Jesus' leadership style was one of the most influential and effective the world has ever seen. He succeeded in transforming a rag-tag group of 12 inexperienced men into a high-performing team that has dramatically influenced the whole world for more than 2,000 years.
After Jesus had fulfilled His mission on the Cross... he spent valuable days preparing His followers for a momentous day... Pentecost and the coming of The Holy Spirit. Little did his 12 disciples know what was about to happen. Peter would preach... people would listen with their minds and hearts, repent and be baptized. Christ’s Church is born... 3,000 new believers on the first day!
The new believers would need to be cared for. They will need to be taught and nurtured and disciplined and loved. God graciously provided a framework for governing His new-born Church... shepherds for His flock.
So God established the eldership to govern His Church. He appoints men to serve the spiritual needs of His flock. Imperfect men. Men who make mistakes and sometimes fall victim to the sin of pride. In the Gospel, Jesus said that those who wish to be great must be servants to others... the “first shall be last” and “the last first”... He himself washed the feet of Peter to demonstrate the degree of humility needed to be a servant of the flock.
Jesus also confirmed the importance of coordinated teamwork. While the qualifications for the office of a pastor/elder are clearly laid down in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, the realities of serving as a shepherd are a bit more vague. What's not left to doubt is the necessity of a plurality of men serving together in the spirit of teamsmanship. That is Christ's way and a foundation within His Church that cannot be ignored.
His team was initially unskilled but, with the right attitude, leadership develops in those who love the Lord. The elders of the first century church literally worked wonders.
Remember the axiom..."None of us is as smart as all of us". The skill of the individual will never be as effective as the combined skills of a good team. And the skilled team working independently, disconnected, will not be as effective as the unskilled team working together with the power of The Holy Spirit leading.
Remember the axiom..."None of us is as smart as all of us". The skill of the individual will never be as effective as the combined skills of a good team. And the skilled team working independently, disconnected, will not be as effective as the unskilled team working together with the power of The Holy Spirit leading.
