New Covenant leadership nuggets

Over the last two decades, many in the Church have begun to understand Eph-
esians 4:11-13 in a new light:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and
teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of
God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Emerging teaching on these verses has done a lot to restore the five-fold min-
istry—of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—to the body of
Christ. According to what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4, these five-fold ministers exist
to equip the body of Christ. This has been the primary message of those who teach
on the five-fold ministry, and I completely agree.

What I'd like to add to this is an examination of what it really means to be an equipper (a leader) in
the Church. Jesus told us leading in the Church looks different than it does in the world. The
question is, how? In what ways does it look
different?

If we ask ourselves, practically speaking, what it looks like to be an equipper,

what images come to our minds? Do they involve fame and power or the oppor-
tunity to serve? Too often, I believe we in the Church have viewed leadership as
more akin to stardom than servanthood. Yet the reality of the role of an equipper—
someone who trains others and leads them into maturity—inherently contains the
idea of service. Like a good parent, a leader equips his or her followers through ser-
vice, safety, and affection.

These are the marks of the New Covenant Leaders which are emerging in the
body of Christ. They do not use their authority to monopolize power and create
(often unknowingly) an atmosphere of rules and fear. That is the world's way of
leading. Instead, their leadership looks a lot like the way Jesus leads:

1. They exhibit servant-based authority.

2. They create environments where people can be vulnerable and transparent.
3. They are affectionate and warm.

In short, they bring healthy family life to church and truly equip disciples instead
of indoctrinating followers.

The BEST EXAMPLE OF CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP IS JESUS

Look at the actions of Jesus' disciples, in their early years, as they vied and connived in an attempt
to gain power. The power-seeking undercurrents among the twelve surfaced when James and
John, the sons of Zebedee, brought their mother to Jesus with a special request. She said to Him,
“Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your
kingdom”

(Matt. 20:21). It was a classic attempt at political maneuvering, but Jesus would have none of it.
To the two brothers, who were standing with their mother, hoping to be
promised positions of power in Jesus' coming reign, He said, “You don't know what you are
asking....Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” (Matt. 20:22).

Even in the face of this response from Jesus, these two were not short on confidence. “We can,”
they boasted (Matt. 20:22). And Jesus promised to hold them to it. Still, He said, He could not
promise them any such positions of authority in His coming Kingdom. He said:

You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to
grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father (Matthew
20:23).

Not surprisingly, the other ten disciples responded in anger when they discovered the brothers'
scheme. To avoid an all-out brawl, Jesus called a family meeting.

It was time for Leadership 101. He said:

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority
over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your
servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to
be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:25-28).

In response to their jockeying for position, Jesus told them they were acting just like all the power-
hungry leaders in the world, and He drew a line in the sand, saying, “Not so with you.” This is not
how His disciples act.

It's important, here, to recognize what Jesus was saying no to, and what He wasn't. While He
rebuked their power-hungry attitudes, He did not censure their desire for greatness. He didn't tell
them they shouldn't want to be great. He just redefined what greatness looks like. They'd grown
up (like many of us) equating greatness with power and fame, with the ability to get what one
wants. That was the dominant view, but Jesus (as He loved to do) called the standard into
question.

His formula for greatness probably seemed like the opposite of greatness to His
disciples. And it begs the question, what is true greatness?
Our definition of greatness is often based on what Jesus called the leaven of
Herod.