Skip to main content

Challenge for the 21stCentury Church: Leadership

In the middle of the last century, the ideal staffing of a mainline church looked like this:  a full-time, seminary trained minister (male); at least one associate (often seminary trained) who specialized in youth and/or children’s ministry; and a full-time or part-time music leader.  Of course, this was not the reality for every church. Many churches, especially rural churches, had a bi-vocational minister (one with another vocation), a volunteer or part-time music director, and lay volunteers for other ministries.

As we move further into the 21stcentury, the second model is becoming more common. Even mainline denominations which have high standards for ministerial preparation--both in the discernment process and in educational preparation--are looking at other options to fill the pulpits of churches who have both declining memberships and smaller budgets. 

On the other hand, there are the non-denominational or community churches who place more emphasis on leadership ability than formal preparation, calling pastors and staff members who lack theological credentials.   There are also alternative church models that depend entirely on gifted volunteers to lead the fellowship of believers.

The landscape has changed as well as the viability of the ideal.  What does this mean for leadership development--both for clergy and lay--for the church in the 21stcentury?

First, this means that the distinction between clergy and laity is less clear.  Many churches are affirming that Christian baptism equals a call to serve. Whether one is compensated for service or not, each believer has a role to serve in the life of the church.

Second, a number of churches have decided that the most effective leaders for their congregations are those who have been nurtured there.  They have gifted lay people who can preach, teach, and serve.  What hinders them from becoming the ministers of the congregation?

Third, new structures of leadership are being either created or revived.  The “circuit rider” model of Methodism where one minister served several congregations is alive and well.  Baptists often had “farmer preachers” who plowed six days a week and preached on the seventh.  This model has never gone way, but those bi-vocational preachers are now business people, educators, salespeople, and professionals.  The major change is that these models are spreading to other denominations who have been used to full-time professionals.  

Fourth, churches are realizing that it is finally time to give leadership to women, the young, and marginalized people.  Crisis drives change.  Unfortunately, it takes a leadership bind for many churches to finally call out, train, and ordain women and men who should have been in lead roles already.

Five, new types of leadership call for creative ways of educating and equipping. Both accredited and non-accredited programs are emerging, some church-based and some are alternative denominational structures.  Seminaries and theological institutions are also recognizing that they can serve this population of learners.  Although many of these programs are developed out of necessity, this does not mean that they cannot be quality academic programs while developing necessary ministry competencies.  

We are just at the beginning of a major shift in religious leadership.  What is the Spirit of God saying to us in this time of change?


Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist.  I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age.  I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving.  This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students.  We supported missionaries at home and abroad.  We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course).  I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition.  Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect.  There were significant theological differences, often geograp

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself.     The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church.  Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs.  What once worked no longer seems to be effective.  Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s  “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educational dimension of church ministry, as the

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor.   He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.”   In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.”   Jesus turned this around.   In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner.   His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced.   He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality.  These are metaphors for the Kingdom. Where do w

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church.   On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter.  Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year.  He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability on behalf of the congreg

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business.  For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates.  He has already left the church and resigned from the board of the association.