Re: Turning Point Church World Outreach Center-Tell Your Story
Date: February 14, 2010 07:13AM
I sense there is a general disappointment with leaders in all areas-church, politics, corporate business, media, education, etc. Hence the growth of Home based churches, Tea Party, wall street backlash, decline in readership and viewerships of news organizations, and the continue growth of homeschooling.
The mass exodus from Turning Point Church in Marysville is just one symptom of a larger problem. In effect individuals are saying to so called leaders, "Get out of our way. We have had enough." Leaders have lost site of their first and most important mandate. Put the needs of those you lead ahead and above your own personal needs. When leaders call upon their constituencies to make great sacrifice for the good of the group only to turn around and eschew sacrifice on their own part they lose credibility. Leading by example is in short supply. There exists at all levels of leadership today a "do as I say, not as I do" mentality. Would be followers are loudly rejecting such mentality and actively walking away from such leaders.
Even in non democratic societies ruled by a collective tyranny we see people standing up to failed leadership. Look at what is taking place in countries like Iran. When one gives into the temptation to lead by edict rather than consent the results are such that those being forced or coerced to follow begin to stand up and reject this type of leadership-even when threatened with death as has been the case in Iran. Freedom loving people will always reject and throw off the oppressive ties of tyrannical leaders be they leaders of failing churches, failing banks, or failing countries. This occurs because leaders stop putting the needs of those they lead ahead of their own desire. When they break the very promises they make to those they lead they lose their ability to lead.
True and effective leadership take actions, not designed to enrich themselves, but designed to empower and free those they lead. All leadership action should be infused with self sacrifice. Jesus modeled this type of sacrificial leadership for those who would dare call themselves pastors, apostles, prophets when he freely went to the cross. Over and over he placed the need of those he would lead over his own needs. Thus he could tell his disciples to feed the five thousand rather than send them away; he could take time out of his day to heal those who suffered physically, emotionally, and spiritually; he could turn the water into wine; he could risk being stoned to save the woman entrapped in adultery; he could wash the feet of the twelve; the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.
Pastors who fail to return phone calls, space out appointments, demand honor, are willing to allow others to cook their meals and clean their homes but won't do the same for others, refuse to take calls from ordinary people, etc, are not leaders. There may be a number of other fitting titles but they are not leaders. Is it any wonder more and more people reject the church. They are not rejecting the Gospel message as much as they are rejecting the bastardization of that message by those who call themselves church leaders.
More and more pastors are demanding honor and obedience - not to the Gospel but unto themselves. The idea of serving another is repulsive and beneath many of today's spiritual leaders. They lord their position over their congregants and insist on blind obedience. This is in contrast to what we see Jesus doing in John 13. He washes the feet of his followers. This was a lowly act leadership. It was dirty work and typically done by the house slave or servant. It was so shocking that Peter insisted that Jesus would not was his feet. In Peter's mind this act of leadership was below the dignity of Jesus and he would not allow Jesus to lower himself in this fashion. Jesus responded, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." In other words, Jesus was saying, "Peter if you fail to see that leadership is about serving then you really don't know who I am or why I came and have no fellowship with me." Pastors who seek honor at the expense of serving-doing the dirty work-have no fellowship with Jesus.
Later in the same chapter of John Jesus states emphatically, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Jesus just finished demonstrating what love looks like among those who would be leaders of the church. Pastors can have all the unity services they desire; they can establish any number of schools they want; they can create any sort of renewed vision program that suits their fancy; but if they fail the basic test of sacrificial service then they have no fellowship with Jesus.
Do not be enamored with loud music and bright lights; don't settle for wild free for all dancing; don't choose a church based on its size. Don't be fooled by important or spiritual sounding self given titles. None of these are appropriate measures of a pastor's effectiveness as a leader or of his connection with Jesus. Look for a pastor who quietly and continually serves. Not one who serves in order to talk about his own actions in his next sermon but one who quietly serves in humility and sacrifice. Look for the pastor who joyfully does the dirty work without demanding anything in return.
When we begin to see these types of leaders in churches, politics, business, media, and education then we will gladly follow. But until that time comes we will continue to hear people say loud and clear, "get out of the way." We will continue to stand up and speak out; we will continue to turn our backs on leaders who seek to lord it over us; we will become the very type of leaders we long for. We will be the ones who wash each others feet.