As a seminary student, Buechner was assigned to work part-time in an East Harlem parish. Here he is commenting on the regular parish staff members: “They had caught something from Christ, I thought. Something of who he was and is flickered out through who they were. It is not easy to describe. It was compassion without sentimentality as much as anything else, I think—a lucid, cool, grave compassion. If it had a color, it would be a pale, northern blue. They never seemed to romanticize the junkies and winos and deadbeats and losers they worked among, and they never seemed to let pity or empathy distort the clarity with which they saw them for no more if no less than what they were. Insofar as they were able to approach loving them, I got the impression that they did so not just in spite of everything about them that was neither lovely nor lovable but right in the thick of it. “No one is good but God alone,” Jesus says, and surely that is what the parish staff would I think have said too. At their strongest and saintliest, I believe, they knew that in the last analysis they weren’t really a spiritual elite, not really better than other people. They were just luckier.” (Buechner, Frederick. Listening to Your Life. HarperOne. Kindle Edition.)

The word “Leader” literally means “guide” and carries with it the idea of one who steers a ship. One with the gift of leadership rules with wisdom and grace and exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in his or her life as they, hopefully lead by example.

How does the world define Leadership?  I would venture to say that most people would define leadership is the ability to steer a ship of people through calm and through stormy seas – therefore the gifted leader is one who makes the decisions to manage the course of action as he or she works through conflict, and listens to various voices to determine the best direction for the group. 

By definition there cannot be a ship full of leaders – or the ship will never stay on the same course, nor will it work together to accomplish its main goal. Successful corporations and churches alike may have multiple people with the gift of leadership, but there is one who announces the ultimate direction – who has the voice of ultimate authority.

In the Christian church, the “One” who has ultimate authority is found in Jesus Christ and the teachings of Jesus. Jesus should be the one who ultimately sets the course for the individual churches as the called and elected leaders look for the church’s mission and ministry.

When a church gets off course it is usually because too many people without leadership qualities, or without the authority given by elected lay people, begin to steer the ship through their own power or influence. As we see in the racing phenomenon known as “The America’s Cup”, a ship is only as good as its captain and the willingness of the crew to listen to its leader.  When the church understands that Christ is our ultimate leader, and the individual members work together in humility electing leaders and allowing them to lead, then each ship will find its way through stormy and glassy seas alike, accomplishing the goals that Christ determines through the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Dave