Elders and Deacons with a mission ...

Thursday, Nov 12, 2009. The church needs clear leadership. When we look into the reports and stories of the New Testament, we see that the need for leadership was on the agenda of Jesus. He chose twelve special disciples, to form them into leaders. He chose Peter to pick even one of the twelve to go ahead and lead this special group. Leadership is important for a group, it is important for the church.

The biblical book of Acts reports the development of the early church, driven by the activity of the apostle Paul with his journey through Asia and Europe. Paul was a gifted spiritual leader, his letters are still read today, they are one of the fundaments of the Christian church. And where ever God established a local church through Paul's activities and the activities of his fellow workers, he urged them to choose local leaders, which they called the elders or presbyters. Elders were supposed to be particular experienced Christians, who could fill the role to care and further develop the church.

The role of the elders in a church, like the apostles themselves, was mainly a spiritual leadership role. They had to care for the spiritual development of the community. In addition to this spiritual role, they also needed leadership in management. We need to keep in mind that the early church had many duties and roles. They cared for the widows, for the orphans, for all who could not care for themselves. This needed management, and the deacons were those who did this type of leadership and service.

Today, we need to rediscover the role of spiritual leadership. Leadership is something which takes place on all levels of life. It is not about sitting in long meetings, making decisions. It might be a part of leadership, to reach some decisions. But leadership is much more. It is a life which is living in intense prayer and interaction with the Lord. Christian leadership needs his love, flowing into our heart, and then flowing on to the people around me. Leadership need his wisdom, which is then applied to all levels of my life.

We need Christian leaders, everywhere in the world. We need people, who know God and who encourage sincere and deep faith in their communities. We need wise decisions, the unbelievable creativity of the Lord, to enter our minds and our hearts every day. We need leadership in social engagement, encouragement for the workers and counseling for those in need. We need to encourage small groups, active personal relations which are lived in the spirit of the Lord. We need deep bible knowledge and the love of the Lord in our hearts. Leaders have a mission - let us rediscover this mission! It is not a marginal hobby, but it is the light of life in our heart and our communities, the wonderful presence of the Lord. [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

... more texts