Nov 1, 2020
By Katrina Goodrich
Women’s Society
No matter your gender, your socioeconomic status, your tendency to follow rather than to step in the limelight—you’re a leader to someone. It doesn’t matter if you’re standing in the pulpit or in the nursery during the sermon: you are a leader by virtue of your proclamation of Christ because every Christian is called to lead others to Christ. Whatever your office (or lack thereof), it does not affect that calling. It’s easy to lose sight of that fact because of the visibility and importance we place on our denominational leaders even though our Conference is structured more congregationally.
Many times, leadership is looking up at us and we’re so busy looking back down to them we forget our position. Instead of focusing outward, much of the time our vision is looking at the minority “leaders.” Less visible leaders get tunnel vision and they forget they should also look up and out. On the other hand, you have the rare individual whose vision is focused outward and would never consider themselves a leader since they prefer to be behind the scenes and perform more “menial” functions like being a secretary or janitor.
Looking for and fostering leadership in others may not be as difficult as we make it. Certainly, there are natural leaders that stand out, who seem to find themselves out in front organizing the crowd who need mentoring too. Considering the dearth of easily identifiable leaders, and the historical Biblical precedent of God choosing leaders who might not have been considered for leadership positions otherwise—it might be important to figure out how to mentor those sitting in the back pew or in the nursery. Remember those who are always there as an extra set of hands but are more comfortable at a work bee than a business meeting. Perhaps the first step is reinforcing the people who would never consider themselves leaders. In fact, they are very eligible for leadership and it’s a certainty that God uses all His earthly hands and feet. Recognizing the worth and potential of the least and last is perhaps the most difficult and important task of the most and first—that is, if you’re interested in building a healthy community that thrives beyond the favored leader of the moment.
As surely as wisdom should come from the pulpit, so it may come from the janitor closet. What if we treated all members of the church—regardless of gender, vocation, education, charisma, etc.— like they are leaders? There is a very real possibility that God may call them to be an unlikely leader, even though it may seem they lack the “qualifications.”
Colossians 3 repeats an exhortation twice (verses 17 and 23-24) for us to pursue all our activities as for the Lord. The context of these verses is first in worship and the second is in reference to slaves doing work for their masters. However, I believe the context only serves to underscore my point. The Bible takes time to address slaves and point out that, though many wrongly overlook them as less, God notices their work and knows even the most overlooked person has immense value.
In that vein, we should be looking around and encouraging confidence in the capabilities of the body of Christ. Where we see a student, God may see a teacher; where we see a janitor, God may see a person who focuses on the details and is a good listener; where we see a child wrangler, God may see a person who can unite opposite personalities. Encourage and recognize one another’s gifts in Christ and know that our perspective is not God’s.
