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Understanding
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What is leadership?
The sociology writers, Daniel Katz and Robert Kahn, defined leadership as the influential increment over and above mechanical compliance with routine directives.
Put more simply, leadership is the extra charismatic qualities that go beyond following a job description and obeying the rules, irrespective of the efficiency and enthusiasm with which it is done. It is a ‘people’ skill, not an organisational skill
In fact the measure of leadership, as the definition implies, is the degree of personal influence that one person exercises over another. This involves winning and holding the respect of others and providing high quality role-modeling. Its most tangible quality is the extent to which others identify with the leader’s values, aims and objectives.
The conclusion that must be drawn is that true leaders are identified by those who seek to follow, rather than by higher authorities who want to promote them.
When looking for the qualities that make for Christian leadership, not simply the eldership, people in congregations must look beyond the excellent work being done in the various areas of church life by their co-workers. What is significant is the extent to which others have confidence in them and seek them out for advice or example, even being inspired by them. There is also an element of style, intelligence, creativity of ideas and vision that they bring to their work.
What is the difference between leadership and authority?
The fundamental difference between leadership and authority is that true leadership is recognized by associates and followers. People choose, one way or another, to follow a leader. That respect can be widened or withdrawn voluntarily, while authority, in contrast, is assigned by a higher power. Authority, has powers to define and vary the extent of a person’s influence, to threaten, to reward and to punish.
While powers of discipline and authority exist in sessions, the church relies on moral authority to select its elders. Both ministers and elders must be recognized for their leadership qualities by the ordinary members of the congregation before they can be ordained to office. There are processes built into the system that ensures that this happens as much as possible.
What is the difference between leadership and management?
Leaders always look beyond the current situation and seek to progress towards something better, They are driven by ideals of one sort or another and are skilled, whether they realize it or not, at drawing others into these ideals. They are rarely satisfied with the situation they are in.
Managers, by contrast, are put into their position in order to manage a current situation and frequently measure their effectiveness by the ability simply to do their job. Values and means need not be related. This does not imply that managers lack leadership qualities. It is simply not a necessity for their assigned role.
How does the concept of ‘power’ fit into these relationships?
Within the context of leadership, ‘power’ is a very broad term which takes in the ability to do or act on something, to influence, to intimidate, to discipline, or to have authorization.
Powers of this kind can be wielded by people at all levels of an organisation’s structure depending on the opportunities that are given. They can be official, being supported by a higher authority, or they can be unofficial, coming from a person’s knowledge, skill, force of personality, moral character (or amoral character), powers of persuasion and argument, etc.
In short, empowerment is a key to getting things done and is an important quality in leadership. It is the kind of thing that people see when they choose leaders either for positions of authority or for support in themselves.
What qualities are shown by leaders generally?
Leaders show four major qualities, which together give their followers a clear vision to strive for, drive and energy to lift and sustain their efforts, skills and understanding to take advantage of opportunities, and a sense of personal empowerment that makes their goals achievable.
They have personal qualities which drive them to take the lead, to do things with a great deal of efficiency and effectiveness and which draws others to them.
They display interpersonal qualities that enable others to claim ownership of the cause by sharing in planning, execution and achievement. They involve themselves in the activities, sharing risks as well as rewards with their followers. In effect they get the most out of the talents and energies of their followers.
They have a personal vision which can see possibilities that may be hidden from the eyes of other people.
They have the talent to motivate their followers to lift themselves and direct their energies towards the achievement of common goals.
What are the personal qualities of effective leaders?
Effective leaders :
have strong personal values,
have a vision that looks beyond the status quo,
are oriented towards achieving goals,
show initiative,
are individualists,
show eagerness to learn,
learn from failures and setbacks,
are willing to engage in self-criticism,
manage their time efficiently and economically,
look for practical solutions to problems,
plan strategically as well as tactically
What are the inter-personal qualities of effective leaders?
Effective leaders
influence by example,
draw followers to them,
share their ideas with others,
welcome the ideas and opinions of others,
encourage initiative in others,
praise, encourage and give credit to others,
consider the feelings of others,
show loyalty to colleagues,
expect ethical standards from themselves and others,
trust and respect their followers,
honour the trust their followers place in them,
seek to understand others’ values,
can negotiate with others by finding common values.
What are the visionary qualities of effective leaders?
Effective leaders:
can relate their goals to their ideals
find means to achieve their goals,
share their vision with their followers,
recognize and seize opportunities,
anticipate pitfalls,
place the ‘big picture’ above details,
develop and modify and, if necessary,
reverse strategies to fit the vision .
What are the motivational qualities of effective leaders?
Effective leaders
are involved energetically,
lead by example,
share “ownership” of their organisation with their followers,
reward their followers efforts,
take their share of the blame for mistakes or failure,
share the lessons learned from success or failure with their followers.
What qualities distinguish Christian leadership?
It would be overly simple to argue that Christians in leadership positions should be distinguishable by the high standard of ethics and morals that they display. Sadly Christians are fallable like anyone else.
But Christians should indeed be driven by a set of high values, the principles of which have been set for them by their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. These standards are absolute, rather than relative and have been set by God for eternity.
They include:
However Christ is not the personification of a set of rules for living. He is a leader for today, recognised by his followers, and followed with admiration, love and enthusiasm. He is alive today and his followers are in contact with him through worship, prayer and study of the scriptures.
As well as high values, other essential and distinctive qualities of Christian leadership are:
A high value on truth, fairness and honest dealing
A strong sense of ethical and moral uprightness,
A sense of the personal worth and dignity of all individuals regardless of race, creed, colour, disability or language
A view that wealth and possessions are held in stewardship from God and should be used as a form of service,
However Christ is not the personification of a set of rules for living. He is a leader for today, recognised by his followers, and followed with admiration, love and enthusiasm. He is alive today and his followers are in contact with him through worship, prayer and study of the scriptures.
As well as high values, other essential and distinctive qualities of Christian leadership are:
using freedom effectively,
accepting and learning from mistakes and failures,
allowing others to confront their freedom and teaching them how to do so,
a personal belief that God is honoured:
in the way people exercise their freedom,
in the quality of their relationships with others,
How is the idea of personal freedom important to Christian Leaders?
When Christ died and rose again, he brought his people from a state of servitude to sin into a state of freedom. This freedom can be a frightening thing and many Christians have difficulty confronting it, preferring instead to turn their Christian faith into a set of rules to follow. This is a misunderstanding of the faith.
Christian leaders should be aware of their freedom and the responsibilities that go with it. They recognise that to act on their freedom they must make day-to-day decisions about Christian living and leading people in the church. They must accept the consequences for bad decision-making and learn from it.
What are the spiritual assumptions surrounding Church leadership?
Built into Presbyterian theology are a number of assumptions that underlie the role of the elder as a leader of the church. They determine the origin of an elder’s calling, his or her tenure of office, age, qualifications, etc.. They also determine the attitude expected of those who follow these church leaders.
Most significantly they seek to balance the dynamic elements of leadership with the authority that is formally assigned to it by our church’s structure.
These assumptions are:
- Elders are made and called by the Holy Spirit of Christ
.Age is not a significant factor in the eldership, the determining factor being spiritual maturity.
- The Holy Spirit gives Christians the capacity to discern true Christian leadership.
- Elders jointly hold the key to the spiritual health of the congregations within which they serve.
- Elders, ruling and teaching elders alike, act as co-pastors of the congregation.
- Submission to an elder’s authority depends on whether the congregation has chosen who its elders are to be.
Elders must be chosen because of their possession of the gifts of leadership stated in the scriptures. |
Some Questions for Discussion
1. In what ways can leaders lead their followers astray? What temptations can those in leadership positions be subjected to?
2. How important are impressions and personal images in leadership? To what extent should elders be conscious of these things?
3. How does an elder motivate people to …
… try new ways of doing things?
… rise above a lethargic or pessimistic frame of mind?
… seize on a new opportunity that has come up?
… use particular skills in the service of the church?
4. How might elders (or Sessions generally) make the best use of the ideas, energies, skills and talents of others?
5. If a fellow elder (or the Session) seemed to be confusing management, power and authority with leadership, how might you encourage them to get their act together?
6. What leaders have been your inspiration and perhaps your mentor over the years. What qualities in them did you admire most?
7. If the role of an elder on Session is defined in the Code, how would you as an elder introduce elements of leadership in fulfilling that role?
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