This is the day we not only ordain and install elders to lead us into the future, but also review the results of the last year’s leadership at the annual meeting following church. It is a good day to consider leadership from a biblical perspective, looking at the calling and character of those we would ask to lead us as a church.
Our passage from Numbers this morning tells a story of calling. Moses, called by God at the burning bush, was feeling overwhelmed and irritable. There were too many people asking too much of him and he felt he was at the end of his rope. He was complaining to God about the burden of leadership and being unable to carry the whole load. So God gave him helpers to share the burden. God told Moses to find 70 elders who were “known … as leaders and officials among the people.” And then God promised to “take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.” God promised they would share the burden.
From this passage we learn three important aspects of being called to leadership. First, those called to leadership should be recognized as leaders and authorities among the people already. It is not a position for which one applies and runs, like a political office. Instead, those chosen are chosen for characteristics that seem to point toward leadership as something they already have: faithfulness, helpfulness, and humbleness. These are the characteristics we hope for in our leaders, as well as kindness, cheerfulness and compassion.
Now how do we choose people who are already leading? We look to those whose lives show these characteristics, who participate in the life of the church, and who take on responsibilities even without titles. We are blessed to be part of a church in which many folks are willing to take on responsibilities even without titles. So many here already help the Fellowship Team at events, participate in building and grounds projects, lead in Christian Education, participate in mission, take on the burden of counting each week, or are actively involved in music or some other aspect of church life. They are the people we see at everything the church does from VBS to yard cleanup. They are the ones who see a need in the church and figure out how to work toward filling it, even when it doesn’t fit neatly into the committee structure we’ve known in the past.
Second we learn that God promises to equip those who are called. They have some gifts for leadership already, but each one who is called into ordained service is given additional gifts by God to serve his people with energy, imagination, and love. We don’t expect those we ask to lead to be superheroes before we elect them. Instead, we trust that with the call to service will come those superhero-like abilities to tirelessly discuss the budget and various committee reports, to show up regularly not only for worship but also for events so they can be in the know about the life of the church and approached by those they are called to lead. We trust that they will be able to withstand criticism and pressure when they have to make the tough decisions or communicate news that is not what was hoped for by their committees. We trust that they will take the mantle of leadership seriously and truly commit to serving the people who have called them for a particular period of time. And we trust that they will be able to do all this because God will be with them in a special way, giving them the strength and courage and energy they need.
Finally, from the Numbers passage we learn that leadership is a heavy burden that needs to be shared. No one person can do it all alone. Not even Moses, who was used by God to bring on the plagues and lead the people out of slavery, could continue to lead alone. The work must be shared so that no one person gets to the point of burnout like Moses was. Not only each church but each committee or group within a church needs to have the work shared among the people who are passionate about that area of ministry. This is not only for the benefit of the leader who no longer has to shoulder the whole burden alone, but also for the people who are led, teaching them new skills, giving them opportunities to shine, opening possibilities for future leaders to be raised up among the people. Sharing the load is good for everyone.
All of us, including those elected to lead, are called to be workers for the Lord. Not just because there is work to be done to keep the building clean and in good shape, the Sunday School classes staffed, the events planned and cleaned up, the music and worship coordinated, the finances in workable order, the tech and media leading others to come, the outreach to the unchurched, the mission to those in need of both physical and spiritual help, but also because as Christians, we all have work to do. We are the laborers in God’s field – all of us. Those called to leadership are tasked with additional special work, but all of us are called to work on behalf of the Lord. We are called to support the leadership, to share our thoughts and ideas, to participate in the programs and events, to help in whatever way we can.
That idea that all of us have work to do to support the leaders God has called to plan for and organize and guide His church, that idea is what our passage from James talks about today. James says, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” We are meant to be about doing the work of the Lord, not forgetting what we hear on Sunday mornings or seeking only to be served by the church. We are all called to lives of holy service. It is clear that just knowing the Word is not enough. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” These words remind us that we all have responsibility for working for God’s Kingdom. The work does not belong only to those who are ordained to office or currently installed on the Session. There is enough work for us all and it is by working for the Kingdom that we avoid going astray.
James writes, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” That’s a really high standard to try to live up to. The truth is it’s an impossible standard. Yet it is what the Lord accepts as pure and faultless and these are the characteristics we want in our leaders. Yet the standard applies to us all. When we are busy with the work of the Kingdom, we will naturally stay out of trouble because we won’t have time to be polluted by the world.
Now we don’t always want to continue to work. “We’ve done our part,” we think, but I say we are never to stop working for the kingdom. “That is her job,” we think, but even those who work for the church fulltime cannot do everything that needs to be done in the time available. “He knows so much more about it than I do,” or “I don’t want to look foolish by asking that question,” or “no one wants my opinion anyway,” we think. And we are wrong. The church needs everyone to function. Leaders know this and they take extra turns at service, step up and offer to help rather than leaving it for someone else, seek new knowledge and learning to use for God’s Kingdom, are courageous enough to risk looking foolish, and value each and every person they serve.
We elected and ordained and installed leaders today, and that is a beautiful thing. We have affirmed that God has given them special gifts for leadership. We have said we are putting our trust and hope in them to be diligent in their communication with the Lord and the rest of the leadership to help move this church in the direction God has planned for us. Now we need to be willing now to be led. We need to listen to what they say and respond. We need to be willing to support them as they try new things, giving gentle and honest feedback rather than complaining behind their backs. We need to participate with enthusiasm when they revamp beloved things, volunteer joyfully when they seek help for ongoing projects and plans. We need to be willing to ask for and follow their guidance, to seek out their advice and counsel, to share our thoughts and ideas with them so that they don’t feel like Moses did sitting at the door of his tent.
As we welcome our new class of elders to serve a term or two on Session and thank those who have served and continue to serve, let’s really show our appreciation not just by polite applause in church but by helping them with the tasks set before them. When they issue an invitation to participate in some way, let’s support them joyfully and fully, lending a hand, funding a project, taking time out of our busy schedules to participate, praying for them, and remembering to thank them for all they do. They have the characteristics we seek, they have been called by God and affirmed by this congregation. May they be blessed as they lead us into the future God has planned for us.