Working with Staff (by Larry Travis)
The Greek word for Lord is—kurios. It means having power or authority over another. Over the years, I have asked many people at the time of their confession of Christ—do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? I have to admit that most of us like the idea of Savior, but the lordship part is a bit tough! However, it’s been stated often—he is God and we are not. He’s Lord and we aren’t. In simple terms, this means that we are agreeing to follow him—to obey him—to trust him. He is Lord.
Now, working with staff is a challenge. I’m not suggesting that it’s only tough for senior ministers as they work with those ON their staff. I’m not suggesting that any leaders who have authority over others are the only ones who have it tough at times. It’s challenging being on a staff of strong-minded, educated, well-trained leaders who have their own ideas of how things should go. It’s tough following someone who is leading when you aren’t sure where they are going. You don’t understand why you are being asked to do certain tasks. The list goes on and on.
The challenges of leading and following in the church have been around since the beginning. Ask Peter and Paul. Ask Jesus. Ask any leader today. None of this is new. The question to answer is this: who’s the boss? Where does the “buck” stop? Many will say it’s the elders--the plurality of the leaders in the church. Others will say it must be the senior minister as this person directs the ministry, the staff, and other leaders. Certainly, the elders and the senior/lead minister have their roles to play in the line of authority. It’s even God ordained.
However, how should the idea of Christ is Lord make a difference in our relationships in the church no matter what positions we have? I know what our first response should be. We follow the Lord first. We listen to him first. He has ALL authority as he proclaimed in Matthew 28:18. I have often told churches that their mandate isn’t to find the smartest, most educated, and most talented to lead, but to simply find the most spiritual because the leader’s job is to listen to what the Lord wants his church to do. There is only One who has ultimate authority. There is only One who knows what to do. There is only One who holds tomorrow. So, we look to him first. Ultimately, we only have one true leader. Think how this culture/mindset would change meetings. Change decisions. Change relationships on staff. Between elders and ministers. Think how this would change how leaders treat people, arrive at decisions, smooth disagreements and hurts and egos, and eventually find out what the God wants for his church.
I know. I know. This is easier said than done. But I hope you’ll agree it’s needed, and badly in some places with some people and some churches. Here are some questions to ponder. How can we each exhibit humility and submission? What would that look like on a staff? How can we accept and embrace authority in our lives that gives encouragement to those who have the burden of leading? What does it look like to honor God—the Lord—as we honor those who are in charge of us? What does faithfulness look like?
Here’s something I know about me which might also apply to you. I am a control freak! And it’s tough giving up control to anyone at any time for anything. Even to God. I’ve come to think that for me it’s a matter of trust and faith. Or the lack thereof at times. Here’s what I think we should think about. True faithfulness—real trust in God—leads to submission, which leads to acceptance, which leads to embracing his LORDSHIP. When church staffs and leadership teams—including elders and boards—embrace this Biblical truth, then the culture of boss will change, and we’ll begin to listen to him like he’s always wanted and expected from his church leaders.
I’ve often heard the prayer, “Help us to be like Jesus.” Well, Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Indeed, our great God is the Lord and following that will change us all. As it says in Jeremiah 17:7, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.”
Larry Travis