"The Joy of Empowering Others"

What is the single greatest challenge facing the Church

in the Twenty-first Century?

            Many Christian thinkers believe that the biggest challenge facing the Church is competent, visionary, passionate leadership—by both laity and clergy.  After a brief hiatus for World Communion Sunday last week, I am resuming my six-part sermon series exploring “Christian Leadership.”  The first three messages were previously given in September, with the second three messages coming over the next three Sunday’s in October.  The final three leadership topics will explore the following areas:

1.      October 11                  “The Joy of Empowering Others”

                    2.      October 18                  “Successful Failing”

3.      October 25                  “Leadership and Spirituality”

Our focus this week is the opportunities provided in leadership to empower others. 

In his book, Power Analysis of a Congregation, Roy Oswald points out that there are two diametrically opposed attitudes towards power.  Some people see power as a “zero-sum game,” meaning that there is a limited amount of power available to go around.  From this perspective, in order to be a powerful person, I must hold on to and hoard all the power for myself.  If I seek to empower others, then I must give away some of my power and I will become weak and disempowered.  Oswald calls this view a “poverty thinking” attitude towards power.  By contrast, there is a second, alternative perspective on power, which Oswald terms “abundance thinking.”  This alternative perspective sees power as a generative phenomenon, in which, “the more I empower others, the more powerful everyone in my system is, and the more powerful I become”.  In other words, power begets more power—for everyone.

In a previous sermon in this series, I suggested that Christ calls upon us to take the “abundance attitude” towards the power in our lives.  That is, we should look for opportunities to empower those within our network of family, friends, and acquaintances.  Christian leaders should find an authentic joy in empowering and equipping others so that they are more empowered and experience the fulfillment that comes from developing and utilizing their God-given gifts to make their own unique contribution towards establishing God’s Reign on earth.

Our scripture this weekend comes from Romans 12:  1-8.  Early in this passage in verse 3, Paul cautions against over-thinking our own contributions and abilities to the work of Christ.  He writes, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”  From here Paul moves to a discussion of the diversity of different talents, abilities, and expertise that exist within the unity of the Church.

To illustrate his point, Paul adopts the metaphor of the human body.  Although the body is a single unity, it is comprised of many different parts with very diverse abilities and functions.  Paul writes:  “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another” (vv. 4-5).

Paul uses this metaphor of the human body, with its many parts and their multiple functions, to describe the diversity of abilities that various people bring to the work and ministry of the church.  In verses 6-8, he lifts up and celebrates 7 distinct spiritual gifts as examples of the various abilities and talents that God gives us:  prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhorting (preaching), giving, leadership, and compassionate care. 

Really good leaders are able to discern special talents and abilities in those whom they lead, and effective leaders help those whom they lead to claim and begin using these special talents and abilities.  Finally, effective leaders find genuine joy in empowering those whom they lead.

In my first sermon, which began this series on Christian Leadership, I suggested that we need to broaden our understanding of leadership beyond most conventional assumptions.  I suggested that we re-focus Christian Leadership, so that it applied to a wide variety of contexts and circumstances—both within the church and beyond the church walls.  For me, Christian Leadership should include roles and relationships, such as the role of parents; the role of schoolchildren on the playground; the way we conduct ourselves at our jobs, as neighbors, as members of society.  At various times, all of us are thrust in positions, where we can become Christian Leaders, who take delight in empowering those whom we lead.

I believe there are a variety of different methods and avenues for empowering those whom we lead.  Empowering others may include:

1.      Encouragement

2.      Advising

3.      Modeling

4.      Complementing

5.      Constructive critiquing

6.      Simply listening, without judging

7.      Allowing someone to try something their way, even though you know they will fail

8.      Helping those we lead to discern and learn from their failures

9.      Helping people to recognize and claim their strengths and improvements

10.  Sharing our own struggles and failures with those whom we are trying to lead; that is, being vulnerable

Come, join us this Sunday (October 11th), as we resume this fascinating exploration of Christian leadership.  Our church, Christ United Methodist Church, is located at 4530 A Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Our classic worship services are at 8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday mornings. 

Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.