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It
is not easy to bring Christians together into one group and to maintain
the peace and unity of that group while carrying out the mission of
Jesus Christ. The task calls for good management by loving, responsible,
and authoritative leadership. Unlike
the many-leveled hierarchy that exists in business and in many other
organizations, the church of Jesus Christ is His church over which He
rules both directly and through His chosen leaders.
The leaders of the church, as well as those whom they lead, all
take direction from Christ. Through
divine calls, elections, and appointments, Christ selects leaders and
gives them His authority to lead and manage His church. Here
are some practical applications regarding authoritative leaders: 1. Authoritative leaders continually give first attention to
their relationship with God because it is Christ whom they represent and
serve. 2. Authoritative leaders know what God wants His people to
do. Their task is to help
Christians do what God directs them to do, not to ask the people where
they want to go. 3. Authoritative leaders are both careful and courageous in
their full and firm use of the authority Christ gives them. 4. Authoritative leaders understand the importance of being
leaders among people who are willing to follow.
Therefore they listen to their people so they truly understand
the people=s needs, gain advice about how to accomplish the
work, and know the abilities and interests of the people they serve. 5. Authoritative leaders give attention to the discipline of
their lives in the little things as well as the big, so that their lives
are examples for Christ and not an erosion of Christ=s
authority. 6. Authoritative leaders train members by modeling as well
as by instruction because that was Christ=s
way. 7. Authoritative leaders are not merely speech makers but
articulators of deeply held values and goals that reflect mature faith. 8. Authoritative leaders discern the difference between what
God=s
Word says and their personal likes and dislikes. 9. Authoritative leaders support every plan, every program,
every administrative act of the church that is Scripturally correct and
carried out in an orderly manner. 10. Authoritative leaders teach the church to respect Christ=s
established authority. The
possession of authority from Christ implies the responsibility to teach
about authority. Birds
of a feather may flock together but often Christians without good
leadership are like scattered sheep without a shepherd.
God equips you for your work by continually restoring you by His
grace and giving you strength and encouragement to carry on. [The
above was adapted from an article by Ron Roth of WELS.]
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