The blind spot of every church leader

It was about 20 years ago the Lord started to stir me up about 'the church.'  At the time I was in an aspiring mega-church with possibly the poorest examples of leadership I've encountered.  Watching the egotistical pushing and shoving, and feeling drawn into it all,  led me to evaluate this 'church' thing.  It seemed that only the favoured few were happy and not-so-coincidentally, they were the best tithers.  What is it that keeps people with seemingly good intent blind to what the scriptures teach, and unwilling to hear beyond everything that suits their purposes?

Once I had settled in my own heart that I wanted no part of the trappings associated with being a church leader, the Lord began showing me the truth about 'church' and 'Biblical leadership.'  Standing back from the church system gave me a chance to observe what was going on without being implicated by it.  It was also a chance to put space between myself and the things I had held valuable like status, profile and position among my fellow community of believers.  I can honestly say I didn't go looking for these things consciously. But when I became a person of regard among other believers and beyond our own church, it sure felt good!  It also felt wrong, and I saw that being significant and recognised in the church circles was addictive.  Some even think it is their calling from God to be a christian celebrity!  I thought this whole thing was about lifting Jesus up as we follow the Baptiser in radical humility before the Lord?  Don't I become less, lowly and intentionally bowed of heart before Jesus? 

Those around me still appear utterly blinded to any of this and have gone on to set themselves up as central figures in what they do.  The adoration, applause and attention of their sycophants just feathers the bed for this 'drug'.  It would be all well and good if the Bible underlines this as marks of successful Godly pursuit.  But it doesn't, it says quite the opposite about anyone God is issuing forth through.  Paul tells the Corinthians that his life is routinely battered and bruised for the sake of his sending.  I'm sure we are all united in placing Paul in the 'successful Godly pursuit' bracket.  Of course, not everyone has the addiction.  Many struggle with the inevitability of being raised up by others yet do not activate the solution to the problem.  The vast majority just accept their fame among others as 'going with the territory.'  I call this the 'King Thing,' the problem Paul slammed in the Corinthian church (4:8f).  God predicted this of Israel in Deut 17 and calls it idolatry in 1 Sam 8. 

We live in the Western culture where hierarchy is the way to lead.  But we must remember that the instructions given in the New Testament have little to do with western culture.   Our culture derived from Rome and this constitutes the blind spot of every church leader.  It doesn't seem to matter that we aspire to the 'winds of heaven' while employing the 'stuff of earth' to outwork its aims and objectives.  Whether we are basking in the regalia of the 'King Thing' or struggling with it, everyone has to disengage it.  The answer is to drag our hearts before the Lord and submit our crowns to Him, the only one who is worthy to wear a crown.  We also have to do what Jesus told the Apostles to do:  have a meal in a home.  This is a covenant sign, a rehearsal for the wedding feast of the Lamb.  It re-calibrates the assembled body as 'family,' brothers and sisters under one Father.  In this environment, no one can become the big cheese.  There's no CEO in a family.  There's no rank among children. 

Some have said to me over the years that I'm simply doing 'house church.'  It's as if we all have options and I opted for this.  I champion the case for Biblical church because it is ... Biblical!  But it would be just like the genius of the Lord to have us meet a certain way so that our wayward hearts would not be corrupted.  Attention, adoration and applause are sucker punches for church leaders.  Satan can't stop a believer who wants to lead but the evil one can fill your life with the idea that you are significant, important and 'God's secret weapon in our times.' Searching people will dive right into that unbiblical way to lead, thus bolstering the myth that we 'should' be receiving the accolades.  People have made doctrines to support this warping of all that is right and true. 

The blind spot of every leader is tackling this problem.  Jars of Clay said it well in 'Unforgetful You:'

You never minded giving us the stars 
Then showing us how blind and unaware of You we are 
You painted me a picture and showed me how to see 
Though I just won't behold it 
Unless it pertains to me



Gary Ward