoassumethatJesusinstructedhisdisciplesaboutchurchleadershipandorganization.IntheGospels,weencountersomeresidualhintsofsuchteaching.IntheEpistles,weseeJesus’instructionbearingitsintendedfruit,intheformofteam-ledchurchesthroughouttheRomanEmpire.Asahistoriantrainedtolookforcause-and-effect,IamconvincedthatwhatweseeinActsandtheEpistlesfindsitsoriginintheministryofJesus.JesusintendedforGod—notahumanseniorpastorfigure—tofunctionasthesolefatheroftheearlyChristiancongregations.Jesus’disciples“gotit,”andtheyorganizedtheirchurchesaccordingly.Bywayofconclusion,let’sexpandourhorizonsandplacewhatwehavelearnedaboutGodandfatherhoodalongsidetwootherkeyimagesofthechurchintheNewTestament.Theagreementisratherstriking:

TheChurchasTheFlockOfGod—Jesusaloneiscalled“ChiefShepherd”(1Peter5:4),whichtranslatesaGreekword(archi-poimen)thatcanequallyberendered“leadpastor”(“shepherd”=“pastor”intheBible).TheChurchasTheBodyOfChrist—Jesusaloneistheheadofthebody(Ephesians1:22;Colossians1:18).TheChurchasTheFamilyOfGod—GodaloneistheFatherofthechurch(Matthew23:9)Theideathatoneperson—lead-pastororsenior-pastor—shouldteach,shepherd,andmakedecisionsforawholelocalchurchcommunityfliesinthefaceofeveryBiblepassagewehaveexaminedhereandinthepreviouspost.Andwehaveyettotouchuponwhatisperhapsthemostimportantreasonthatpluralityleadershipisbiblical.Wewilldosonextweek,asweconcludeour surveyof thebiblical evidence for sharedpastoral leadership atOceansideChristianFellowship.

ISPLURALITYLEADERSHIPBIBLICAL?(BlogPost#3)

Thisisourthirdandfinalpostexaminingthebiblicalevidenceforpluralityleadershipinthelocalchurch.Thefirstpostsurveyedthenumerousdescriptionsofteam-ledchurchesintheNewTestament.Inthesecondinstallment,wetracedthemodeltotheteachingsofJesusinthe Gospels. Today we turn away from specific passages about leadership, in order toconsiderhowpluralityleadershipfitswiththebroaderscripturalcontoursofChristianlifeandministry.Asitturnsout,theveryessenceofourfaithintheGodoftheBiblevirtuallydemandsateamapproachtopastoralministry.

Whatfollowshasbeenexcerpted(andslightlyedited)fromJosephH.Hellerman,EmbracingSharedMinistry:PowerandStatus in theEarlyChurchandWhy ItMattersToday(Kregel,2007).TheHeartofTheFaithMinistryisnoeasierformetodaythanitwasnearlyfortyyearsago,whenIacceptedmyfirstpaidpositioninachurch.Itis,however,alotlesscomplicated.Itwouldlikelyhavebecomesimplermuchearlierinmypilgrimageasapastor,ifIhadjustlistenedtoJesus.JesusboiledthewholeOldTestamentdowntotwobasiccommandments:LovetheLordyourGodwithallyourheart,withallyoursoul,andwithallyourmind.Thisisthegreatestandmostimportantcommand.Thesecondislikeit:Loveyourneighborasyourself.AlltheLawandtheProphetsdependonthesetwocommands(Matt.22:37–40)Thereitis.Asimple,twofoldjobdescriptionfortheministryofalocalchurchpastor.IamtoencouragemyflocktoloveGod.AndIamtoencouragemyflocktoloveothers.Simpleonpaper.Butwhatdoesthisactuallylooklikeinpractice?Let’stakethefirstcommandment.HowwillIknowwhenthepeopleofOceansideChristianFellowshiparelovingtheLordwithalltheirheart,soul,andmind?TheirtimealonewithGod?Thewaytheyspendtheirmoney?Themoviestheychoosetowatch?Thekindsofbeveragestheyconsume?LoveforGodcertainlymanifestsitselfintherelativevitalityofourdevotionallives.AndIwouldnotwant tominimize the importanceofsound financialhabitsormoralpurity,asevidenceofalivingfaith.YettheBibledoesnotidentifyaChristian’sdevotionallifeastheprimaryindicationofloveforGod.Nordopersonalmoralityorfinancialgenerositymakethecut.

Instead,Scriptureturnsrepeatedlytothequalityofourrelationships—particularlywithourfellowChristians—astheforemostevidenceofgenuineloveforGod.Jesusputitlikethis:“Bythis all peoplewill know that youareMydisciples, if youhave love for one another”(John13:35).TheNewTestamentunequivocallymaintainsthathealthyhumanrelationshipsaretobethenaturalandindispensableresponsetoGod’sgreatworkonourbehalfinsalvationhistory.Herearejustafewofthefamiliar“oneanothers”fromtheBible:Loveoneanother(John13:34)Showfamilyaffectiontooneanother(Romans12:10)Beinagreementwithoneanother(Romans12:16)Letusnolongercriticizeoneanother(Romans14:13)Acceptoneanother(Romans15:7)Instructoneanother(Romans15:14)Serveoneanother(Galatians5:13)Bekindandcompassionatetooneanother(Ephesians4:32)Forgivingoneanother(Ephesians4:32)Submittingtooneanother(Ephesians5:21)Encourageoneanotherandbuildeachotherup(1Thessalonians5:11)Behospitabletooneanother(1Peter4:9)SinceourloveforGodisevidencedprimarilyinourloveforothers,thereisasenseinwhichthe first great commandment (“Love the Lord your God”) cashes out, in practical terms,primarilyinthewaywerelatetoourfellowhumanbeings(“Loveyourneighborasyourself”).Paulapparently saw thisquite clearly:Theentire law is summedup ina single command:“Loveyourneighborasyourself.”(Galatians5:14).TheapostleelaboratesinRomans13:8–10:[T]heonewholovesanotherhasfulfilledthelaw.Thecommandments:Donotcommitadultery;donotmurder;donotsteal;donotcovet;andwhateverothercommandment—allaresummedupbythis:Loveyourneighborasyourself.Lovedoesnowrongtoaneighbor.Love,therefore,isthefulfillmentofthelaw.ItisthesecondofJesus’twogreatcommandments(Matthew22:37–40),then,thatbecomesthemarkof theChristian, theprimarytangibleevidenceof therealityofourrelationshipwithGod.Suddenlymytwofoldjobdescriptionasapastorhasbecomeevensimpler.Iamcalledasapastortoencourageandequipmypeopletoengageinhealthy,sacrificial,mutuallyedifyingrelationshipswiththeirfellowhumanbeings, inresponsetowhatGodhasdoneforusinChrist,thatis,toloveoneanother.Prettystraightforward,atleastintheory.YouCannotLeadWhereYouWillNotGoButhere’stherub.JustwheredoIgetthecredibility,SundayafterSunday,totellmypeopletoloveoneanother,ifIamaCEOseniorpastorwhoanswerstonooneduringtheweek?IfI

answertonooneinthechurchoffice,howcanIcrediblytellothersthattheyneedtoanswertooneanotherinthepews?Ican’t.Notwithanyreal integrity,atanyrate.Theseriousnessof theproblemcannotbeoverstated,yetIsuspectthatfewchurchleadersgiveitmuchthought.Whatwehaveinthecorporatemodelofministryisapastorwhorelatesintimatelytonooneinthechurch,butwhoneverthelessexhortshispeopletoengagerelationallywitheachother.TheglaringdisconnectthatinevitablyresultsthreatenstounderminethemostbasicvirtueoftheChristianlife:ourloveforoneanotherinthefamilyofGod.Maybethisiswhysomanypastorsandboardsremaincontenttotakethecorporateapproachandevaluatethesuccessof theirministries by (1) Sunday attendance and (2) financial viability.Neither criterionrequires anyone in the church—leaders or followers—to engage in healthy, mutuallyedifyinginterpersonalrelationships.CommunityisattheveryheartoftheChristianfaith.Andcommunityinourchurchesmustbegin at the top. Michael Frost and Alan Hirschwrite unequivocally about the need forchurch leaders to model the kind of community that we so often extol in our Sundaymessages:

“[W]eneedtorecognizethatanauthenticcommunitycanonlybefoundedonchanged relations between people; and these changed relations can onlyfollowthe innerchangeandpreparationof thepeoplewho lead,work,andsacrificeforthecommunity. Inotherwords, itmustbeginwith leadership.”(FrostandHirsch,TheShapeofThingstoCome,156).

Thisishardlyrocketscience.ApastorwhohasnogenuinebrothersinhiscongregationwilllackthepropheticplatformnecessarytochallengeothersinthechurchhumblytoengageinthekindofsurrogatesiblingrelationshipsthatGodintendsforHispeople.Thisdisconnectprovesparticularlyproblematicinaculturewherepeoplearecynicalabouttheirleaders,andwherechurch-goersarehighlyattunedtoanyperceiveddisparitybetweenapastor’s“Sundaytalk”andhis“weeklywalk.”FrostandHirschelaborate:

Wesimplydon’tbelievethatpeopleinour‘crap-detector’generation,savvypeoplewhounderstandwhatitmeanstobeconstantlytargetedbyhundredsofthousandsofcleversalesmessages,aregoingtofollowotherpeoplewhodon’tliveouttheirmessages.Ifleadershipfailstoembodythemessage,nooneisgoingtofollow.Leaders,youcannotleadwhereyouwillnotgo;youcannotteachwhatyoudonotknow.(TheShapeofThingstoCome,342)

Strongwords,tobesure.Yetasweallknow,theprinciple is inviolable:“youcannot leadwhere you will not go.” And this will be particularly the case where risky, vulnerableinterpersonalrelationshipsareconcerned.Consider,incontrast,thecredibilityinherentinacommunityofleaders(a)whosharetheirlivestogetherasbrothersinChrist,(b)whosharethepublicministryoftheirchurch,and(c)whosepeopleseetheirpastor-eldersstickingitoutandmakingpeerrelationshipsworkat

thetop,intherealworldofday-to-daypastoralministry.Herebrotherlylove—thatcentralChristian virtue—is modeled by church leadership. And a preaching pastor suddenlypossessesallthecredibilityheneedstochallengehispeopletojoinhiminenthusiasticallyembracing Jesus’ primary charge to His followers:“Love one another as I have lovedyou”(John15:12).ConclusionIsPluralityLeadershipBiblical?A brief summary of our three blog posts leads us to reply to this question with aresoundingYES!:1.ThechurchesintheNewTestamentwereeachledbyateamofpastors.2.Jesus’teachingsaboutdivineFatherhoodandnaturalfatherhoodmostnaturallysupportthepluralityapproach.3.Teamleadershipbestreflects(andmodelstothecongregation)therelationalheartoftheChristianfaith.Nextweekwe’llswitchgearsabittoconsiderthepracticalbenefits—forbothleadersandmembersofOCF—ofthepluralitymodelofpastoralministry.

PRACTICALBENEFITSOFPLURALITYLEADERSHIP(BlogPost#4)

Ourfirstthreepostssurveyedthebiblicaldatasupportingpluralityleadership:1.ThechurchesintheNewTestamentwereeachledbyateamofpastors.2.Jesus’teachingsaboutdivineFatherhoodandnaturalfatherhoodmostnaturallysupportthepluralityapproach.3.Teamleadershipbestreflects(andmodelstothecongregation)therelationalheartoftheChristianfaith.WeturnnowtoconsidersomepracticalreasonsforhavingapluralityofpastorsatOCF.EveniftheBiblesupportedavarietyofapproaches,Iwouldstilloptforateamofleadersoveroneleadpastor.Pluralityleadershipbenefitsbothleadersandchurchmembersinsomeveryimportantways.BENEFIT#1-TeamMinistryUndercuts“Celebrity-ism”A colleague of mine was hired to consult with the elder board of a Southern Californiamegachurchwithalargeministryandamassivecampus.TheseleaderswantedtomakesurethatWalt understand their church’s “cultural DNA” at the outset.With great pride theyinformedhim,“Thiswholeministryisdesignedtoserveandsupportthegiftsofoneman.”Americancultureusedtohaveheroes.Aheroisapersonwhoselifeservesasanexampleforothers.AbrahamLincolnwasahero.SowasMartinLutherKing,Jr.Fewofushaveheroesanymore.Wehavetradedheroesforcelebrities.Acelebrityisabigger-than-lifepersonwhosefollowersgenerallyhaveno livesof theirown.They liveouttheirlivesvicariouslythroughthelivesoftheirfavoritecelebrities.Celebrity-ism is patently foolish when your favorite celebrity is a Kardashian. But it isdownrightdangerouswhenheisaspiritualleaderwhomyouputonapedestalandimaginetobeasinlesssaintofsomesort.Israelcriedout,“Giveusaking!”(1Samuel8:6).Againsthiswill,Godgavehispeoplewhattheywanted.Arealsuperstar.Saulwasthehandsomestandtallestmanaround(9:2).Thatdidn’tworkoutverywell,didit?Itneverdoes.The antidote to celebrity-ism is shared ministry. The following story from my ownpilgrimageasanOCFpastorprettymuchsaysitall.IlovetoteachtheBible.ButwhenIfinishpreachingonSunday,Iamspirituallyexhaustedandemotionallyvulnerable.OnemorningaftertheserviceIwaswalkingupanaisletoleavethe auditorium. Someone ran up and told me how much they liked the message. Theyconcluded,“Ijustloveitwhenyoupreach,Joe!”

Ibegantofeelprettygoodaboutmyself.UntilIwalkedthroughthelobbytowardthefrontdoor,where Iheardsomeonesay toDennyO’Keefe,“When isBrandonpreachingagain? Ireallylikeitwhenhepreaches.”Ouch!AfterIgotovermyself,however,Ithought,“Exactly!ThisispreciselywhywehaveateachingrotationonSundaymornings.AtOCFnoonebecomesacelebrity.”We all have our preferences and favorites, in every area of our lives. But where OCF’spreachingisconcerned,wehopethatyouwilllearntocometochurchforthemessage—notforthemessenger.HearthewordsofDietrichBonhoefferonChristianleadership.Bonhoeffersharestimelesstruthsthatarepainfullyfittingforanevangelicalculturethatcontinuestobeenamoredwithlarge,visiblysuccessfulministriesandbig-namechurchleaders:

“Everycultofpersonalitythatemphasizesthedistinguishedqualities,virtues,andtalentsofanotherperson,eventhoughthesebeofanaltogetherspiritualnature, isworldly and has no place in the Christian community; indeed, itpoisonstheChristiancommunity.Thedesirewesooftenhearexpressedtodayfor ‘episcopal figures,’ ‘priestly men,’ ‘authoritative personalities’ springsfrequentlyenoughfromaspirituallysickneedfortheadmirationofmen, fortheestablishmentofvisiblehumanauthority,becausethegenuineauthorityofserviceappearstobesounimpressive.”(LifeTogether,108,myitalics).

Notetheitalicizedphrase:“aspirituallysickneedfortheadmirationofmen.”Powerfulstuff.Butsoverytrue.You won’t find spiritual celebrities at Oceanside Christian Fellowship. But you will findplentyofheroes.OCF’sheroesarethespirituallymatureChristiansinourmidst,whoselivesserveasanexampletotherestofus:theO’Keefes,theYetters,theSchramms,theHutchisons,MargyEmmons,andmanymore!AstutereaderswillnoticethatIfailedtomentionour#1spiritualhero,whoselifewillalwaysbe a perfect example to the rest of us atOCF. Interestingly enough, hewouldhavebeenlabeledafailureasamegachurchpastor.Hiscongregationdwindledfromthousandstojustelevenguysduringthecourseofhisministry.ButwewillalwaysbeproudtocallhimourSeniorPastoratOceansideChristianFellowship.His name is Jesus. He is our hero. And someday he will even become a celebrity ofsorts:“Everykneewillbow,inheavenandonearthandundertheearth,andeverytonguewillconfessthatJesusChristisLord,tothegloryofGodtheFather”(Philippians2:10-11).Nextweekwe’llconsiderasecondbenefitoftheteamapproach,namely,theaccountabilityitprovidesforthoseinpastoralleadership.

PRACTICALBENEFITSOFPLURALITYLEADERSHIP#2(BlogPost#5)

MorethanadecadeagoOceansideChristianFellowshipterminated“Bill,”oneofourpaidpastors. Bill’s poor use of time and his lack of productivity had generated not a littlefrustrationamongothersatthechurch,whowerecarryingmorethantheirweightintheirrespectiveareasofministry.Amovetoanewfacility,whichcalledforsacrificeandaservant’sattitudeoneveryone’spart,sharplyaccentuatedthelatentresentmentthathadbeenbuildingamongthestaff.Weknewthatsomethingwasseriouslywrongwhenanotherstaffperson—oneofourmostproductiveandeffectiveministers—begantoexplorethesecularjobmarketoutsidethechurch.Iwaspart-timeat thechurchandhad little first-handexposure to thedysfunction in theoffice,thoughIdorecallbeingquiteannoyedwhenBillshoweduplate,weekafterweek,toourWednesdayeldermeetings.Theeldershadmadeanattempttoaddresstheissuealongthewaybut,frankly,wedidnottake the initiative we should have earlier, so that the situation had deterioratedunnecessarilybythetimewesetupameetingwithBillandtherestofthepastor-elders.ForseveralhourswewentbackandforthwithBill.Therewasnexttonoownershiponhispart.HereweresixofBill’sfelloweldersraisingseriousconcernsabouthisworkasapastorandchurchemployee.Herespondedbyrationalizinghisbehaviorandtellingusthatwehaditwrongoneverycount.BillprettymuchdeterminedhisownfutureatOCFwhenhemaintained,“Itakealongtimetomakeadecision,butwhenIdodecide,Iamalmostalwaysright.”Aseriesoffollow-upmeetingsledtoBill’stermination.Theatmospherearoundtheofficechangeddramaticallyforthebetter.IhadsaidsomeverypointedthingstoBill in thecourseof that initialmeeting.Allofmystatementswereobjectivelytrue.Intheheatofthediscussion,however,Ididnotsharemyconvictionsinalovingway.AfterBilllefttheroom,aswesataroundplanningournextsteps,severalofmyfellowpastor-elderstoldme,innouncertainterms,thatIhadbeenhurtfulinmycomments.TheyinsistedthatIowedBillanapology.Therebukewashardtohear.Itcaughtmecompletelyoffguard.Our natural tendency in a situation like this is to retreat into a defensive posture. IwastemptedtorebuffthecritiqueandtogobackoverthethingsIhadsaidinthemeeting,onebyone,demonstratingthateachpointImadewastrue.Afterall,itdidn’tseemlikethetworemainingeldershadaproblemwithhowIhandledmyself.Whatkeptmefromdefendingmybehavior,however,wastherelationshipIhadwiththemenwhochallengedmeaboutthetoneofmycommentsthatday.

AsOCF’spastor-elders,wemeeteveryweek,earlyonWednesdaymorning,toprayforoneanother,forourfamilies,andforthepeopleinourchurch.Wehavebeendoingsoforyears.Iknowthesemenwellenoughtotrustthemwithmylife.Theyknowme,too.Theyappreciatemy strengths. And they are quite aware ofmyweaknesses. I recognized that these guyswouldonlyrebukemewithmybestinterests—andthebestinterestsofthechurch—inview.Sowesetupameeting,andIhumblyapologizedtoBillforthehurtfulmannerinwhichIhadframedmywords.IassuredBillthatIstoodbythecontentofwhatIhadsaid.ButItoldhimthat I deeply regretted the way in which I communicated it to him. I asked Bill for hisforgiveness,andhegraciouslyrespondedinturn.ThatWouldNeverHappeninMyChurchAyearorsolater,oneofmyKoreanstudentsatTalbotSchoolofTheology,Jonathan,cametointerviewmeduringofficehours.Jonathanhadreceivedanassignmentinanothercoursethatrequiredhimtointeractwithseveralpastorsabouttheirapproachtoministry.Onequestiononthesurveyasked,“Whatdoesa leaderneedinordertobesuccessful?”Irepliedthatapastorneeds(amongotherthings)threekindsofrelationshipstosucceedlong-terminlocalchurchministry:(1)mentorstoguidehim,(2)peerstoservealongsidehim,and(3)youngerdisciplestoraiseupasfutureleaders.Jonathan and I proceeded to discuss each of these relationships. He was particularlyintriguedby category#2, sinceKoreanpastors generally lack peer relationships in theircongregations.Toillustratetheimportanceofacommunityofleaders,ItoldJonathanthestory about the hard experience I went through during the painful process of Bill’stermination(above).Jonathan’sresponsewasrevealing.WhenIfinishedsharinghowIhadbeenrebukedbymyfellow-elders,andhowI, in turn,apologizedtoBill, Jonathan immediatelyasserted,“ThatwouldneverhappeninaKoreanchurch.”Itisnothardtoseewhy.PastorsintraditionalAsiancongregationsdonothavethekindofpeer relationships that characterizeOCF’sboardof pastor-elders.Thepronounced socialhierarchyandrelationalexpectationsofanhonorcultureguaranteethatnoonewouldeverrebukethebehaviorofapreachingpastorinthepresenceofothermeninthechurch.NorwouldaKoreanpastorentertaintheprospectof“losingface”byapologizingtoanotherpersoninthecongregationforthewaythathehadhandledhimselfinameeting.ThesocialcontextofministryintraditionalAsianculturesimplydoesnotallowforsuchascenario.The result, of course, is that apastor in aKorean church like Jonathan’shasmuchmorelatitude,behavior-wise,thananyChristianeveroughttohave.Here,Isuggest,theculturalvalues and social codes of a traditional honor culture have decidedly compromised therelationalcontoursoftheGospel.

Things are hardly different, however, inmany of our corporate style Anglo churches inAmerica.Inmyexperienceitisarareeventforaseniorpastortogetcalledonthecarpetforanything short of blatant sexual immorality or, perhaps, an equally serious moralcompromise,suchasembezzlementofchurchfunds.Hurtfultreatmentofassociatestaff?Subtlemanipulationofthetruthintheserviceofslickand effectiveministry? Sadly, in numbers of congregations that’s just the price of doingbusiness.Aslongasthepewsarefullofpeople,andtheofferingbasketisfullofmoney,thepastorisdoingjustfine,thankyou.TheSocialContextofMinistryThesestoriesunderscoretheimportanceofleadershipstructuresandorganizationinourchurches.Thesocio-culturalcontextofministryhastremendousramificationsforthewaysinwhichleadersleveragetheirpowerandauthorityinthelocalchurch.It is a simple fact that some ways of doing church encourage the healthy exercise ofministerialauthority.Othersdonot.[Thisisaveryhelpfulstatement. Ithighlightsthefactthatwhilewedon’thavetobedogmaticinallaspectsofourapproachto“beingthechurch,”wealsodon’thavetoassumethatall roadsareequal in termsof theirbiblical faithfulness.Somechurchesare,andwillbe,healthierthanothersbecauseofdecisionstheymakeaboutwhatitmeanstobethechurch.Tobe“dogmatic”wouldbetosaythatanychurchwhichdoesnotagreewithusonX,Y,orZ(pickyourissue)isnotruechurch.WeoughttoreservesuchastanceonlyforTier1“Gospel”concerns(referencetheideaof“theologicaltriage”).TheseareissuesofdoctrinethatrelatedirectlytotheGospel;areaswhere, ifsomeonegetsit“wrong,”theywillfacethewrathofGodinHell.But,beyonddogma,westandon“principled,biblicalconviction.”Weholdtheseconvictionsbecausewethinktheymatter,andsometimesmattergreatly, in the life of Jesus’ people gathered as his church. It ismy belief, and seems to beHellerman’saswell,thatbiblicaleldershipisonesuchareaofconviction.]Manyinstancesofauthorityabuseinourchurchescanbetraceddirectlytosystemicculturalvalues—andresultingsocialcontexts—whichobstruct,ratherthanfacilitate,healthy,other-centeredleadership.Thisistruewhetherthatabuseisenabledbyagroup’straditionalhonorvalues,orbyanAmericanbusinessculturethattreatsaseniorpastorliketheCEOofalargecorporation.Allof theabovestronglycommends the teamapproach to local churchministry,with itsabilitytoprovidesomehealthychecks-and-balancesfortheexerciseofauthorityamongourpastoralleaders.ThetemptationforGod’speopletoadoptsecularleadershipvaluesandpracticesishardlynew. In one of his most memorable teachings, Jesus pointedly contrasted (a) the wayauthority was exercised in the surrounding culture with (b) the servant approach toleadershipthatheexpectedofhisfollowers:

“YouknowthatthosewhoareconsideredrulersoftheGentileslorditoverthem,andtheirgreatonesexerciseauthorityoverthem.Butitshallnotbesoamongyou.Butwhoeverwouldbegreatamongyoumustbeyourservant”(Mark10:42–43).We live in amuch differentworld than Jesus and the early Christians. But the threat ofcultural accommodation remains the same. What kind of structure today will be mostconducivetoJesus’visionforservantleadershipamonghisfollowers?Asecularbusinessmodel,withasingleCEO-typeleaderatthetop?Atraditionalhonorculture’sunassailablesocialhierarchy?OrtheNewTestament’spluralityapproach,withateamofpastorssharingauthoritywithoneanother?Theanswer,Ithink,isobvious.Beingrebukedbymyfellow-pastorsformybehavioratthatmeetingyearsagowasnotapleasantexperience.Butitwasanecessaryone.YourOCFpastor-elderswill tellyouthatwetreasuretheaccountabilitythatthepluralityapproachnaturallyprovides,aswesharetheministrytogether.Icertainlydo.ItisoneofthegreatestbenefitsthatteamleadershipgivesusatOceansideChristianFellowship.NOTE:MuchoftheabovewasadaptedfromJosephH.Hellerman,EmbracingSharedMinistry:PowerandStatusintheEarlyChurchandWhyItMattersToday(Kregel,2007).

PRACTICALBENEFITSOFPLURALITYLEADERSHIP#3(BlogPost#6)

Thisisoursixthblogpostdiscussingthetopicofpluralityleadershipinthelocalchurch.Thefirstthreeentriessurveyedthebiblicaldatathatfavorsthemodel.WhatfollowsisourthirdinstallmentaddressingthepracticalbenefitsofhavingateamofpastorsatOCF.Peoplegetattachedtotheirspiritualleaders,especiallywhenthatleaderistheheadpastoroftheirchurch.Indeed,wholecongregationsoftentakeonthepersonalityofaseniorleaderwhoinstructsandinspiresthem,SundayafterSunday,throughtheteachingofGod’sWord.Whathappenswhenthatleaderleaves?Changeisafactoflife.Butchangebecomesproblematicwhenalocalchurchisledbyoneindividual who does all the preaching and who functions as the key leader of thecongregation.Pluralityleadershipsignificantlylessensthenegativeeffectsofpastoraltransitiononalocalchurchcommunity.Thisisoneofitsgreatadvantages.Wehaveexperiencedthisfirst-handatOCFonanumberofoccasions.OCF has lost at least six of our pastor-elders duringmy twenty-two years on the team.Reasonshave varied: retirement, termination, divorce, relocation. Some transitionsweremore difficult than others (Michael Martin’s move to Baltimore comes to mind). Mostchallengingwasthelossofourfoundingpastor,someeighteenyearsago.DukewasahighlygiftedspeakerwhohadguidedOCFfromasmallBiblestudygrouptoachurchofnearly150.Whenhesteppeddown,onelong-timememberexclaimed,“Dukecan’t leave!OCF is thechurchofDuke, just like theLutheranChurch is thechurchofLuther!”Duke’sdepartureclearlyplacedOCFinaverytoughposition.Fewchurchesof150survivethelossoftheirfoundingpastor.Fortunately,Dukehadavisionforpluralityleadership.Infact,DukeandI(andourfamilies)haddreamsofpastoringachurchtogetherbackintheearly1980s,whenwewerebothdoingyouthministryatCommunityBaptistChurch(nowJourneyofFaith).OurdreamcametrueinFebruaryof1996,whenIcameonstaffasaco-pastoratOCF.BythetimeDukeleftin2000,wehadgatheredtogetherateamthatincluded(inadditiontomyself)DanOlson,DennyO’Keefe,EdArriola,BrandonCash,andStanYetter.The lossofour founderwasstilla toughone—primarilybecauseof therelationshipsweshareasfellow-pastors.ButOCF’spluralityapproachprovideduswitha“deepbench,”sowemanaged the transition quite well. We shifted around ministry responsibilities andcontinuedtogrowtobecomethechurchof600+thatwearetoday.

“Jesus is the sameyesterday todayand forever” (Hebrews13:8).But (as I amremindedeverytimeIlookinthemirror)Jesus’undershepherdsdonotremainthesame.Andwedonotremainforever.SomedayJoemightleaveOCFtogoontourwiththeRollingStones.AtanymomentBrandoncouldsubmithisresignationtoplaysecondbase for theLosAngelesDodgers.HutchandDennymightleaveustoplaytogetheronthePGAtour.Seriously, leaderscomeandgo.Change isa factof life.However,aswehaveexperiencedfirst-handovertheyearsatOCF,pluralityleadershipsignificantlylessensthenegativeeffectsofsuchalossoncongregationallifeandministry.Perhaps,justmaybe,Jesusknewthis,whenhesetuphepluralitymodelsometwothousandyearsago.Yathink???

PRACTICALBENEFITSOFPLURALITYLEADERSHIP#4(BlogPost#7)

Sofarinourseries,wehavefocusedprimarilyuponwaysinwhichateamofpastorsbenefitsachurchaswhole.Intoday’spostIwillreflectonakeyadvantageenjoyedbypastorswhoministerasateam.Pastoraldepressionandburnouthavebecomehot topicsof conversation.The increasingdemandsofthejob,alongwiththerelationalisolationthatoftencharacterizesapastor’slife,have generated some highly troubling trends. The following statistics come from H.B.LondonandNeilB.Wiseman.PastorsatGreaterRisk(Regal,2003):

• 40percentofpastorsand47percentofspousesaresufferingfromburnout,franticschedules,and/orunrealisticexpectations.

• 80percentbelievethatpastoralministryaffectstheirfamiliesnegatively.• 33percentsaythatbeinginministryisanoutrighthazardtotheirfamily.• 52 percent of pastors say they and their spouses believe that being in pastoral

ministryishazardoustotheirfamily’swell-beingandhealth.• 66percentofpastorsandtheirfamiliesfeelunderpressuretomodelanidealfamily.• 45 percent of pastors say that they’ve experienced depression or burnout to the

extentthattheyneededtotakealeaveofabsencefromministry.• 90percentfeelunqualifiedorpoorlypreparedforministry.• 40 percent of pastors have considered leaving their pastorates in the past three

months.• Hundredsofpastors leavetheirministrieseachmonthduetoburnout,conflict,or

moralfailure.

Weliveinabrokenworldthatisfullofbrokenpeople.Pastorsarebrokenpeople,too—allofus.Therewillalwaysbeinstancesofmoralfailure,debilitatingdepression,andburnoutamong God’s leaders. Recent events atWillow Creek Churchmade the headlines onlybecauseofthesizeandinfluenceofWillowCreek’sministry.Whatistroublingisthattheseexperienceshavebecomealmostthenorm—ratherthantheexception—forpeopleinpastoralministry.Thisshouldnotbethecase.Consider the Apostle Paul. Paul certainly faced serious challenges and crises in hismissionaryadventures.Hewasbeaten,imprisoned,andnearlykilled.Hewritesof“thedailypressureonmeofmyanxietyforallthechurches”(2Corinthians11:28).Heexclaims,“Weweresoutterlyburdenedbeyondourstrengththatwedespairedoflifeitself”(1:8)!MinistrywasnoteasyforPaul.YetsomehowPaulavoidedthekindofpersonalemotionalandspiritualcrisesreflectedinthestatisticslistedabove.Twicein2CorinthiansPaulassureshisreadersthat,despiteallthephysicalandemotionalhardship,“Wedonotloseheart”(4:1,16).

Burnoutwasnowhereontheapostle’sradarscreen.Norwasdepression.Later,asPaul’slifedrewtoaclose,heconfidentlyclaimed,“Ihavefoughtthegoodfight,Ihavefinishedtherace,Ihavekeptthefaith”(2Timothy4:7).WhatmadePaul’sexperiencedifferentthanthatofsomanypastorsinourchurchestoday?Wemustbecarefulhere.Thereisgenerallynosilverbullettoaddressclinicaldepression,whichisoftenapuzzlingcombinationofspiritual,emotional,andphysiologicalfactors.Clinical depression, however, is not the issue faced by the greatmajority of the pastorsreflected in the above statistics. Rather, it’s the daily pressures of churchministry that’scausingtheproblems.So,again,whatmadethedifferenceforPaul?Theanswer,Isuggest,isteamministry.Welearnedinourveryfirstpost(July24)thatPaulappointedapluralityofelderstooverseethechurchesheestablished(e.g.,Acts14:23).Therewerenosenior/leadpastorsinthesecongregations.Paulmodeled thisveryapproachwithhisownteamofmissionaries. Itbegan inAntioch,wherehesharedteachingresponsibilitieswithBarnabas,Simeon,Lucius,andManaen(Acts13:1).WeseeitcontinuethroughoutPaul’sthreejourneys,asdescribedinActs13-21.I laid out the evidence for Paul’s relational style of ministry in some detail elsewhere(chapters27&28ofBiblicalLeadership:TheologyfortheEverydayLeader[Kregel,2017]).Wedon’thavespaceheretorevisitthedata,soI’llshareanotherscholar’sobservationsbywayofsummary:

“Paul explicitly calls no less than sixteen persons ‘fellowworkers,’ and hisusage, alongwith circumstantial evidence, suggests that hewould have soidentified another twenty to twenty-five women and men. Acts and thePastorals have picked up this evidence and added another fifteen names.Paul’s association with so many fellow workers has no parallel in earlyChristianmissionaryactivity”(W.H.Ollrog,“Sunergos,”ExegeticalDictionaryofNewTestamentTheology,3.304b).

KeyQuestion:WeretherelationshipsPaulenjoyedwithhisco-workersakeytotheapostle’srobustoptimismabouthisworkforChristandhisstayingpowerinministry?Giventhecommonsenseconnectionbetweenhealthyrelationships,ontheonehand,andhumanflourishing,ontheother,itcouldhardlyhavebeenotherwise.Itisnowaxiomaticamongthosewhostudyhumanlongevitythatpersonsengagedinhealthyrelationshipsgenerallylivelonger.Itonlymakessensetoassumethatwewillservelongerwhenwedosoincommunitywithothers,aswell.Themosttroublingpastoralstatistics,inthisregard,mayverywellbetheonesIleftoffthelistatthebeginningofthispost:

• Although55percentofpastorssaytheybelongtoasmallaccountabilitygroup,70

percentclaimtheydon’thaveanyclosefriends.• 56percentofpastors’wivessaythattheyhavenoclosefriends.• 25percentdon’tknowwheretoturnwhentheyhaveafamilyorpersonalconflictor

issue.20.5percentsaytheywouldgotonoone.

No close friends. Nowhere to turn. Our lone-ranger approach to Christian leadershipcontrasts sharplywithPaul’spracticeofministering in communitywithothers.And it iscostingusdearlyintermsofpastoralisolation,discouragement,andburnout.I find myself deeply saddened when I think about the individual lives and familiesrepresentedinthesefigures,inpartbecauseIfindmyselfnowhereamongthestatistics.DoIgetdiscouragedattimes?Seasonsofexhaustion?Certainly.That’sparforthecourseinthepastorate.Butmyfamilyhasflourishedinvocationalchurchministry.Seriousburnouthasneverbeenanissue.AndIstillcannotimaginedoinganythingelsewithmylife.AsI’vesharedinacouplerecentsermons,theHellermanfamilyhasgonethroughsomeverydifficult times in thepast several years. Iwon’t revisit the saddetails here. Iwill simplyobservethatitishasbeenmyrelationshipwithmyfellow-pastors—especiallymytwobestfriends,DennyO’KeefeandJohnHutchison—thathaskeptmefocused,obedient,andfaithfultomycallingasahusbandandapastor,duringthedarkestperiodI’veexperiencedinforty-plusyearsofchurchministry.Itakenocreditforanyofthis.ByGod’sgrace,JoannandIhaveneverservedalone.Webeganchurchworkaspartofarelationallyhealthyteamofyouthworkersbackinthelate1970s.A friend recruitedme to co-pastor a church plantwith him in 1996. I continue today atOceansideChristianFellowshipservingamongateamofeightpastorswhoshareallfacetsofministryandwho,moreimportantly,shareourlivestogether.

PLURALITYLEADERSHIP:FINALINSTALLMENT(BlogPost#8)

Thisconcludesourseriesonpluralityleadership.NextweekwewillbeginanumberofpostsdealingwithvariousotherissuesinourlivesasfollowersofJesus.Peoplewho are used to a lead-pastormodel oftenwonder just howplurality leadershipcashesout,whenitcomestomakingharddecisionsandleadingthechurch.Whatfollowsisa behind-the-scenes look at our meetings, our relationships with one another, and thedecision-making process. I have slightly edited several pages from the last chapterofEmbracingSharedMinistry.Except for the fact that five of us draw a paycheck every couple weeks, OCF knows nodistinction between its seminary-trained pastors and those on our board whom otherchurchesmightrefertoaseldersor(inchurcheswithoutelders)deacons.Indeed,inordertodiscouragethekindofminister-versus-laypersonmentalitytraditionallyassociatedwiththe terms ‘pastor’ and ‘elder,’all eight of us are designated as ‘pastor-elders’, and weencourageourchurchtoviewusthatway.Ourweeklymeetingsarethekeytothesuccessofthewholeenterprise.OCF’spastor-eldersgather together for an hour-and-a-half eachWednesday morning. We have no businessagenda.Wesimplyshareourlivesandprayforoneanother,andwegothroughtheprayerrequeststhatyourfolkssubmiteachweek.OCFcurrentlyhaseightpastor-elders.Ourtenurerangesfromfiveyearsontheteamtomorethanthirty.Ihavebeenpartoftheteamfortwenty-twoyears.Youcanimaginethekindofcommunitywehavedevelopedbyfaithfullymeetingandprayingforoneanother,forsolong,onaweeklybasis.Overtheyearswehavesharedincountlessjoysandsorrows,bigandsmall.Wewelcomedanumberofnewchildrenandseveralgrandchildrenintotheworld.Wehaveferventlyprayedfor shakymarriages in our extended families.Andwe grieved togetherwhenoneof ourbrotherslosthiswifetoalongbattlewithcancer.We generally reservedecisions and actions related to churchprograms andministry foranothercontext,meetingsthatweholdoneSaturdayeachmonth.Itishere,attheseSaturdaygatherings, that the community we cultivate on Wednesdays pays big dividends to ourchurchfamilyasawhole.Powerplays?Authorityabuse?Notachance.Denny,John,Brandon,Chris,Mark,Dan,Carlos,andIknoweachothertoowell—andweloveeachothertoomuch—toletanyonegetawaywithpolitickingorposturing.Itisreallyquiteamazingwhathappenswhendecision-makingarisesorganicallyfromarelationalsoilofmutualtrust,respect,andadmiration.Westrugglethroughthesamekindofoverwhelmingchallengesthatconfrontotherchurchleaders. Disgruntled and divisive church members, immorality, financial crises, a major

buildingprogram,hiringandfiringstaff—we’veseenitall.Andlikeanyteamcomprisedofopinionatedleaders,wehavehadourshareofstrongdisagreementsalongtheway.ThecommunitywecultivateonWednesdays,however,allowsustotacklechurchcrisesonSaturdays—andpushthroughdivergentviewpointstoconsensus—inwaysthatwenevercould, ifwewereatypicalchurchboard,devoidofcaringrelationships,meetingmonthlysolelytodochurchbusinessor,perhaps,torubber-stampthelimitedvisionofasolepastorfigure.AmongOCF’spastor-elders,communityisthebedrockofconsensus:

DoesThisReallyWork?PeoplewhoarenewtoOCF,andtoourteamleadershipmodel,repeatedlyask,Howdoesthisactuallyworkoutinpractice,whenadifficultandpotentiallydivisivedecisionmustbemade?There are no absolutes where the decision-making process is concerned, and differentgroupsofindividualswillinevitablyinteractwithoneanotherindifferentways.AtOCF,ourpathwaytoconsensustypicallyrunsasfollows:

1. Weeachweighinwithourconvictionsoropinionsabouttheissueathand.2. Welistencarefullytoeachperson’sviewpointandtotherationaleforhisperspective.3. Weseektobehighlysensitivetothegeneraldirectionthediscussionisgoing,trusting

thattheHolySpiritissuperintendingtheprocess.4. Apastor-elderwhoseviewpointbecomesincreasinglyout-of-stepwiththetrajectory

ofthediscussionwillinglydeferstothegrowingconsensusofthegroup.5. Onceadecisionhasbeenmade,weunanimouslyownit.

And,ofcourse,weprayourwaythroughtheprocess.Notonce,duringmytwenty-twoyeartenureontheboard,haveweeverhadtovoteformallyonanissue.God’sPerfectWill?Hereisafinalobservationthatwillperhapsstrikeanumberofyouascounterintuitive:thewaywemakedecisionsasa communityof leaders is at leastas important toGodas theultimatedecisionswemake. Indeed, Ihavebecomeconvincedover theyears thatGod isgenerally more concerned with the process than with the outcome of our Saturdayleadershipmeetings.

IoftenfinditdifficulttodiscernGod’swillwhenwearemakingdecisionsinourmeetings.Perhapsyouhavethesameexperienceinyourownministry.Whilesomedecisionsareclear-cut, it seems that inmost situations there are probably a number of viable alternatives,severalofwhichwouldbepleasingtoGod.Instillothersituations,IsuspectthatGodhasnopreferenceatall.Personswhobelieveotherwise,andwhoseekvigilantlytoascertainGod’sperfectwillforeverykeydecision,runtheriskofcompletelymissingabiblicalrealitythatisindispensableto healthy team leadership. In contrast to the lack of clarity often associated withtheoutcomeof the decision itself, God’s will for the relational integrity of theprocess—humility,mutualrespect,brotherlylove—iscrystalclearthroughouttheScriptures.Itis,ofcourse,quiteWesterntobepreoccupiedwithoutcomeattheexpenseofprocess.ButIdon’tbelieveitisbiblical.Indeed,ithasbeenmyexperiencethattheBibleseldomspeaksdirectlytothedecisionsthatfaceusinchurchministry.Scripturealwaysspeaksdirectly,however,tothemannerinwhichwearetogoaboutmakingthosedecisionstogether.Theupshotofallthisfordecision-makingbyconsensusisthatIamlessandlessinclinedtoconfusemypersonal convictionswith thewill of Godon an issue, and I am increasinglywillingtodefertogroupconsensuswhenIrepresentthesoleminorityopinionatoneofourSaturdayplanningmeetings.Mybrothersontheboardtakethesameapproach.Forwearequite confident that ifOCF’spastor-elders engage theprocesswith integrity,Godwill bepleasedwiththeoutcome.