Let's Resurrect the Church

Let's Resurrect the Church Page 10

by Mark Barnes

CHAPTER NINE – OVERALL AIM

  TAS says “…the purpose of the Christian life is all-inclusively set forth in a clause in one of Paul’s letters: “till we all attain … unto the … fullness of Christ … (Eph 4:13)"302 Therefore, the strategic aim for your church is to develop mature, knowledgeable, Spirit-filled Christians, who, one day, will be suitable to start their own churches or some distinctly Christian work such as teaching at a Christian school (Al Fasol). Parker says "… legacy leadership is a self-perpetuation model whereby a leader intentionally develops future leaders that continue this process …" (Parker, 175-178; 1 Thess 1:6-7; 2 Pet 1:15 AMP; Echols, Transformational / Servant Leadership …).

  John Piper says “… You can get people to do what you want, but if they don’t change in their heart you have not led them spiritually ...” (Piper, The Marks of a Spiritual Leader). TAS says: “… the church should make an impact … you and I, individually, when we have passed from this earth, should be remembered for having been vehicles or vessels of light …”303 and “… spiritual leadership means that you are exercising an influence on others, to bring them on, to lead them on, into God’s full intention for His people. The effect of your life is that others, because of you, are being helped on, drawn on, led on …” (TAS, The Holy Spirit, the Church, and the Nations, 83; Echols, Transformational / Servant Leadership …).

  So, it is not about you or I becoming famous or better than anyone else.304 Elliot Grudem reminds us that "… Paul didn’t want the things that would make his bio sizzle and give him fame and respect [my notes: 2 Cor 10:12-18 & 12:1-6 AMP; Gal 1:10] … what he wanted most was to know Christ, the power of his resurrection, share in his sufferings, become like him in his death, and one day 'attain the resurrection from the dead' (Phil 3:4-11) …" (Grudem, Pour it Out). Proverbs 27:2 says "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth." TAS says "… be not ambitious for place, for recognition, for name, for reputation. Be not ambitious to have your rights recognized …"305

  According to Bennis and Powell, "Leaders … have to abandon their own egos to nurture the talents of the people working for them …" (Tilstra, 49). Horsthuis says "… The Triune God desires that we lead as the person he knows and delights in us to be. He does not desire that we lead as the person with the biggest church, or influence, or personality. He does desire that we lead as he does with the unity and diversity of our particular selves …" (Horsthuis, 103-104). Scott Rodin says: "… the only applause we are meant to seek is that of nail-scarred hands …" (Rodin, 116).

  TAS points out that although Christ is now seated in glory at the right hand of God, "… He is Lord, but still the great heavenly Servant, serving us, washing us, washing away our sin … all He does is in the spirit of the servant …"306 This is what servant-leadership is about (Zscheile, The Trinity …, 53-59). You will most likely be a more mature and knowledgeable Christian than most of your congregation, but you become a servant by constantly helping build up as many mature Christian leaders as you can.307 Eric Alexander says "… If we are concerned about the whole area of leadership and service, the cause of the gospel and the work of God in our churches, let us realize that the prime issue is growth in the knowledge of God. In this realm what matters to God is what a man is rather than what he is doing …" (Alexander, Let Him Who Boasts …).

  Robert Greenleaf says "… the difference between a true servant-leader who is servant first, and the leader-servant who seeks leadership first, lies in the growth of the people who serve under them. The test question is, 'do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?' … "308 Please read Steve Echols superb essay "Transformational / Servant Leadership …" because it is a comprehensive yet easy-to-read study of transformational and servant leadership.

  According to TAS "… if Christians do not know and are not learning consciously what is good and what is not good for them spiritually, there is something wrong with their spiritual health. If the life of God is having its way, those two things are going on. We are getting more intelligent to things that will not help us, and we cast them off … it is spiritual intelligence, and by this twofold process of breaking down and building up we are being changed … and you can gather into that all the New Testament has to say about spiritual understanding: being 'filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding' …" (TAS, The Cross, the Church, and the Kingdom, 127).

  As a pastor, keep away from seeking glory for yourself. TAS says “… The gold represented the glory of God, and Achan, in type, took the glory from God to himself. This is a very great lesson for the people of God. All the glory has to be the Lord’s glory. Later on we shall be glorified together with Him, but now we are to suffer with Him, and the suffering is having no glory here in this world. But Achan took the glory to himself, and God says ‘My glory will I not give to another …'"309 You will see from my essay at the end of this book how I believe servant leadership should be put into practice (Echols, 121; Zscheile, The Trinity …, 53-59). If this is your first time leading a congregation, let them know this fact. Inform them that although you have certain policies and plans in place, you don’t know everything about operating a church, but that you want to enjoy growing with the congregation. (Warren, Purpose-Driven Church, 4; Callahan, Leadership in Ecclesial Contexts …, 64-65).

  TAS makes an interesting point that the "… predominant note in [New Testament preaching] was not the salvation of men from sins … but it was the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ. Everywhere they bore witness to the resurrection of Jesus, and they proclaimed Him as Lord. When it came to dealing with exercise of heart under conviction, and with the enquiry, 'What shall we do to be saved?' then the interpretation or the application was that this Lord is also Saviour. You can be saved by Him because He is Lord …" TAS stresses that he is not "… discrediting or weakening ... the preaching of the gospel of salvation … but that must come out of the established lordship of Jesus Christ …"310

  I only came across this point in early 2016 when I was close to finishing writing this book. Therefore, I haven’t had months or years for this to soak into my soul, but I believe TAS is right. As Jesus was crucified nearly two thousand years ago, I believe it is important to tell people who Jesus IS, and where and how He received His authority and position, than just simply informing people straight up that they should put their faith in Jesus Christ, without explaining why Jesus, and not someone else. In "Keeping Christ in View", TAS says that "… at the beginning it was Christ who was preached; the Person who was kept in full view; the One through whom the Gospel came. It was 'the gospel of God concerning His Son'. The emphasis was not upon what men could have, but upon God's rights and Christ's glory. This may seem to be straining things, but let it be understood that the Holy Spirit: the Custodian of Christ's honor; is most jealous on this matter, and will only commit Himself to this keeping of Christ in view …"

  As your church grows and if finances permit, provide the congregation with as many educational aids that you can. Remember, God considers this to be ‘Sowing Generously’. I recommend you only start your church when you can provide sufficient numbers of Bibles for the congregation to use. Remember, the Bible is the only recipe book for making mature Christians, and is the main way to learn about Christ. And remember, it is all about J……… C……. If your church becomes big in financial terms, you can do bigger things such as provide grants for Christian education. The ultimate aim is to be effective in developing mature Christians with many of them being able to go on and plant their own churches.

  But, remember, your health, marriage, and children are more important than your church. Therefore, your church is only one part of your overall aim. So make sure you check yourself regularly to ensure you are maintaining a good work / life balance (Barton; Callahan and Eblen, 208-209; Miller-McLemore, 132-133). Keep a diary so you can look back over it and see how many hours you worked the week before. Tak
e days off, nurture your marriage, play games with your children, and go on holidays with your family (Vaters; Miller-McLemore, 115). If you go on holidays it will ‘force’ you to either organize a relief pastor or build up someone in your membership to become a good relief pastor to look after the church while you are away (Gray, 137; 2 Tim 2:2; Titus 2:1; 1 Thess 5:11-14). And that is a good thing for you and the person or people you are building up: they are increasing in Christ.

  The Apostle Paul said “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Some people have interpreted this to mean that you can work flat out for your church and God will give you the energy to do everything. I think that is incorrect. I have even heard two pastors on Christian TV say that Christians should set an example to others by being the first to arrive at their work; work hard; and be the last ones to leave work. They think this is Christians setting a good example. I get that, and I agree with working hard at work, but they did not produce one iota of evidence that arriving early and working late has directly resulted in the saving of souls for Christ, or the expansion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If they produce discernable evidence I will gladly listen. In most workplaces over the years I have found that if someone works unpaid overtime, most employers expect everyone else to do the same.

  I was a police officer for thirty four years. But I always took holidays as often as possible. When my police cadet group of thirty three recruits graduated in Tasmania, we were eighteen years old and left the academy to take up postings at our nominated police stations. All of us had accumulated six weeks recreational leave (rec leave). We could either take the leave or start work immediately at our new postings. I got posted, along with four other cadets, to Burnie in Tasmania. I had never been to Burnie before, so I immediately took my six weeks rec leave and enjoyed exploring the beautiful beaches and countryside of North-West Tasmania. I would go to different beaches like Sisters Beach and Boat Harbor and go for long jogs there, and would drive around the countryside on sunny days. I think the four other cadets started work straight away.

  The Queensland Police used to send a list around once per year of those police who had accumulated more than 240 hours of rec leave. The idea was to make them take the leave. I never appeared on that list in seventeen years because I took leave as often as possible because I enjoy life. Don’t get me wrong: I worked hard as a police officer, especially when I hit my stride after about three to four years. But I had an attitude of ‘work hard: go home’. Once I finished a rostered shift on the hour, I went straight home unless I was being paid overtime. I believe that is one reason my marriage is now into thirty five years: because I was always looking to go home and have a life with my family outside of police work. When I was young, I knew that a police career would be about forty years, so I determined not to burn myself out. The only reason I had to be medically discharged after thirty-four years was that I developed headaches due to the stress of being a police prosecutor.

  As you have probably noticed, I am a big fan of the writings of Theodore Austin-Sparks (TAS). But I disagree with TAS in the area of rest and relaxation. TAS talks about those occasions when you are tired and don’t feel like attending church related matters such as meetings (I cannot find TAS' citation now!!). TAS believes that if you attend anyway, you will be energized by the Holy Spirit. But, I urge you to view this advice in light of your time in history compared to the time this advice was written. For example, TAS wrote this in 1969. I am writing this line in 2016. I can remember the pace of life from the mid-1960s compared to nowadays (i.e.; 2016). The pace of life was much slower in the 1960s. You see, the world economy experienced massive growth after the Second World War until the early-mid 1970s.311 I have lived and observed work conditions and life for a fair few years either side of the 1970s.

  Prior to the 1970s, the massive growth meant that most businesses had salespeople and admin assistants for each little department that my father, step-mother and friends and family worked in. Every supermarket in Australia had bag packers at every cash register up until the 1980s, when competition forced them to remove that position. Now, just about every business and corporation is looking to cut wages to minimize costs. Consequently people are doing more work. I remember knocking on the door of a police Inspector’s office in 1990, in the middle of the day. I walked in and he was asleep sitting in his chair behind his desk. Twenty years later you would never find any police inspector anything less than overloaded with accountability measures (e.g.; Hendy).

  Then e-mail messaging came in and constant overload is the order of the day. I averaged 380 legal e-mails per month in 17 years as a police prosecutor in the Queensland Police. Everything was recorded on paper prior to the late 1970s. Then, computers were introduced, BUT, in most cases, we now have to record a lot of our work on paper then transfer it manually onto computers. It will be great when everything is instantly loaded onto a computer, but I might not see that in my lifetime. In some cases computers save time, but in most cases I have come across, it has increased workloads, and fixing up the inevitable mistakes caused by trying to transfer information accurately from paper to computer while being interrupted all the time has contributed to great stress.

  Therefore, I am not saying TAS is wrong about going to meetings even if you are tired, BUT I have lived all this out since the mid-1960s and I am sorry to say that the world is twice as fast in 2016. This means stress is now commonly overlaid on top of tiredness and people genuinely need to minimize their commitments outside of work time and RELAX. Therefore, it does not surprise me that, as of 2016 "Australia has one of the highest rates of antidepressant use in the world; it has more than doubled since 2000 …" (Davey and Chanen). Michael McNichols writes about hearing two successful pastor friends of his comparing their anti-depressant medication (McNichols, 54; Miller-McLemore). Within a two-year period, two separate extremely hard-working police officer friends of mine were diagnosed with depression and had to take medication. Nina Hendy says "… Research shows that up to $71.2 billion worth of unpaid hours are being worked by Australian full-time employees per year … technology has blurred the line between work and home … executives feel an expectation to be available all the time …" (Hendy).

  For these reasons I recommend that when you start your church, tell everyone you do not want volunteers. Let them know you understand the modern world is moving at a fast, stressful pace: therefore you want them to come to church to RELAX in Christ. If they see you relaxed, you will be a walking role model (Parker, 165-169). You don’t even need a university degree to relax!! People have forgotten these simple things of life, but I learnt them from older relatives and friends in the 1960s and 70s. A lot of my relatives were born in the early 1900's, and one of my relatives, William John Reynolds of Colebrook, Tasmania (you can Google him using this information), lived from 1875 to 1970. I met him in the late 1960s. Just to put that in perspective, William was born BEFORE Hitler and all his henchmen Goring, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, Eichmann, and Speer. So, as you can see, I was fortunate enough to learn from a fair few old-aged, and old-fashioned country people. They all worked hard, but then they relaxed and enjoyed spending time with family and friends.

  And I listened carefully to all these people I met in my family circle, and treasured what they said and did. I believe all these experiences played a large part in my ability to compare the old with the new as evidenced in Dr. Hill's comments when marking my 'Servant Leadership' essay where he wrote: "… You make new and interesting connections between old ideas and synthesise those connections into exceptional ideas of your own. You are thinking with great originality …" I believe you can think with greater originality when you know how things were done before your time on earth; especially when you hear it from the people who have been there and lived it out.

  I recommend that you, as pastor, take at least one day off per week to focus on your family and / or relaxation (Barton). But keep in mind you may be criticized by some Christians for bei
ng un-contactable for one day! Pastor Joseph Prince says he takes every Monday off, but cops a lot of criticism from people who want to contact him!! I know he is probably in demand all day every day because he is an internationally known Televangelist. But I agree with Joseph Prince: look after yourself and enjoy life (Callahan, Leadership in Ecclesial Contexts …, 64-65).

  You, as a local pastor, may not suffer this problem of international superstardom!! But, remember, I am trying to prepare you for every contingency so that you can protect yourself and look after yourself and your family (Miller-McLemore, 115). John Piper says one of the marks of a spiritual leader is that: “... He is not so addicted to work that he is unable to rest (Parker, 165-169). He is a good steward of his life and health. He maximizes the totality of his labor by measuring the possible strains under which he can work without diminishing his efficiency or unduly shortening his life …” (Piper, The Marks of a Spiritual Leader)

  I have worked thirty four years as a police officer and three years in supermarkets, and have found that eight hour shifts with a maximum of forty hours work per week, and four weeks leave per year, is close to the perfect balance for your health, family, and marriage (Callahan and Eblen, 208-209; Miller-McLemore, 132-133). God has put in place natural laws such as the laws of biology that govern our bodies and are confirmed by scientific study. God will not provide you with extra strength to do everyday things, even if it is church work. God only provides extra assistance for an activity that directly relates to an extraordinary event that will glorify His name. For example, when Christians were under enormous pressure to renounce Christ and worship Caesar as Lord, most of them would have been tempted to say Caesar was Lord because they knew they were facing torture or execution (Heb 4:16; TAS; The Gospel of the Kingdom, 15-16).

  God will provide grace for this because this is an extraordinary situation that will glorify God, and your continued loyalty to God as opposed to Caesar will be an enormous witness to the power of God.312 TAS says: “… is it not true that the Lord has special reserves of grace for special ordeals? If ever you feel that you could not go through a certain trial, that if you have to face that, you just could not go through with it, you are taking on something that you have no right to take on. If the Lord calls you to go through fire or water, He has a special reserve of grace for you in that. And that grace will be from the THRONE of grace. 'Let us … draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may FIND grace to help us in time of need' (Heb 4:16). It is a throne above, mediating grace for need and suffering as it is required …” (TAS, The Gospel of the Kingdom, 16).

  I believe God gave supernatural assistance to the Apostle Paul because it glorified God when Paul continued to spread the gospel despite being shipwrecked, whipped thirty-nine times, stoned, beaten with rods, spent over a day in the sea, sleepless nights, hungry, thirsty, often without food, cold (2 Cor 11:25-28), in rags, brutally treated, homeless, naked (1 Cor 4:11-12), imprisoned, many beatings, riots, and hard work (2 Cor 6:5). I have never suffered ANY of these things in my life. Is it any wonder Paul needed extra assistance from God!! I believe these horrible things would have mentally and physically crushed the Apostle Paul without supernatural assistance from God (2 Cor 4:7-9).

  I have read that they only whipped people thirty nine times because that was as much as a human body could tolerate. In other words, they whipped people within ‘one inch of their life’. God had to keep Paul alive until Paul had finished the work God had appointed him to do. And this work was DIRECTLY related to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the early days of Christianity. Paul said "… But the Lord stood by me and strengthened and empowered me, so that through me the [gospel] message might be fully proclaimed …" (2 Tim 4:17 AMP). Paul also said: “… Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal …” (2 Tim 2:8-9). In my opinion, Paul was suffering ONLY because he was directly responsible for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ at an extremely important time in history, not for having meetings for several weeks about a church fete!! Big difference people!!

  When God created us, He set in motion physical laws that limit our ability. We must abide by those laws in order to look after ourselves (Barton). Elliot Grudem says "… ministers in particular, people in the caring professions in general, are famous for neglecting their selves …" (Grudem, Pour it Out). Even Moses' father-in-law told him that unless he delegated most of his duties, he would wear himself out if he continued to work from morning to evening (Exodus 18:14-18; Small, 67). So there you have it: the greatest prophet in the Old Testament was risking burnout by working too much.

  And look back one chapter to Exodus 17:9-13 and when Joshua was fighting the Amalekites, Moses was looking down on the battle from the top of a hill. When Moses held his arms up Joshua would be winning, but when Moses put his arms down the Amalekites would start winning. But what happened? Surprise, surprise, Moses arms became TIRED. So Aaron and Hur held Moses’ hands (The tired arms of ministers, by Bill Wilson) Oh, and Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the author and Perfector of our faith, Redeemer, Wonderful Counsellor, Prince of Peace, filled with the Holy Spirit, Comforter, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Good Shepherd, Deliverer, Cornerstone, Bread of Life, the Messiah, Lamb of God, High Priest, Son of God, Bright Morning Star, Servant, The Way, The Truth, The Life, was on a journey from Judea to Galilee, and became TIRED from his journey and sat down by Jacob’s well (Jn 4:1-6). What: how dare He rest!!!! Oh, oh!!! If our High Priest rested why aren't you resting when you are tired or worn out? (Parker, 165-169)

  Come on Christians, the human body needs around seven to eight hours sleep per day, and we know that eight hours work is about all the human body can handle without starting to get sick. If you make your own decision to get only five hours sleep per night or work twelve hour days, you know that will probably lead to illness. Adele Blair, CEO of The Concierge Collective says that "… as a result of 20th-century culture, in particular from the 1980s we have almost turned up our nose at the need to sleep … and despite the research and overwhelming physiological need to sleep, some of us don’t treat it as a need …" (Blair). Ruth Barton says "… When we keep pushing forward without taking adequate time for rest and replenishment, our way of life may seem heroic but there is frenetic quality to our work that lacks true effectiveness …" (Barton).

  Even Rick Warren found himself exhausted when he started his church from scratch. He worked fifteen hour days, but still found he was burning out despite the fact that he loved every minute of his work (Warren, Purpose-Driven Church, 531-532). Rick says our “… body has nine different systems … when these systems are all in balance, it produces health … when your body gets out of balance, we call that ‘disease’ …” (Warren, Forget Church Growth, Aim for Church Health). So I do not believe God will automatically give you some type of ‘superpower’ to operate in overload even if you are doing God’s work by building up your church or doing excessive amounts of church-related work. God expects you to use common sense. Spirituality does not replace common sense (Drane, 152). Jesus asks what king with ten thousand men would go to war against an opposing army of twenty thousand men (Luke 14:31). That is pure common sense. Barton says "… Buried deep in the psyche of many leaders is a Superman mentality - the idea that somehow there is a few of us that can function beyond normal human limitations and save the world … this is a grandiosity that we indulge to our peril …" (Barton; Miller-McLemore, 130)

  And, after achieving your overall aims you will leave this earth and you will stand in front of Christ to be judged (Rom 14:10-12; Heb 13:17 AMP). Imagine if Christ asked you: ‘What have you done to further My name and glorify My Father through Me?’ According to TAS: “… God will never say in judgment, ‘How many sins did you commit?’ ‘What kind of sins did you commit?’ but, ‘What did you do with My Son’ …”313 Imagine being able to reply something like: ‘Lor
d, I spent ten years learning everything about the Kingdom of Heaven and becoming closer and closer to you. Then I received a prompting from the Holy Spirit to start my own church. Then, Lord, I spent the next few years preparing for my church and praying for your guidance until the Holy Spirit gave me the final prompting to start my church. Then, Lord, I started my church slowly and kept everything centered on your ultimate sacrifice for us.314 After a few years, Lord, I was able to assist many of my congregation to start their own churches. Therefore, my Lord, I am confident that my church-planting strategies will result in churches operated by Spirit-filled Christians beyond my time on Earth. And, my Lord, I maintained my daily personal devotion to you until the end’ (Parker, 165-169). I think you would be confident that Jesus will reply: "Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness." (Matt 25:23 NIV).

  As opposed to a reply like this: 'Lord, I continued pastoring a church after a major in-fight, and it took five years to bring the atmosphere back to normal. I did the best I could and worked an average of 65 hours per week, but I think the stress of that was what cut my life short and is why I am here well before my "three-score-and-ten"' (Ps 90:10; Miller-McLemore). Christ might reply: ‘But so much valuable time of that five years was taken up with issues around those strained relationships that should have been focused on me’ (2 Cor 5:10 AMP). What would you say in reply??? I shudder to think where the conversation will go after that (TAS, The Burning Fire of the Spirit, esp. 9 and 24). Please: do not take the risk. Just go for Christ as soon as possible. Don’t stand for second best in your church or in your Christian journey. TAS reminds us that “… Peter says, speaking about the time of the end: ‘The time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God’ (1 Peter 4:17), and if it begins with us, where will the sinner and the ungodly be? …” (TAS, The Glory of God, 29).

  CONCLUSION

  Yes, I know, I know, I have just smashed the church with a cricket bat and picked it to pieces. But I am extremely passionate about Jesus Christ and HIS Church,315 just like Theodore Austin-Sparks in modern times; and just like Gideon, Deborah and the other judges were passionate about the spiritual malaise in Israel during their time (Judges 5:7; TAS, Leadership, 39-43). It appears that Theodore’s books were only placed on-line in 2012, and one of the most popular Christian bloggers, Frank Viola, says Theodore is the best Apostle since the Apostle Paul (WatchmanNee Meets T. Austin-Sparks, by Frank Viola).

  That is a big claim, but I think Frank is correct. Please read and study all Theodore’s books because his spiritual insight is phenomenal and extremely motivating. All TAS' books are FREE. TAS says the book of Ephesians places Jesus’ Church in time eternal; that is, even before God created the material universe.316 That is how important the Church is to God. That is why I want people to sit up and take notice and make CHRIST’s CHURCH so effective and Christ-centered that the Devil has a heart attack!!

  I believe churches that have not introduced strict membership rules and do not enforce reasonable discipline; and do not center and focus everything on Jesus Christ; will have their 'lampstand removed' (Knox). Therefore, they will basically be Christian clubs operating WITHOUT the blessing and energy of the Holy Spirit. If you think I am being harsh, let's go back over the incredibly strong and brutal threats Jesus made against the seven churches in Asia:

  “… I will remove your lampstand out of its place (Rev 2:5 WEB)317 … I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth (Rev 2:16 WEB) … I will throw her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great oppression … I will kill her children with Death (Rev 2:22-23) … I will come as a thief, and you won’t know what hour I will come upon you (Rev 3:3 WEB) … I will vomit you out of my mouth …" (Rev 3:16 WEB). And all these strong threats despite the many good things they had done (TAS, Spiritual Hearing, 13).

  That is why it is absolutely necessary to PREVENT and minimize those obvious little things that are so prevalent in modern churches, such as my examples that occurred in only two years at ‘Eddie edge-trimmer’ church. In short they were (1) ‘It could take ten years for a church to recover from a schism’ (2) ‘I don’t want to do this ministry anymore’ (3) ‘do we have the correct edge-trimmer, Eddie’? (4) The ‘serious’ parking problem (5) ‘make sure you don’t give those flowers away’ at the church fete (6) ‘we want a pastor who has young children’, and (7) a disorganized prayer ministry. (Devil 1 … Church 0).

  It is a serious, spiritual, cosmic war we are fighting.318 The Bible doesn’t say we can be perfect, even though we should constantly strive towards perfection. TAS says "… never has anything been made perfect in the lifetime of any one believer except the Lord Jesus …" 319 [and] "… The Lord has never said anywhere that you and I are perfect in ourselves. But He has said that we are perfect in Christ …"320 Eliphaz said to Job "… Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He? Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He …" (Job 4:17 AMP). The Bible says Jesus found some faults with each of the churches in Asia.321 Therefore, I do not believe that any church can be absolutely perfect.322 “… The reality is: every church experiences a measure of conflict in some way or another. Churches are made up of people, and anywhere people are involved in anything, there’s the great potential for disagreement and conflict …” (Robbins) But, "… from beginning to end, the Lord has been seeking to make us aware of the serious business that is on hand just now for the Church: no less a thing than the fulfilment of its vocation, the accomplishing of its course the preserving intact of its trust. Expressed in other terms: that is no less a matter than proving the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ in the realm of Satanic forces …" (TAS, The Cross, the Church, and the Kingdom, 131-132).

  Steve Mathewson says "… Jerusalem's walls were in shambles. Nehemiah wept because the need stirred his soul. Visionary leaders see needs: and it moves them … Nehemiah was so moved by this need he began to pray … churches flounder because of the lack of vision. Vision has the power to motivate people …"323 Proverbs 29:18 says "Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained". Bill Hybels says that "… Spiritually gifted leaders live in such a way that God invariably ignites within their hearts a compelling idea, a heartfelt yearning for advancing some part of God's kingdom …" (Hybels; Frank, 7-9; Zscheile, The Trinity …, 59-62; TAS, Attaining to God's Full Thought; TAS, Prophetic Ministry).

  “The Holy Spirit is writing a spiritual biography of Jesus Christ … in the spiritual life and experience of believers …” (TAS, The Holy Spirit’s Biography of Christ, 6-12). I believe my first book HTBAC is the Holy Spirit’s biography of the first eight years of my Christian journey and this book you are now reading was completed a bit over nine years into my Christian journey.

  What excuse is there for those adults who have been Christians longer than me? Why haven’t they been 'moved' by God, instead of becoming fossilized in the back row of their church? Where are their books / articles / ideas?? I’m sorry but I have to be brutally honest: if you have been an adult Christian for more than ten years and have no books / firm plans / or reasonable ideas, then, in my opinion, you are not close enough to Jesus Christ. (TAS, What it Means to be a Christian, 39-40). The apostle Paul said "… And we desire for each one of you to show the same diligence [all the way through] so as to realize and enjoy the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be [spiritually] sluggish …" (Heb 6:11-12; Foster, Bringing Many Sons …).

  "… For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life …" (2 Pet 1:3AMP). I think Echols hits the nail on the head where he says "… Inclusive leaders do not attempt to institutionalize in such a way as to bring fossilization; rather, they work to keep the organizational structure somewhat fluid and dynamic …" (Echols, Transformational / Servant Leadership …, 90). I think that sums up a lot of wha
t I have been saying. I am not trying to insult you: but I have clearly spelled out why the state of modern Christianity makes by blood boil, and this book is my vigorous attempt to ‘slap’ Christians in the ‘spiritual face’ so that they CHANGE Christianity swiftly from Church clubs to Churches with true spirit-filled born again Christians as members.

  I have also explained that I have an average education with no university experience and the only qualification is a Certificate in Theology by Distance Education. In thirty-four years as a police officer I only made it to the rank of sergeant. That is just two promotions in thirty-four years!! If I was a genius I would tell you! So, if an ordinary person like me can publish two books within ten years, there is no excuse for mature Christians. TAS says the purpose of the Christian life is to "'… attain … unto the … fullness of Christ' (Eph 4:13) … and the Christian life must therefore be something very great (1 Thess 4:1 AMP). If it takes its character, its meaning, and its dimensions from Christ, then the Christian life corresponding to Christ must be a very great thing. It must necessarily be something progressive …" (TAS, What it Means to be a Christian, 42-43; Martin, Dwelling in the Divine Life, 124-125).

  This book, and Theodore Austin-Spark’s books revolve around two urgent issues: (1) The recovery of the spiritual power by Christians by having every Christian fully slain to the Cross, and living on the resurrection side of the Cross;324 and (2) No mixed multitudes: i.e.: allowing professing Christians to be church members alongside genuine Christians (TAS, The Recovery of Spiritual Power, 53-54; Gal 2:4; 2 Thess 2:3 AMP). In relation to number one, TAS says that unless you have had a big spiritual crisis in your life,325 which equates to being fully slain by, or “… hit very hard by the Cross …” it is unlikely you will have a very big testimony.326

  Living on the resurrection side of the Cross means that you have genuinely died to your self-life327 and are living like Jesus Christ: totally devoted to God through worship, prayer, Bible study, and priestly service.328 Joyce Meyer says, "… A lot of Christians want enough of Jesus to stay out of hell but not enough to walk in victory. Your relationship with God has to be more than fire insurance. Daniel was willing to be eaten by lions in order to be a man of his word …" TAS says “… The principle of the Cross is selfless concern for what is of God and what is of God alone …”329 and constant growth in the fruit of the Spirit.330

  TAS says "… What did we say that God has revealed to be the consummate issue from the Cross? It is this: Christ absolutely transcendent over all other powers, and that expressed in a people. Then so far as that people are concerned the way to this will be by emptying, emptying, emptying: that in all things He may have the pre-eminence. It is the Lord Jesus and not the people that must be in evidence …" (TAS, The Cross, the Church, and the Kingdom, 29-30; TAS, The Necessity for Weakness; TAS, Prophetic Ministry).

  TAS calls number two: the mixed multitude; a curse on the church. (TAS, The Recovery of Spiritual Power, 53) That is a big call from a man who wrote with compassion, but I totally agree. I have seen it in reality in three churches over five years. Professing Christians, although sometimes very nice and upstanding members of their local communities; are cannon fodder for the Devil.331 Dedicated Christians have spiritual armor for protection, (Eph 6:10-20) but professing Christians have absolutely none (2 Thess 2:3 AMP).

  The Devil grooms professing Christians sometimes by having them behave nicely towards the church they attend, but then causes them to erupt like volcanoes at predetermined times and places so that the church is just in survival mode for weeks, months, or even years.332 (Devil 1 … Church 0). Time to drastically change this spiritual malaise by changing existing churches so the pastor is in ultimate charge of all decisions like the Twelve Disciples in Acts Chapter 6; and to start churches with owner / pastors who cannot be bullied by mixed multitudes of members.

  On his blog, Thom Rainer picked his favorite twenty five church arguments from a Twitter survey (Twenty Five Silly Things Church Members Fight Over, by Thom S. Rainer) My favorites are: Number (5): “A church argument and vote to decide if a clock in the worship center should be removed. (6): A 45 minute heated argument over the type of filing cabinet to purchase: black or brown; 2, 3, or 4 drawers … (12). Business meeting arguments about whether the church should purchase a weed eater or not. It took two business meetings to resolve …” Hey, number 12 sounds like my own Eddie-the-edge-trimmer episode!! See how this is happening all over the world (Miller-McLemore). No wonder a lot of people have lost respect for the church.

  Jesus did not commit ONE sin with His physical body here on earth. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and the Church is now the spiritual Body of Christ.333 Therefore, I believe that all of that trifling, piffling carry on in Christ’s spiritual Body (the Church) is disgraceful, childish, unprofessional, and also offensive to the mighty sacrifice Jesus Christ made for HIS Church. I know it can be hard to fully appreciate and get a sense of urgency about Christ’s suffering when it was about 2,000 years ago.

  But Jesus left the comfort and privilege of His Heavenly existence and came to earth as fully man and fully God, and allowed Himself to be misunderstood, mistreated, tortured, and died on a Cross in place of us.334 So why shouldn’t EVERY church leave their comfort zone and preach about Christ, set minimum standards for membership,335 prevent all minor distractions336 through disciplinary procedures, and get rid of any ministry or activity that provides no evidence of increasing the measure of Christ in the congregation or community. TAS says "… Pergamum had come into a state of compromise from their failure to detect the inroads of evil, because of the low condition of that love for God which should normally be alert and sensitive to things injurious to God …" (TAS, His Great Love, 87; Muthiah, Charismatic Leadership …, 19)

  I like the way TAS says “… The greatest question for the Lords people is the question of the expression and manifestation of the absolute and perfect sovereignty and pre-eminence of the Lord in and through His people. That is the biggest, most important thing with which we have to do. It is a question of the Lord coming through in absolute sovereignty in every situation and every matter, and the Lords people being in that …” (TAS, The Recovery of Spiritual Power, 50) Every so-called 'church' should do EVERYTHING within their power to prevent ANYTHING that brings disrespect or distraction to Jesus’ ‘Body’. Every church should get together as soon as possible and clean up their act. How can the Church claim to be “… the embodiment of the triumph of His rule …”337 if it cannot even rule out ‘school yard’ behavior in its ranks? How can the Church be “… the fruit of the Kingdom …”338 if it doesn’t know how to prune its own vine? (Lk 13:6-9)

  How can the Church govern the new heavens and new earth with Jesus Christ, if it can’t govern gossip, rumor, and small fry incidents in its own backyard?339 You can choose to ignore me completely, but you cannot ignore Jesus Christ who demands exactness in his churches and will, sooner or later, apply the plumb line to your church (Amos 7:7-9; Isa 28:17). How will your church measure up when he does? REMEMBER: Jesus threatened to remove His blessing from those under-performing churches in Asia, unless they repented and became completely devoted to Jesus Christ.340

  When I am backsliding I remind myself of my favorite T. D. Jakes quote: "Jesus suffered too much pain for the church to end up acting like the world. He died and went through too much agony for you to live like you did before you got saved …" This saying has the shock effect of reminding me of the great suffering Jesus went through, and motivates me to knuckle down and "… throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles …" (Heb 12:1, NIV) and gets me back closer to God. "You were bought with a price [a precious price paid by Christ]; do not become slaves to men [but to Christ] …" (1 Cor 7:23).

  Just because the sign outside your church has the word ‘church’ on it does not automatically guarantee Jesus’ blessing.341 When you consider that “… The Church is the joint-heir with Christ of the inheritance, the univer
sal rule, in the ages to come …”,342 how do you think Christ feels when He finds your church incapable or not interested in preventing small stuff that distracts your church from full focus on Him?343 The “inheritance” referred to above means that we inherit the entire kingdom of God as joint-heirs with Christ.344 That is bigggggg.

  TAS says “… let us understand that the Holy Spirit came for no lesser purpose than to take the Church right on into ALL its inheritance in Christ. And if our ideas of the Holy Spirit are not poised and directed along this line, we are; if not arresting; at least in measure subverting the work of the Holy Spirit, and the purpose of His coming …”345 TAS says "… the fullness of life that is in the Head is available for the members. The Holy Spirit will transmit it to them. They may come and as members of a body intervene for one another, acting together, so that the whole body in wonderful growth becomes an expression of the fullness, given to our Head for us all …" (TAS, The Rights of God, 70-71; Martin, Dwelling in the Divine Life, 124-125; Zscheile, 170; TAS, Attaining to God's Full Thought).

  So why get bogged down in small piffle here on earth? Get over yourself and “… take ground from the Devil and … put there some feature of Christ,346 some aspect of grace: meekness for pride, kindness for hardness, love for bitterness, patience for impetuosity. In all: Christ for self …”347 TAS says "… we are … little people spiritually if we are always at variance. It takes big people to live with certain other big people without quarrelling …" (TAS, The Gospel According to Paul, 35)

  So, come on you supposedly Spirit-filled Christians: get rid of useless activities that unnecessarily distract you from worship of Jesus Christ.348 Then get on your knees349 and pray to God about everything every day; read your Bible so much that it falls apart or your computer screen melts. Work daily on the fruit of the Spirit, and bullet-proof your church against attacks by the Devil.350 And remember what I have nagged you about: Jesus Christ is the C………….. of E………...:351 You fill in the dots so that you never forget!! Adios for now amigos.

  About Mark Andrew Barnes

  Mark was born in Hobart, Tasmania in year 1960. His convict forebear, William John Barnes was sentenced in Sheffield (UK) Assizes for stealing a five pound note in 1842, and received a ten year sentence to Tasmania. William arrived in Tasmania in 1843 and served in Richmond Jail because the infamous Port Arthur Jail had closed. Upon his release William married Elizabeth Pounds and had fourteen-fifteen children. One of those was George Charles Barnes, then down through Lawrence Davenport Barnes; to Mark's father and mother, Gilbert Lawrence Barnes and Nancy Curtain. Mark served in the Tasmania Police from 1977 to 1994. He moved to Queensland in 1994 and worked in the Queensland Police from 1995 to 2012. Mark has worked in retail stores and warehouses full-time since 2012.

  Other titles by Mark Barnes

  How to be a Christian: A Beginners Guide.

  CHURCH GUIDELINES REGARDING A PERSON OF CONCERN.

  WHO IS A PERSON OF CONCERN?

  A Person of Concern is one who:

  1. has pleaded guilty to, been convicted of, or has admitted to a sexual criminal offence; or

  2. has been found to have sexually offended, arising through due diligence checks related to recruitment (screening); or

  3. is currently charged with a sexual offence; or

  4. has been the subject of an allegation of a sexual offence that was not appropriately investigated; or

  5. has been found to have received an adverse risk assessment arising from sexual misconduct; or

  6. is deemed to be a risk to the safety of children and/or vulnerable adults because of an adverse risk assessment relating to sexual misconduct; or

  7. exhibits persistent crossing across other people's sexual boundaries.

  REFERENCES

  About.com, Trends in Volunteerism: From Candy Striper to Microvolunteer, by Joanne Fritz. Source: about.com. Accessed February 17, 2016

  ACADEMY OF RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP: (arl-jrl: journal of religious worship)

  1. Spiritual Formation: Retrieving Perichoresis as a Model for Shared Leadership in the Marketplace, by Michael L. Davis. Spring 2015, Vol. 14 No. 1

  2. Preaching as Christian Leadership: The Story, The Sermon, and the Prophetic Imaginations, by Truls Akerlund. Fall 2014, Vol. 13 No. 2

  3. The Pastor as Expert and the Challenge of Being a Saltwater Fish in a Freshwater Tank, by Quentin Kinnison. Fall 2014, Vol. 13 No. 2

  4. A Grain of Wheat: Toward a Theological Anthropology for Leading Change in Ministry, by Bard Eirik Hallesby Norheim. Fall 2014, Vol. 13 No. 2

  5. Pastoral Role Modeling as an Antecedent to Corporate Spirituality, by Clinton Parker III. Spring 2014, Vol. 13 No. 1

  6. Anxiety, Emotions, and Encountering with Difference: Exploring the Roots of Conflict in Congregations, by Leanna K. Fuller. Fall 2014, Vol. 13 No. 2

  7. Developing Affective Competence Through Spiritual Practice, by Sara Shisler Goff. Fall 2014, Vol. 13 No. 2

  8. Motive and Movement: Affective Leadership Through the Work of Preaching, by Carson E. Reed. Fall 2014, Vol. 13 No. 2

  9. Feelings in the Bible: Tools for Religious Leadership Education, by Linda Z. Tyson. Fall 2014, Vol. 13 No. 2

  10. Ministry as Spiritual Practice: How Pastors Learn to see and Respond to the 'More' of a Situation, by Eileen R. Campbell-Reed and Christian Scharen. Fall 2013, Vol. 12 No. 2

  11. Church Leadership in the New Testament and Today: An Interview with David L. Bartlett, by David G. Forney. Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 2008

  12. 2013 Fall Introduction, by Sharon Henderson Callahan, Fall 2013: Vol. 12 No. 2

  13. Integrative Decision-Making for Christian Leaders: Prudence, Organizational Theory, and Discernment Practices, by Paul Kaak, Gary Lemaster, and Rob Muthiah. Vol. 12, No. 2, Fall 2013

  14. Introduction to The Spring 2012 Edition of the JRL, by Deborah Kapp and Lisa Withrow. Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring 2012

  15. Identity, God-Talk, and Self-Critical Reflection in Religious Leadership: Contributions from a Latino / a Perspective, by Isabel N. Docampo. Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring 2012.

  16. Leadership: A Calling of Courage and Imagination, by Sally Dyck. Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring 2012

  17. Not my Father's Seminary: Leadership Lessons for a new President, by Katherine Rhodes Henderson. Vol. 12, No. 1, Spring 2012

  18. The Practice of Christian Governance, by L. Gregory Jones. Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring 2002)

  19. Shifting Images of Church Invite New Leadership Frames, by Sharon Henderson Callahan. Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring 2002)

  20. Encountering God in the Image of Christ: Iconic Leadership, by Robert K. Martin. Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring 2002)

  21. The Discourse of Leadership and the Practice of Administration, by Thomas Edward Frank. Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring 2002)

  22. Docents in the House of Wonder: Pastoral Leadership, Spiritual Transformation, and the Sacred Other, by Michael Jinkins. Vol. 1, No. 2 (Fall 2002)

  23. Multi-Layered Leadership: The Christian Leader as Builder, Shepherd, and Gardener, by Scott Cormode. Vol. 1, No. 2 (Fall 2002)

  24. Chaos Theory and Paul's Organizational Leadership Style, by Richard S. Ascough. Vol. 1, No. 2 (Fall 2002)

  25. Becoming a Leader of No Reputation, by R. Scott Rodin, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Fall 2002)

  26. Church-Based Theological Education: When The Seminary Goes Back to Church, by Russell W. West. Vol. 2, No. 2, Spring 2003

  27. Christian Practices, Congregational Leadership, and the Priesthood of All Believers, by Robert Muthiah, Vol. 2, No. 2, Spring 2003

  28. Leadership and Theory: A Practitioner's Reflection, by Michael Jinkins. Vol. 2, No. 2, Spring 2003

  29. Leadership in Ecclesial Contexts: Integration of Art and Competence, by Sharon Henderson Callahan. Vol. 2, No. 2, Spring 2003

  30. The Behavioral Competency Approach to Effective Ecclesial Leadership, by Lisa R. Berlinger. Vol. 2, No. 2, Spring 2003

  31. The Hermeneutics of Leading in Mission, by. Vol. 3, No. 1 & No. 2, Spring 2004 & Fall
2004

  32. "Mind the Gap": Closing the Distance Between Theological Method, Theological Education, and Practical Theology for Religious Leadership, by Robert K. Martin. Vol. 2, No. 2, Fall 2003

  33. Dwelling in the Divine Life: The Transformational Dimension of Leadership and Practical Theology, by Robert K. Martin. Vol. 3, No. 1 & No 2, Spring 2004 & Fall 2004

  34. Getting Our Bearings: A Schema for Three Ways of Knowing, by David G. Forney. Vol. 3, No. 1 & No. 2, Spring 2004 & Fall 2004

  35. Constructing Faithful Action: Inculcating a Method for Reflective Ministry, by Scott Cormode. Vol. 3, No. 1 & No 2, Spring 2004 & Fall 2004

  36. Sensemaking, Discernment, and Religious Leadership, by Lisa R. Berlinger and Thoms F. Tumblin. Vol. 3, No. 1 & No. 2, Spring 2004 & Fall 2004

  37. Teaching Leadership at Asbury Theological Seminary: The Master of Arts in Christian Leadership (MACL), by Rick Gray. Vol. 4, No. 1 and 2, Spring 2005 and Fall 2005

  38. Integrative Church Leadership: Columbia Theological Seminary's Approach, by David Forney. Vol. 4, No. 1 and 2, Spring 2005 and Fall 2005

  39. Leadership Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, by Steve Echols and Joe Sherrer. Vol. 4, No. 1 and 2, Spring 2005 and Fall 2005

  40. A More True "Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society": Toward a Missional Polity for the Episcopal Church, by Dwight Zscheile. Vol. 5, Nos. 1 & 2, Spring and Fall 2006

  41. Understanding Polity in Relationship to the DNA of Denominations, by Craig Van Gelder. Vol. 5, Nos. 1 & 2, Spring and Fall 2006

  42. Doing the Unspeakable: Identifying, Developing, and Supporting Leadership among Quakers, by Thomas H. Jeavons. Vol. 5, Nos. 1 & 2, Spring and Fall 2006

  43. From Connection to Corporatization: Leadership Trends in United Methodism, by Thomas Edward Frank, Vol. 5, Nos. 1 & 2, Spring and Fall 2006

  44. To the One Outside the Gate: A Missional Approach to Polity, by David Forney, Vol. 5, Nos. 1 & 2, Spring and Fall 2006

  45. Roman Catholic Polity and Leadership, by Sharon Henderson Callahan and James Eblen. Vol. 5, Nos. 1 & 2, Spring and Fall 2006

  46. The Secret of Marketplace Leadership Success: Constructing a Comprehensive Framework for the Effective Integration of Leadership, Faith, and Work, by Mark L. Russell. Vol. 6, No. 1, Spring 2007

  47. Leading With Wounds: A Liability or Gift? By David Goodman. Vol. 6, No. 1, Spring 2007

  48. The Trinity, Leadership, and Power, by Dwight J. Zscheile. Vol. 6, No. 2, Fall 2007

  49. Success and the Prosperity Gospel: From Commodification to Transformation - A Wesleyan Perspective, by Lisa R. Withrow. Vol. 6, No. 2, Fall 2007

  50. A Contemplative Empiricism: Methodological Musings for an Artisanal Theology in Religious Leadership Formation, by Lisa M. Hess. Vol. 8, No. 1, Spring 2009

  51. The Trinity Applied: Creating Space for Changed Lives, by Thomas F. Tumblin. Vol. 6, No. 2, Fall 2007

  52. First Love and Second Loves: Revisioning a Paradigm of Hope for Pastors, by Michael McNichols. Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 2008

  53. Speaking Grace, Making Space: The Art of Worship Leadership, by Kimberly Bracken Long. Vol. 7, No. 1, Spring 2008

  54. Christian Leadership as Communion Imagination in the Public Networking of Organizational Companionship, by Jannie Swart. Vol. 7, No. 2. Fall 2008

  55. Improv in the Streets: Missional Leadership as Public Improvisational Identity Formation, by Scott J. Hagley. Vol. 7, No. 2, Fall 2008

  56. Leading in the Midst of Change: A Theologically Grounded, Theoretically Informed Hermeneutic of Change, by Terri Martinson Elton. Vol. 7, No. 2, Fall 2008

  57. Reframing the Economics of Pastoral Leadership, by Douglas A. Hicks. Vol. 8, No. 1, Spring 2009

  58. The Integrity of Ministry: Communicative Theology and the Leadership of Congregations, by Michael Jinkins. Vol. 8, No. 1, Spring 2009

  59. Transformational / Servant Leadership: A Potential Synergism for an Inclusive Leadership Style, by Steve Echols. Vol. 8, No. 2, Fall 2009

  60. The Center / Margin Leadership Dance: Integrating Experience in Education and Formation, by Karen Dalton. Vol. 8, No. 2, Fall 2009

  61. A Calm in the Tempest: Developing Resilience in Religious Leaders, by David G. Forney. Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 2010

  62. Learning, Changing, and Doing: A Model for Transformational Leadership Development in Religious and non-Profit Organizations, by Skip Bell. Vol. 9, No 1, Spring 2010

  63. Charismatic Leaders as Team Leaders: An Evaluation Focused on Pastoral Leadership, by Douglas Tilstra. Vol. 9, No. 2, Fall 2010

  64. Charismatic Leadership in the Church: What the Apostle Paul has to say to Max Weber, by Rob Muthiah. Vol. 9, No. 2, Fall 2010

  65. Transitioning from Charismatic Founder to the Next Generation, by William M. Kondrath. Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 2010

  66. Successful Leadership in the Early Years of Ministry: Reflections for Leadership Formation in Theological Education, by Kyle J.A. Small. Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 2011

  67. Prophetic Leadership: Engagement in Counter-Imagination, by Walter Brueggemann. Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 2011

  68. Participants with God: A Perichoretic Theology of Leadership, by Jim Horsthuis. Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 2011

  69. Role Negotiation and Congregational Leadership, by Raymond A. Reddicliffe. Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 2011

  70. Spiritual Leadership and Transformational Change Across Cultures: The SLI Leadership Incubator, by Bryan D. Sims and J. Paulo Lopes. Vol. 10, No. 2, Fall 2011

  71. Revaluing "Self-Care" As a Practice of Ministry, by Mark Miller-McLemore. Vol. 10, No. 1, Spring 2011.

  Association of Biblical Counsellors, The King’s Speech Beatitudes, part one of six, by Margaret Ashmore. Source: Association of Biblical Counsellors. Posted September 11, 2014

  Association of Biblical Counselors, A Birdseye View of the Gospel in one Big Sentence, by Kevin DeYoung, posted on August 8th 2014. Source: Association of Biblical Counselors

  THEODORE AUSTIN-SPARKS (austin-sparks.net/)

  His Great Love

  The Cross, the Church, and the Kingdom

  Revelation of Jesus Christ

  The Gospel According to Paul

  The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus

  The Greatness and Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ

  The Gospel of the Kingdom

  Leadership

  Spiritual Hearing

  The Anointing of the Holy Spirit

  Spiritual Maturity

  The Work of God at the End Time

  What is a Christian?

  The Glory of God

  Right Standing with God

  A Way of Growth

  The Spiritual Meaning of Service

  All Things in Christ

  Knowing God in Christ

  The Recovery of Spiritual Power

  The Servant of the Lord

  Fundamental Questions of Christian Life

  The True Christian Life a Supernatural Life

  What it Means to be a Christian

  The Holy Spirit’s Biography of Christ

  The Dispensation of the Holy Spirit

  The Holy Spirit in Relation to the Glorified Christ and the Believer

  The Holy Spirit, The Church, and the Nations

  The Burning Fire of the Spirit

  The Fullness of Life in Jesus Christ

  In Christ

  Christ the Power of God

  The Rights of God

  The Necessity for Weakness

  Joints and Bands

  The Dynamic of Spiritual Helpfulness

  Attaining to God's Full Thought

  Faith's Persistency

  The Foundations of an Exemplary Christian Life

  Keeping Christ in View

  Let Us Press on unto Full Growth

  Prophetic Ministry

  The Online Library of T. Austin-Sparks, Toward the Mark Magazine:

  A Question of Priorities, by Eric Alexander

  Pressures in the Real World, by Geraint Fielder
r />   Truth and Life, by J. Alec Motyer

  The Spirit in Romans 8, by Michael Wilcock

  Life in the Heavenlies, by Harry Foster

  Lessons From Joshua, by Poul Madsen

  Let Him Who Boasts Boast in the Lord, by Eric Alexander

  The Gospel of the Humanity of Jesus, by J. Alec Motyer

  The Prayer of John 17, by George Harpur

  A Spirit of Harmony, by Geraint Fielder

  Israel's Prophets, by Poul Madsen

  Real Security, by Poul Madsen

  The Australian Newspaper, Charities and the donation industry: sailing into dangerous waters". By Nikki Gemmell. Published March 19, 2016. Accessed November 5, 2016.

  Australian Baptist Ministries, Understanding Congregational Government, by Rev Dr Brian Winslade. Source: baptist.org.au. Accessed May 11, 2016. Posted: October 13, 2009

  Bates, Gary, Truth Decay: Will revival come in a compromised Church? Source: Creation Ministries International, Published January 1, 2012

  Bell, Philip, Sickness in the Church! What’s the remedy? Source: Creation Ministries International (CMI). Published November 26, 2008

  BibleHelp, Church Splits, by Michael Bronson. Source: BibleHelp.org, biblehelp.org/splits.htm. Accessed February 10, 2016

  Bible Hub, biblehub.com, incl. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

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  biblestudytools.com/commentaries/revelation/revelation-2/revelation-2-5.html. Accessed December 9, 2015

  Bird, Michael F., Schreiner, Thomas R., Johnson, Luke T., Campbell, Douglas A., Nanos, Mark D., 2012, Four Views of the Apostle Paul, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan

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  Carnegie, Dale, 1995, The Leader in You, by Dale Carnegie and Associates, Inc. 1993, Simon and Schuster, New York

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  Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Source: cara.georgetown.edu

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  Center For Healthy Churches, Pastoral Care: Ministering to the pastor, by Dan Elash, Source: chchurches.org. Posted October 27, 2015. Accessed: November 23, 2015

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  Christian Counsellors Association of Australia, The Lost Voice of the Heart: An Emotionally Focused Approach to Counseling Christian Clients, by Helen Blake, page 2

  Church Law and Tax, 8 Tips for Church Bulletins, by Justin Deeter. Source: Managing Your Church, churchlawandtax.com. Posted February 9, 2016. Accessed February 14, 2016

  The Church Transparency Project. churchtransparency.org. Accessed September 24, 2015

  Christian Counsellors Association of Australia, Christian Conversion and Counselling, by Doug Sotheren

  Christian Counsellors Association of Australia, The Danger of Dread, by Ed Welch

  THE CHRISTIAN POST, (christianpost.com)

  The Illusive Danger of ‘Bible Belt Christianity, by Matt Moore. Posted November 15, 2015. Accessed November 16, 2015

  8 Common Characteristics of Successful Church Revitalizations, by Thom S. Rainer, President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Posted May 27, 2015. Accessed November 16, 2015

  Tullian Tchividjian Says Christian Leaders Disappear When They Fall, but Gospel Allows Him to Be Seen at ‘Most Embarrassing Worst’, by Stoyan Zaimov. August 10, 2015. Accessed November 9, 2015

  Four Major Ways Pastors Hinder Church Revitalization, by Thom S. Rainer, President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Posted November 15, 2015. Accessed November 16, 2015

  6 Reasons Church Offerings May Be Struggling, by Thom S. Rainer, President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Posted April 3, 2016. Accessed April 4, 2016

  NewSpring Church Promises to Refund Tithe If you Don't Get Blessing in 90 Days, by Leonardo Blair. Posted March 29, 2016. Accessed April 5, 2016

  CHRISTIANITY TODAY (christianitytoday.com)

  1. Former Member Accepts Acts 29 Megachurch Apology in Church Discipline Case, by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, Morgan Lee, and Bob Smietana. Posted June 10, 2015. Accessed February 11, 2016.

  2. What Mark Driscoll Told Brian Houston at Hillsong Conference, by Morgan Lee and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra. Posted June 30, 2015

  3. Bill and Vonette Bright’s Wonderful Plan for the World, Evangelicalism’s power couple closes in on their radical mission, by Wendy Murray Zoba, July 14, 1997. From Christianity Today issue July 14 1997, Vol. 41, No. 8

  4. 7 Signs You’ve Become Too Busy for Your Own Good, by Alli Worthington. The article is an excerpt from a book titled Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy, by Alli Worthington. Posted January 20, 2106. Accessed January 21, 2016

  5. Why 734 Pastors Quit: and How Their Churches Could Have Kept Them, by Lisa Cannon Green. Posted January 12, 2016. Accessed January 23, 2016

  6. 11 Ways to Protect Your Spirit from the Demands of Pastoral Ministry, by Karl Vaters. Posted January 20, 2106. Accessed January 21, 2016

  7. The Silent War of the Church, by Dr Peter Lee. Source: The Exchange, christianitytoday.com. Posted October 1, 2015. Accessed October 2, 2015

  8. A Better Way to Invite People to Church: And to Jesus, by Karl Vaters. Posted January 15, 2106. Accessed January 21, 2016

  9. Tullian Tchividjian Resigns after Admitting ‘Inappropriate Relationship’, by Bob Smietana and Morgan Lee. Posted July 30, 2015. Accessed November 10, 2015

  10. Are We More Invested in Bringing People to Church? Or to Jesus? By Karl Vaters. Posted January 13, 2106. Accessed January 21, 2016

  11. Died: Vonette Bright, Co-Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, by Bob Smietana. Posted December 23, 2015. Accessed January 4, 2015

  12. “Salt of the earth” church attenders seek to maintain their saltiness, by Ed Stetzer. Posted December 5, 2013. Accessed March 7, 2016

  13. Teen Mania: Why We're Shutting Down After 30 Years of Acquire the Fire, by Morgan Lee. Posted December 17, 2015. Accessed December 21, 2015.

  14. Forward from Conversion: How we can focus on Spiritual Growth and Transformation, by Ed Stetzer, D.Min, M.A., M.Div, B.S., Ph.D. Posted July 22, 2015. Accessed July 23, 2015

  15. What’s the Deal with the Church Growth Movement? Part 2: Some Unfortunate Evolutions, by Ed Stetzer, D. Min, M.A., M. Div., B.S., Ph. D. Posted October 8th 2015. Accessed November 22, 2015

  16. The Plight of the Falling Pastor (Scott Sauls on why leaders wander: and how churches can help them stay on the path), by Daniel Darling. Accessed June 26, 2016

  17. Pastoring a Church Between 100 and 200 Without Going Crazy, by Karl Vaters. Posted July 26, 2016. Accessed July 27, 2016

  18. Pour it Out, God doesn’t intend pastors to burn out. There's a better way, by Elliot Grudem. Posted December 28, 2015. Accessed July 28, 2016

  19. Equipping the Saints to Lead, by Larry Osborne. Posted July 25, 2016. Accessed July 29, 2016

  20. How Vision Works, Principles from the Story of Nehemiah, by Steve Mathewson. Posted July 28, 2016. Accessed July 29, 2016

  21. Sacred Rhythms in the Life of the Leader, by Ruth Haley Barton. Posted July 27, 2016. Accessed July 28, 2016

  22. How to Minister to People Who Don't Like You, by
Dorothy J. Haire. Posted July 28, 2016. Accessed July 31, 2016

  23. 5 Leadership Essentials, The Most Important Things a Leader Does, by Bill Hybels. Posted July 25, 2016. Accessed July 31, 2016

  24. Three Overlooked Leadership Roles, by Alan Hirsch. Posted April 1, 2008. Accessed July 31, 2016

  25. If it's Okay for a Church to Be Small, Why Do I Feel So Bad When It Is, by Karl Vaters. Posted July 18, 2016. Accessed August 2, 2016

  26. Perry Noble, NewSpring Church and Our Obsession with Numbers, by Karl Vaters. Posted July 11, 2016. Accessed August 2, 2016

  27. 12 Ways to Know If You're Pastoring Like a Boss - Or Like a Leader, by Karl Vaters. Posted November 17, 2016. Accessed December 25, 2016

  28. Morgan Lee, On Dying and Reckoning with the Prosperity Gospel. Posted February 23, 2016. Accessed January 3, 2017

  ChurchLeaders, How to Recover from the Heartbreak of a Church Split, by Philip Wagner. Source: churchleaders.com. Accessed February 29, 2016

  ChurchLeaders, 10 Signs of Leadership Burnout and 5 Ways to Recover, by Joseph Mattera. Source: churchleaders.com. Accessed February 29, 2016

  Claybury International, The Christian Leadership Academy. Source: academy.christian-leadership.org, or claybury.com. Accessed February 23, 2016

  Daily Mail UK, Don’t bottle up your emotions - it'll knock years off your life and raise cancer risk by 70 percent, by Pat Hagan. Source: dailymail.co.uk. Posted September 7, 2013. Accessed July 15, 2016.

  Dale, Robert, Leadership – Followership: The Church’s Challenge. Source: Southwestern Journal of Theology, 29 no 2 Spr 1987

  Drane, John, 1986, Introducing the New Testament, Harper-Collins Publishers, New York

  Economics.about, The Post War Economy: 1945-1960; Years of Change: The 1960s and 1970s; Stagflation in the 1970s. Source: economics.about.com. Accessed October 29, 2015

  Erickson, Millard J., 2001, Introducing Christian Doctrine, 2nd edition, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids

  Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. ecfa.org. Accessed September 24, 2015

  Executive Style, Work-life balance is the impossible dream, by Nina Hendy. Source: executivestyle.com.au. Posted July 19, 2016. Accessed July 19, 2016

  Fasol, Al, Christian Leadership – The Church. Source: Southwestern Journal of Theology, 29 no 2 Spr 1987, p 5-43

  First Things, The Smoke of Satan Returns, by William Doino Jr., October 28, 2013. Source: firsthings.com

  Gaston, George, A Model for Leadership: Servant Stewardship Ministry. Source: Southwestern Journal of Theology, 29 no 2 Spr 1987

  Mark Glanville, Jesus ate his way through the gospels - eaten with a tax-collector recently? Source: markrglanville.wordpress.com/. Posted July 20, 2012. Accessed August 1, 2016

  GotQuestions.org, What is wisdom? What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge? Source: gotquestions.org. Accessed January 8, 2016

  Grow A Healthy Church, 14 Reasons Why Pastors Avoid Preaching About Money, by John and Di Finkelde. Source: growahealthychurch.com. Posted May 13, 2016. Accessed May 13, 2016

  Guardian Newspaper, Britain’s only openly married gay vicar elected to Church of England synod. Source: theguardian online newspaper, by Harriet Sherwood. Published October 13, 2015. Accessed October 17, 2015

  Gustafson, Timi, Bottling Up Negative Emotions Can Be Just as Harmful as Acting on Them. Source: Food and Health, timigustafson.com. Posted March 29, 2016. Accessed July 15, 2016.

  Knox, Alan, I will come to you and remove your lampstand. Source: alanknox.net. Posted November 3, 2009. Accessed December 9, 2015

  Lacich, Dan, Provocative Bible Verses: Treat Them Like an Unbeliever. Source: Proactive Christian Living, provocativechristian.wordpress.com. Posted January 9, 2010. Accessed August 2, 2016

  Lawrence, William D., Distinctives of Christian Leadership. Source: Bibliotheca sacra, 144 no 575 Jl-S 1987, p 317-329

  Leadership Journal, Sacrificing the Body, by G. Mac Donald. Source: Leadership Journal, christianitytoday.com. Fall 2015 issue. Posted October 12, 2015, Accessed November 17, 2015

  Lemler, James B., Identity and Effectiveness in the 21st Century. Source: Anglican Theological Review, Winter 2010, Vol. 92 Issue 1, p89-102

  Levine, Stuart R., CEO, Crom, Michael A, VP, 1993, The Leader in You – How to Win Friends, Influence People and Succeed in a Changing World, Simon and Schuster Inc., New York

  LifeWayResearch.com, Pastors’ Long Work Hours Come at Expense of People, Ministry. Posted January 5, 2010. Accessed January 24, 2016

  Little, Paul E., 2009, Know What You Believe, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove

  Livingstone, Tess, George Pell and cardinals warn Pope of Catholic Church collapse. Source: The Australian Newspaper, theaustralian.com.au. Posted October 14, 2015 at 12:00am. Accessed October 14, 2015

  The Medical Journal of Australia, The unfulfilled promise of the antidepressant medications, by Christopher G. Davey and Andrew M. Chanen. Source: mja.com.au. Edition: August 2016; 204 (9): 348-350

  Milne, Bruce, 2009, Know the Truth: A Handbook of Christian Belief, 3rd edition, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove. (esp. Part 6 – The Church)

  Murdoch University, The Priest-Penitent Privilege in Australia and its Consequences, by Renae Mabey. Source: Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law. elaw.murdoch.edu.au. Accessed September 4, 2015

  NASA, Small Planets Don't Need Stars with Heavy Metal Content to Form, by Michele Johnson. Source: nasa.gov/. Published June 13, 2012. Accessed February 17, 2014.

  NASA. Hubble Survey Finds Missing Link in Planet Formation, Source: nasa.gov/. Published October 1, 2005. Accessed February 12, 2014

  Patheos, Treat Them Like a Tax Collector: Reflections on Matthew 18, Church Discipline, and Andrew, by Kurt Willems. Source: patheos.com. Accessed August 2, 2016

  Patheos, What Does Oil Represent In The Bible? By Jack Wellman. Source: ptheos.com. Posted July 17, 2015. Accessed September 13, 2016

  Piper, John, The Marks of a Spiritual Leader. Source: The Institute for Spiritual Leadership. spirituallead.com (“Guest Articles”). Published January 1, 1995. Accessed November 3, 2015.

  Post-World War II economic expansion. Source: Wikipedia.org. Accessed October 29, 2015.

  Presbyterian Church of Australia, An Introduction to the Presbyterian Church of Australia. Source: presbyterian.org.au. Accessed October 19, 2015

  Prince, J., 1982, Destined to Reign, Tulsa. Harrison House Publishers

  Queensland Baptist Union (qb.com.au. Accessed November 2, 2015) “Remuneration Guidelines.”

  Rainer, Thom S., Twenty Five Silly things Church Members Fight Over. thomrainer.com. Blog posted November 11, 2015, accessed December 2, 2015

  Rimm, Sylvia, Dr, Ph.D, Families that play Together, Stay Together. Source: sylviarimm.com. Accessed: March 11, 2016.

  Sarfati, Jonathan, Why is the church losing its young people? Source: Creation Ministries International (CMI). Article originally from Creation Magazine 32(4): October 6, 2010

  Share Faith, Satan: Lucifer the Fallen Angel. Pride Sent Lucifer from Heaven to Earth, by Amy Miller. Source: Share Faith, sharefaith.com. Accessed April 16, 2016

  Sky News, October 13th 2015, Rebel cardinals accuse Pope of Stacking. Source: skynews.com.au

  Smith, Chris, CEO of MyJobMatcher.com, The 13 worst office jargon phrases staff love to hate. Source: theguardian.com, Guardian Careers, The Careers Blog. Posted Wednesday August 27, 2014. Accessed December 3, 2015

  The Victorious Network, What People Ask About the Church, by Dr. Dale A. Robbins. Source: victorious.org/cbook/chur24. Accessed February 10, 2016

  The Village Church, “Membership Covenant”. Source, thevillagechurch.net, Accessed February 11, 2016

  WatchmanNee Meets T. Austin-Sparks, by Frank Viola, a blog posted April 15, 2010. Source: frankviola.org. Accessed March 10, 2016.

  Warren, R., 1995, The Purpose-Driven Church, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids

  Warren, Rick, Forget Church Growth, Aim for Church Health. Source: pastors.co
m. Posted May 7, 2013. Accessed November 23, 2015

  Washer, Paul, Ten Indictments Against the Modern Church. Source: iBooks; tenindictments.com. Posted October 22, 2008

  Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY, King David and Music. wol.jw.org, accessed August 23, 2015

  Why I am Leaving the Church Growth Movement, by Randy White. Source: Randy White Ministries, Word for the World. randywhiteministries.org. Posted on January 2, 2014. Accessed November 22, 2015

  Wikipedia, List of living cardinals. En.wikipedia.org. Accessed October 17, 2015

  World Health Organization: WHO, Global burden of mental disorders and the need for a comprehensive, coordinated response from health and social sectors at the country level, Report by the Secretariat. Executive Board, 130th session, published December 1, 2011. Source: apps. who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB130/B130_9-en.pdf. Accessed March 7, 2016

  MANAGEMENT AND POLICE MANAGEMENT BOOKS

  Avery, John, 1981, Police – Force or Service? Butterworths, Sydney

  Criminal Justice Commission, Queensland, August 1994, Implementation of reform within the Queensland Police Service. The Response of the Queensland Police Service to the Fitzgerald Inquiry Recommendations.

  Etter, Barbara, Palmer, Mick, 1995, Police Leadership in Australasia, The Federation Press, Sydney

  Gaines, L. K., 1999, Policing Perspectives: An Anthology, Roxley Publishing Company, Los Angeles

  Hilmer, Frederick G., Donaldson, Lex, 1996, Management Redeemed: Debunking the Fads that Undermine Corporate Performance, The Free Press, Sydney

  McCulloch, Jude, 2001, Blue Army: Paramilitary Policing in Australia, Melbourne University Press

  Moir, Peter, Eijkman, Henk, 1992, Policing Australia – Old Issues – New Perspectives, South Melbourne

  More, Harry W., Wegener, W. Fred, Miller, Larry S., 1999, Effective Police Supervision, Third Edition, Anderson Publishing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio

  Morgan, Rod, Newburn, Tim., 1997, The Future of Policing, Clarenden Press, Oxford

  O’Faircheallaigh, Ciaran, Wanna, John, Weller, Patrick, 1999, Public Sector Management in Australia, New Challenges, New Directions, second edition, MacMillan Publishers Australia, South Yarra

  OTHER BOOKS:

  The 48 Laws of Power, 2000, by Robert Greene et al., New York, Penguin Books

  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 1989, by Stephen R Covey, New York, Simon & Schuster

  It Doesn’t Take a Hero, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, The Autobiography, by H. Norman Schwarzkopf, 1993, New York, Bantam.

  How to Lose Friends & Infuriate People, 2001, by Jonar Nader, Penguin Books, Hawthorn.

  Under Fire: An American Story, 1991, by Oliver L. North, Post Hill Press, Tn.

  Iacocca: An Autobiography, 1984, by William Novak and Lee Iacocca, Bantam Books, New York.

  Reinventing Leadership, 2005, by Warren Bennis and Robert Townsend, Collins, USA.

  McCormack on Communicating, 1997, by Mark H. McCormack, Arrow Books.

  APPENDIX 1 – LEADERSHIP ESSAY BY MARK BARNES

  (Please note the original assignment had footnotes but I have removed them and included the surname of the reference material in the text because eBooks doesn’t like footnotes)

  ASSIGNMENT QUESTION: ‘Authority can generally be seen as the right to do something, whereas power is seen as the ability to do it.’ How might a leader use authority and power responsibly? What precautions should a leader put in place to ensure this authority and power isn’t abused?

  The use of power and authority is essential in Christian leadership (1 Thess 5:12; 1 Cor 5:1-8; 2 Cor 7:8-13; Fasol, Lawrence, Tidball), but causes concern for some Christians (Tidball). Power and authority clashes with the belief in the church as a priesthood of believers (Tidball), with everyone being equal leaders. But the New Testament uses some leadership terms found in military functions (Heb 13:7, 17, 24; Tidball), while allowing leaders to bring personality strengths and spiritual gifts into leadership (1 Cor 14; Bartz, Lawrence, Fasol). This leaves Christian leaders wondering how to exercise power and authority responsibly (Lawrence; Tidball). But the answer to this fine balancing act (Grudem, 867) can be found in the Bible through diligent study (Heb 11:6).

  Jesus Christ made it clear that Christian leaders are not to use ‘authoritarian control’ over the congregation (Matt 20:25-28; Blanchard, 101; Carter). The apostle Paul occasionally used stern words and an authoritative tone when necessary to admonish others, but preferred ‘tender appeals to harsh bullying’ (Titus 1:9; Rom 12:1; Col 4:6; Feddes; Strawbridge). Paul would have been negligent to the ministry of the Cross if he had failed to use his spiritual authority to rectify major problems (Lawrence). Therefore, a Christian leader must use authority and power to ‘get the job done’ (Riggio) but should ‘harness the good side of power’ (Fasol) in order to find proper balance (1 Pet 5:2; Fasol; Grudem, 867). The key to effective use of power and authority (1 Cor 4:20) is to use the servant style of leadership like Jesus (Phil 2:4; Carter; Lawrence).

  Servant leaders keep their own agenda and interest in check and focus on ‘concern for the wellbeing’ of the congregation (Phil 2:4; Carter). The servant leader acts as a bond-servant to the congregation, not to do anything the congregation wants, ‘but out of concern for Christ’s interests in their lives’ including discipleship and proper worship (1 Cor 4:1; Lawrence). Furthermore, Christian leaders will not be as easily tempted to become authoritarian if they have completed the necessary inner work in their spirit (Bartz) and are professionally prepared for leadership (Carter). But even then, they must continue to lean humbly on Christ for wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3), and seek the Holy Spirit as the true source of Christian power and authority (1 Thess 1:5; Lawrence; Carter).

  Christian leaders should realize that they will be tempted to ‘seek their own honour and profit’ (3 Jn 9-11; Campbell), but this can be avoided by recognizing ‘Christ as the only Lord’ (Fasol). Leaders are urged to use personal power, which is granted to leaders by followers who respect the leader’s expertise (Searle) and other qualities such as persuasive communication (1 Pet 5:2-3; Carter; Grudem, 867). Christian character is essential in ministry (1 Tim 2:1-2; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:6), and the congregation will accept the authority of a leader who displays a high level of Christian character shown by congruence between their beliefs, words and actions (Strawbridge). A successful Christian leader learns to share power by eventually empowering the congregation to guide themselves towards Christian maturity (Heb 6:1-3; King; Searle; Harvard; Wright, 53).

  The main aim of the church is to nurture believers and lead others to Christ, and success in these areas involves intimate relationships with people (1 Thess 5:11; Gal 6:6; Blanchard, 33; Regehr; Wright). If leaders do not remain humble, pride and ego can creep up on them (Strawbridge; Tidball), causing them to lose intimacy with God (Ps 10:4) and resulting in isolation from the congregation (Blanchard, 4). It requires hard work to ‘foster a team spirit’ (Carter) which explains why some leaders fail and default to the ‘power of their position’ to try to make the congregation follow them (Carter). Leaders who remain humble will be able to think relationally and keep communications lines open with the congregation (Warren, 325, 327). Leaders can become unteachable if they let their pride and ego take over (Warren, 68).

  Humility is essential to be a good leader (Matt 18:4; James 4:6; Clark), and can only be maintained by having a ‘permanent, intimate relationship’ (Blanchard 68) with Christ so that the leader ‘exalts God’s purpose above their own’ (Blanchard 68). A humble leader acknowledges they don’t have all the answers (Patterson) and instead of avoiding conflict, will quickly and honestly sort out any issues with other leaders or the congregation (Matt 18:15-17; Gal 1:11-13; Harman, Regehr). If all leadership actions are grounded in love, care and concern, there is little chance of wanting to ‘exploit others’ (Carter), because ‘love never fails’ (1 Cor 13:8; Warren 26).

  Leaders need to evaluate their spiritual progress daily (2 Thess 1:3) and continue the proces
s of the inner work of sanctification to avoid the temptation of serving their own interests (1 Thess 4:3-6; 1 Thess 5:23; Early). This includes devotion to prayer (Col 4:2; 1 Thess 5:17) and assiduous study of the best leadership textbook; the Holy Bible (Acts 6:1-7; Ps 1:1-2; Ps 12:6; Ps 19:7). Christ is the greatest role model for ministry (John 13:12-17), and if leaders humbly lean on Christ (Col 1:4), the Holy Spirit will assist them to be humble and gentle towards followers (Lk 4:18; Callahan). Tracking progress allows leaders to identify instances of poor communication or misuse of power or authority (Early). D’haese even suggests maintaining a journal or diary to assist a leader in keeping themselves accountable (D’haese-Radamo).

  In summary, it can be seen that Christian leadership is not for the faint-hearted. But leaders who have been radically changed by an intimate relationship with Christ will have such a forceful driving desire (Lawrence) towards nurturing believers and saving souls (Wright, 1) that they will overcome any difficulties. Successful Christian leaders will treat leadership as a constant state of communication with their congregation aimed at maintaining and strengthening both parties in their Christian journey. If all leadership conversation is focussed on Christ (1 Cor 4:5; Col 3:2; Lawrence), the leader and congregation will be less likely to pursue their own personal agendas, and reduce the possibility of power struggles.

  REFERENCE LIST (for the above essay only)

  Bartz, James P., Leadership from the Inside Out. Source: Anglican Theological Review, Winter2009, Vol. 91 Issue 1, p81-92, 12p.

  Blanchard, K., Hodges, P., 2005, Lead like Jesus: lessons from the greatest leadership role model of all times, Thomas Nelson Publishing, Nashville.

  Callahan, Sharon Henderson, Basic Christian leadership: biblical models of church, gospel, and ministry. Source: Journal of Religious Leadership, 6 no 1 Spr 2007, p 122-124.

  Campbell, Barh L., Honor, hospitality and haughtiness: the contention for Leadership in 3 John. Source: Evangelical Quarterly, Oct2005, Vol. 77 Issue 4, p321-341, 21p.

  Carter, John F., Power and authority in Pentecostal Leadership. Source: Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies, Jul2009, Vol. 12 Issue 2, p185-207, 23p.

  Clark, Matthew, Contemporary Pentecostal Leadership. Source: Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies, Jan2007, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p42-61, 20p.

  D’haese-Radano, Christiane, Christian preparation for Christian leadership. Source: Review and Expositor, 97 no 4 Fall 2000, p 527-528.

  Early, Gene, The Inner Work of the Chief Executive: Humility and Wisdom in the Service of Leadership. Source: Transformation (02653788), Oct2006, Vol. 23 Issue 4, p243-252, 10p.

  Fasol, Al, Christian leadership. Source: Southwestern Journal of Theology, 29 no 2 Spr 1987, p 5-43. Publication Type: Article.

  Feddes, David J., Caring for God's household: a leadership paradigm among New Testament Christians and its relevance for church and mission today. Source: Calvin Theological Journal, 43 no 2 N 2008, p 274-299.

  Grudem, W., 1994, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Inter-Varsity Press, Nottingham.

  Harman, Robert J., A global identity. Source: Christian Century, 4/4/2012, Vol. 129 Issue 7, p30-33, 4p.

  Harvard Graduate School of Business, Executive Program in Leadership: The Effective Use of Power.

  Kavanaugh, John F., What We Must Face. Source: America, 1/16/2012, Vol. 206 Issue 2, p10-10, 1p.

  King, Fergus, Leading cross-culturally: covenant relationships for effective Christian leadership. Source: Mission Studies, 27 no 1 2010, p 108-109.

  Lawrence, William D., Distinctives of Christian leadership. Source: Bibliotheca sacra, 144 no 575 Jl-S 1987, p 317-329.

  Patterson, Kathleen, Servant Leadership: A Timeless Leadership Style. Source: Christian Leadership Alliance.

  Regehr, John, Hearing the word: Christian leadership implications from Galatians. Source: Direction, 8 no 2 Ap 1979, p 34.

  Riggio, Ronald E., How Power Corrupts Leaders. Why and how does power corrupt leaders? Source: Psychology Today, Published August 8, 2009.

  Searle, Richard, Seven sources of leadership power. Source: Business Spectator, published 2 Mar 2012.

  Strawbridge, Jennifer, The Word of the Cross: Mission, Power, and the Theology of Leadership. Source: Anglican Theological Review, Winter2009, Vol. 91 Issue 1, p61-79, 19p.

  Tidball, Derek, Leaders as Servants: a Resolution of the Tension. Source: Evangelical Review of Theology, Jan2012, Vol. 36 Issue 1, p31-47, 17p.

  Turner, Matthew. Source: matthewpaulturner.com. Posted: May 26, 2015. Accessed: July 9, 2016

  Warren, R., 1995, The Purpose-Driven Church, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids.

  Wright, W. C., 2009, Relational Leadership, a Biblical Model for Influence and Service, Paternoster Publishing, Colorado Springs.

  APPENDIX 2

  (FEEDBACK ON LEADERSHIP ESSAY BY Dr. Graham. Hill)

  From: [Dr. Hill's personal email address removed for privacy]

  Subject: Assignment Feedback

  Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2012 16:25:19 +1100

  To: [Mark Barnes' personal email address removed for privacy]

  Dear Mark

  This is a thoughtful, theologically sound, and creative essay on the topic. I appreciate the breadth of your research and the depth of your effort, and your willingness to ask probing questions of those sources and of contemporary perspectives. Given the limitations present in such a short essay, you have sought to engage the question and the underlying issues with some rigour. Your analysis is solid. You do a great job of breaking down the subject into its most basic elements, explaining those elements, and then showing your reader how they fit back together to create the whole. Analysis is important in essay writing, and your ability to analyse an issue theologically is clear. I enjoy reading your unique, mature, and confident voice. As I read your essay, I really get a sense of your distinctive personality. A well-defined voice is important for writers and theologians - something many work their entire careers to achieve. Congratulations! You are well on your way. I like the way you have sought to ground this essay topic in clear ecclesial, missional, or practical issues. Theological and biblical thought is grounded in practical-theology in a commendable way. This is a unique piece of work. Creativity is the sign of really understanding a subject, and then thinking through its relationship to other issues, topics, and matters. Your creativity brings this piece alive as a new and distinctive work - a quite difficult task indeed. The ideas you present in this paper are scholarly, theologically rigorous, oriented toward practical ministry, and astute. You make new and interesting connections between old ideas and synthesise those connections into exceptional ideas of your own. You are thinking with great originality. You have put away old cliches and worn-out ideas in favour of fresh new insight. Good job. Keep thinking creatively, and finding fresh ways to write and explore theological, ecclesial, and other ideas. The ability to delve as deeply and as critically into a subject as you have here is a sign of great promise. Your critical thinking skills are very good or exceptional. It is a treat to read an essay that applies such critical thinking, theological analysis, and cognitive depth. Thanks for that. This paper is persuasive. Your rhetorical skills are evident. You are exploring ways to build a theological or other case, provide solid evidence and argumentation, and persuade your reader. This paper demonstrates your growing ability to think theologically, and to integrate your biblical and theological learning with the set topic. I am immensely pleased to see this theological growth. I appreciate the way you have engaged a wide range of sources - popular, theological, secular, peer reviewed articles, and so forth. Paragraphs in the paper need some work. They should begin with strong topic sentences and should be four to fifteen sentences long. Each paragraph should contain ample evidence to support the claim you make in your topic sentence. At the very minimum, a paragraph should contain a topic sentence, one piece of evidence, and ample commentary to explain why the evidence you have chosen proves or supports the assertion you make in your topic sen
tence. It is hard to write a successful paragraph in under four sentences. Each paragraph should contain enough supporting details and commentary to adequately support the topic sentence. Please develop your paragraphs to a much greater extent, and allow supporting details to enhance the effectiveness of the topic of each of your paragraphs Spirit. Some of your footnotes contain fragments, and needed further proofing. Work on including a powerful and imaginative way to end your essay. Keep in mind that this is the last thing the reader (and grader) will read and remember. Look at exemplary essays and journal articles, and ask questions about how they craft their conclusion. This essay has been a pleasure to read, and demonstrates your developing theological outlook and voice.

  22 out of 25

  Graham

  Dr Graham Hill

  Morling Theological College

  120 Herring Rd, Macquarie Park

  NSW 2113 Australia

  +61 2 9878 0201

  [email protected]

  www.morling.nsw.edu.au

 

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