Joy in leadership

Assumptions that deny joy

Ephesians 4:1–16 talks about how grace gifts are given to each of us as apportioned by Christ (v. 7). I believe that these gifts are given to all so that all may be equipped to serve and fulfill their potential. Though it has been traditionally taught that the five gifted groups identified in verse 11 correspond to five roles designated only for the church leaders, I would argue that each and every one of us is given a portion of the grace to serve by fulfilling a role in a great variety of forms, so that all can attain to the fullness of Christ. For instance, if it is that of an apostle, regardless of his or her profession in the world or position recognized within the church, one may serve others by helping them discern and move to their calling in and for the world. If it is that of an evangelist, one can serve both in and outside the church by inviting and welcoming those whose life is still not found or rooted in Christ so that they too may become part of the Kingdom of God. If it is that of a prophet, one may serve by helping others respond and be restored to the will of God. If it is that of a pastor, one may serve God’s people by listening to their stories so that the meanings of their individual stories can be rediscovered and reflected upon in light of God’s grand narrative. Finally, if it is that of a teacher, one may serve by helping others understand, feed on, and live out the word of God in their daily lives.

Along with the God-given gifts apportioned in the body of Christ, Ephesians 4:1–16 puts an emphasis on its unity and maturity. When each member of the body gifted with different grace serves one another, including those who have not yet been reconciled to Jesus, the whole body of Christ can grow and mature “to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (v. 13). Hence, if there is anything that hinders one from either discerning or practicing the grace given to him or her, it is in fact impeding the growth of the entire body. Unfortunately, it has often been the case that those in leadership positions have discouraged different parts of the body from recognizing and further making use of the grace they have received.

To be more specific, I have seen and experienced leaders being an obstacle to the growth of the body of Christ in unity, first and foremost, by withholding the work from others under the wrong assumption that leaders need to do all the work by themselves. Such an assumption is supported by and deeply rooted in our (church) cultures where leaders are paid and thus expected to do the work. However, for the whole body of Christ to grow and mature, leaders need to give the work back to the body. Then, what should leaders do and remember for the work to be given back to the people (Heifetz and Linsky, 2002: 123–40)?

First, it is imperative that they become dispensable. For leaders to keep the growth of the whole body of Christ as an end in mind, they need to realize that it is wrong to assume that successful leaders remain indispensable. Due to such a false assumption deeply engraved in them, many leaders, including those who serve in cross-cultural contexts, try so hard to validate themselves: they believe and thus try to prove their own values in what they do and how much they can achieve; they locate their worth in their work, particularly more visible performances. Many of us in leadership positions embrace modern understandings of identity and believe that our self-esteem is something we can bestow upon ourselves. This is why many of those with leadership titles long to be noticed, valued, and properly rewarded immediately for what they do and do well. The more significant they become in the eyes of others, the more secure they feel; the more critical they become in the life of others, the worthier they consider themselves to be.

Moreover, in their attempts to remain indispensable, leaders seem to have developed “a theology of safe” (Cole, 2009: 270), perceiving what makes them feel safe to be something of great value. Such a theology seems to be intimately related to our human desire to preserve “self.” We put so much energy and endeavor into making ourselves count. We try so hard to make ourselves known and remembered, just as those who built the Babel tower wished to make a name for themselves (Gen. 11:4). However, hunger for self-preservation stands in sharp contrast to what Jesus tells us: “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). Paradoxically, one’s fruitfulness is found in the way of the cross, in becoming less and voluntarily disposable and poor. Just as Nouwen asserts, one’s fruitful life is in offering emptiness, usefulness, in becoming useless, and power, in becoming powerless (1975: 108).

Nevertheless, under the influence of “a theology of safe” and hunger for self-preservation which seems to have impacted the way most of us understand leadership, those with leadership titles frequently end up doing many things, if not everything, for all. Rather than empowering others so that they too can do their own work apportioned by Christ, many leaders choose to be responsible for others in all. Instead of recognizing how the Spirit has empowered others already and helping them release their capacities in and for the world, many leaders let the followers’ expectations expand without boundary and keep on promising to meet them, in an attempt to affirm their worth and stay safe. This eventually leads to their failure and/or reluctance to develop “exit strategies” (Cole, 2009: 268–76), without which leaders can easily end up being in the way, and this has become a substantial issue, especially in cross-cultural contexts.

For leaders not to be in the way, they need to remember that love “is patient, kind, not proud, does not envy, and does not boast” (1 Cor. 13:4). Without love, leaders can become so proud and impatient with others and can easily bypass others and become self-seeking, self-serving, and self-glorifying. Without love, leaders can easily be angered, make the record of wrongs be the legitimate rationale for working alone, and stop protecting, trusting, and persevering others (1 Cor. 13:5–7). Leaders who lead without love hence easily become individuals who assume their successful performance and satisfaction derived from such achievements to be an end in itself, growing completely oblivious of God’s joy which resides in the growing and maturing body of Christ.

On the other hand, when leaders love in their leadership, they can give the work back to the body of Christ, keeping its unity and growth as their end. When leaders serve others by leading them in love, they empower the entire body of Christ to do the work instead of letting their own hunger for power and recognition become “an easy substitute for the hard task of love” (Nouwen, 1995: 59–60). When leaders lead in love, they can share the best in them “so that others have an opportunity to live at their best” (Peterson, 1989: 52). When leaders lead in love, bearing one another and speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:2, 15), all may grow and attain to the full measure of the fullness of Christ Jesus.

Jesus invites us to love one another so that his joy may be in us and our joy may be complete (John 15:9–13). Paul is convinced that all other commands are summed up in love, which is “the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8–10). We are all called to love, and we are to love in our leadership as well. Vision casting, direction setting, results producing, and resource-, time-, and quality-managing are all very important parts of leadership. Yet, if a leader fails to love, it becomes fatal. Those who fail to begin with the growth and maturity of the entire body of Christ as an end in mind become an obstacle to God’s joy in leadership.

In order to love in our leadership, we need to embrace vulnerability. Vulnerability is associated with uncertainty and risk (Brown, 2012: 34). It is about taking meaningful risks (Crouch, 2016: 40) and cultivating trust. Trust relationships, a fundamental characteristic of leadership, cannot be cultivated without taking risks, and vice versa. It certainly is not comfortable to be vulnerable, but without discomfort, one cannot lead, especially for God’s mission. One cannot equip others and create space for them to perform without making intentional efforts to become vulnerable themselves.

The joy in leadership is found when leaders give themselves up for others in vulnerability, so that they too can become empowered to work with delegated authority, responsibility, and freedom. Leaders need to remember that their hunger for more fulfillment, usefulness, and power can hinder someone else’s growth and maturity, which in turn will impede the growth of the entire community that they are called to serve.

Second, for leaders to give the work back to the people, leaders need to recognize another wrong, yet potent assumption under the influence of which many of us have operated: One needs to control everything in order to lead. But note what Lingenfelter writes: “When we focus on letting go, living and working at risk, then we no longer need to control. Kingdom work demands that we shift our focus from securing to losing our lives in pursuit of the mission of God” (2008: 49).

Those who want control tend to place responsibility for everything only on themselves, and those who try to be responsible for everything by themselves alone tend to control. Accordingly, Lingenfelter astutely distinguishes responsible for leadership from responsible to leadership and argues that leaders need to place responsibility on those they counsel, acknowledging that they themselves do not have to be the only ones responsible for everything (2008: 49). When we are preoccupied with hunger and thirst for control and security, we may end up choosing “a bad certainty” over “a good uncertainty” (Nouwen, 1975: 74). However, it is a good uncertainty that needs to be embraced in order to grant responsibility to others.

It is almost beyond doubt that when leaders give up asserting their own control, the work can be messy. In fact, body work is always messy (Lingenfelter, 2008: 166). Nevertheless, when we give up our quest for power, control, and security, God, who works for the good of those who love him in all things (Rom. 8:28), can and will finally do his work in his body and cause it to grow for his own joy and glory.

I believe that these three deeply seated assumptions outlined above—leaders are called to do all the works by themselves, successful leaders remain indispensable, and one needs to control everything in order to lead—have confined the growth and maturity of the body of Christ and have consequently robbed us of the joy that ensues from the Lord. I will now address an image of a leader which, when embraced in one’s understanding and practice of leadership, may help the body of Christ grow and mature for God’s joy.

Supporting ligaments—the joyful image of a leader

Images that come to our mind when we think of a leader impact not only the way in which we understand who the leader is as a person, but also the way in which we practice leadership. Accordingly, those of us who strive to build our leadership praxis on Scripture should ask the following questions: What are the images of a leader that Scripture suggests? Or, does Scripture suggest only one single image of a leader that is right and applicable across cultures? If so, what is it?

Many scholars and practitioners have proposed a variety of metaphors of a leader, including those derived from Scripture such as that of shepherd, servant, steward, builder, gardener, prophet, poet, apostle, and teacher, to name the most prominent. I thus reject the notion of the one and only right and cross-culturally appropriate image of a leader in light of which all other images should be abandoned. No singular image of a leader should replace the rest. Without any intention of downplaying any other images of a leader, however, I uphold the image embedded in Ephesians 4:15–16 and Colossians 2:19 that has not yet been recognized or adopted by many: “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Eph. 4:15–16); “They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow” (Col. 2:19).

It is the depiction of a leader as a supporting ligament. Ligaments are flexible tissue bands that stabilize diverse joints and enable natural and fluid movements in our body. They connect bone to bone and also prevent overstretching, thus reducing unnatural movements that can cause potential injuries. In short, ligaments connect, support, and protect.

It is obvious that, though not visible to the eye, when ligaments fail to do their own work, no other part of the body can perform its own role properly. When ligaments stop working, all other parts are deprived of strength to work or move. Nevertheless, ligaments do not dominate or control. Ligaments enable different parts of the body function by supporting them to be strong and mobile. What then are the implications of a leader being a supporting ligament, particularly for those who are invited to participate in the mission of God?

First, just as the value of a single ligament does not diminish as it increases in number, the value of a leader is not defined by its scarcity. We need multiple leaders. More specifically, we need multiple leaders coming from different parts of the world who are willing to develop emerging leaders. We need leaders who are willing to empower others so that the work and responsibilities can be shared. After all, a single ligament cannot do all the work on its own. What a single leader can do is only part of what needs to be done. In response to Moses’ request, God granted shared leadership to seventy of Israel’s chosen leaders (Num. 11:4–17). God let Elijah know that he reserved seven thousand in Israel whose knees have not bowed to Baal to lead with Elijah (1 Kings 19:18). Jesus called his disciples and sent them to work together (Luke 10:1) rather than in isolation, and Paul asked Timothy to work with faithful others who are also capable of teaching others (2 Tim. 2:2). We see that God wants to see the work shared in the body; God wants both the burden and joy of leadership shared among his people.

Second, just as supporting ligaments play a critical role without being visible or controlling, so can leaders. Leaders do not have to be recognized and properly appreciated at all times in order to be effective. As a matter of fact, effective leaders who leave sustaining organizations and cultures behind do not remain in sight of others forever, but rather disappear, having entrusted others with the work (Davis, 2016). For such a meaningful withdrawal to be made, leaders need to learn to let go of their urge to command and control. Instead, they need to humbly grant authority and responsibility to others so that the mission of the church can shared by the whole body of Christ.

In summary, leaders must serve just as a ligament would in the physical body as in the body of Christ. Leaders must connect, support, and protect each aspect of the body in order that the task given to each is fulfilled and the entire body grows and matures in unity “to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). The whole body needs to be joined and held together by leaders who serve as supporting ligaments, just as a building is joined together to stand firm and strong (Eph. 2:21). Without leaders doing their own work of supporting, connecting, and protecting, no unity, growth, or maturity of the body can be expected. When different parts of the body with different kinds of grace are joined and held together by ligaments that connect, support, and protect, the body of Christ can move and work for God’s mission in and for the world.

Joyful leading servants of the master

Many have referred to Mark 10:43–45 as a biblical framework for servant leadership:

You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

All of us are called to serve and we can do so in whatever capacity we are given. For instance, we can serve in diverse work places by bridging the gap, discerning and communicating the will of God, helping both long forgotten and new voices to be heard, providing different perspectives in which hidden meanings can be discovered and interpreted, sharing resources and power, cultivating the soil for the good news to be planted and bear fruit, and/or leading people. In other words, with the different grace gifted to each of us and in different contexts we find ourselves in, we can all serve. What we should not fail to remember is that we are not to serve in order to lead, but to lead in order to serve. Therefore, what we need today and tomorrow are not more “servant leaders,” but “leading servants” (Banks and Ledbetter, 2004: 110–11) who find joy in serving God, his mission, and his people (1 Thess. 2:19–20; 3:9).

Furthermore, for leading servants to serve the body of Christ as supporting ligaments, they need to work as a “holding environment” (Heifetz, Grashow, and Linsky, 2009: 155–56), where both assistance and challenges are properly concerted. By bending their wants towards what God wants, leading servants should create both a hospitable and challenging environment in which people can grow toward their full potential (Shenk, 2009: 172).

Nouwen elaborates on the concept of hospitality that he perceives to be one of the richest biblical terms. He writes that when the concept of hospitality is rightly restored to its original significance, it can “deepen and broaden our insight in our relationships to our fellow human beings” (1975: 66). Accordingly, rather than limiting the meaning of hospitality to its literal sense of welcoming a stranger in our house, he chooses to highlight it as a fundamental attitude that we are to develop toward our fellow human beings, maintaining that it can be embodied in many different ways. In response to what Nouwen writes, I would argue that when leading servantship works as a hospitable space, where hospitality is restored to its original depth and potential, each member of the body of Christ will be offered both freedom and invitation to find his or her own place in God’s mission. When leading servants create an environment that is both supportive and challenging, each member of the body of Christ will be welcomed to participate in God’s mission. When such an environment as this is created, individuals will not feel forced to move in a certain direction without having any inner conviction or motivation. Additionally, they will not manipulate their actions for the sake of enhancing the leader’s sense of fulfillment. Finally, when leading servants serve the body as supporting ligaments and work as a holding environment, each member of the body will commit to a cause that is far greater than themselves and together become the church that functions at their full potential. It is utterly important for leading servants to remember that they are called to service that “finds expression in releasing the potential in people, helping them see how their work contributes to the larger mission of the community” (Wright, 2009: 5). Leading servantship should be after community, not community after leading servantship.

Conclusion

J. Robert Clinton has taught me the importance of “finishing well” (2012). When I first heard him teach this principle, I imagined myself approaching the finish line alone with a big smile on my face and throwing myself into the embrace of the Father who has been waiting to tell me, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” However, as I have tried to apply this principle in my life, both inside and outside of classroom for the past 15 years, I have come to realize that this image is only part of a bigger picture. What God desires to see at the finish line is not a hero or heroine finishing alone. Rather, it is a great multitude of God’s people coming from every nation, tribe, people, and language (Rev. 7:9) that has flourished while serving God and his people with God-given capacities and responsibilities in a variety of different ways and places.

Joy in leading servantship is not something that can be pursued in a fragmented work that is done independently from the greater body of Christ. True joy in leading servantship should ultimately be God’s own joy that resides in the growth and maturity of communities of God’s people who are equipped and empowered to participate in God’s mission. Such leading servantship is shaped by the cross, which finds the greatest satisfaction in becoming a grain of wheat that falls downward. When it is present, each part of the entire body of Christ will be able to discover, develop, and release his or her gifts for the Kingdom of God, his mission, and his people. In conclusion, joy in leading servantship ensues from God’s joy which resides in the flourishing body of Christ that is held together by supporting ligaments—the leading servants.