"LEADERSHIP + DISCIPLESHIP = _____"

 

 

“Then he said to them all,

  ‘If any want to become my disciples, let them deny themselves
   and take up their cross daily, and follow me.'

                    Luke 9:23

 
Dear Friends,

Okay. True confession time here … When I was a senior in high school, I was student body president. It’s not that I was all that popular in high school; it was more like, none of those who were all that popular wanted the job. Regardless, one of the more memorable things about it was this piece of advice I got from one of my teachers. “Remember,” she told me after I got elected, “the best leadership is follow-ship done right.”

Though that advice was given to me in a secular setting, I have found over the years that it was pretty good advice for leadership in the church. However, I would slightly change the wording to make the advice speak more directly to church life. “Leadership is discipleship done right” is how I would put it.

When I think about who those people who have impressed me most with their leadership ability in the church, I realize that more often than not they have been the very same individuals who have impressed me with the quality of their Christian discipleship. It was because of the integrity and authenticity of their discipleship that I found their leadership compelling.

By the time you receive this newsletter our church staff here at Trinity will have had a retreat during which we will have explored a little of what it might look like to emphasize discipleship as one seeks to exercise leadership. In the coming months I hope to do more of the same with our church officers, both our elders and our deacons.

One of the newer and unfortunate “marks” of the church lately has all too often been one of burnout from church activity or church “busy-ness.” I find myself wondering if this is at least in part because we seem to equate leadership more with activities and things to do and responsibilities to fulfill rather than equating leadership with prayer, devotion, service, worship, and more spiritual aspects of church leadership. More and more, I am becoming convinced that the church of Jesus Christ, both specifically here at Trinity as well as the church in general, really needs are less task and program leaders and more spiritual leaders. I believe Jesus wants the church to be less about meeting people’s perceived needs and more about equipping disciples to serve in the image and name of Jesus Christ.

Personally, I look forward to and find myself excited about exploring ways as your pastor to better combine my own leadership with discipleship. What is the result when of the equation leadership + discipleship = ___? I am pretty sure that whatever it turns out to be will be a lot closer to the will of God than anything I could come up with on my own. God bless you!

Stephen Smith-Cobbs

The Rev. Stephen Smith-Cobbs