Leading Ideas: Status, Ambition, and the Way of Jesus | Building Congregational Engagement in a Church-School Partnership from Lewis Center for Church Leadership from Wesleyan Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., United States for Wednesday, April 26, 201

Leading Ideas: Status, Ambition, and the Way of Jesus | Building Congregational Engagement in a Church-School Partnership from Lewis Center for Church Leadership from Wesleyan Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., United States for Wednesday, April 26, 2017

From the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
Status, Ambition, and the Way of Jesus by Craig C. Hill on April 26, 2017
Craig Hill, dean of Perkins School of Theology, says the desire for status is wholly natural, yet like other natural desires it is inherently ambiguous and must be kept in check. He says the most common strategy employed by the New Testament authors in response to conflicts over status was an appeal to the example of Jesus.
Status is not a gift of the Spirit. Ambition is absent from New Testament lists of spiritual fruit. Authority, honor, and rank are at best ambiguous scriptural categories. Still, Christians remain ambitious, desire status, and seek higher stations. Are they wrong?
In over two decades spent training Christian leaders, I have found no constellation of issues so seldom discussed and yet of such intense interest. Clergy may more comfortably converse about their sexuality or mental health than about their own need for recognition and affirmation — which, if they are honest, was part of their motivation for entering the ministry. Invite this conversation, however, and a lively, even liberating, exchange ensues. It is a relief not to have to pretend that we are unconcerned with our standing. Better to expose our veiled aspirations and attempt to think openly and faithfully about them. As Justice Louis D. Brandeis put it, “Sunlight is…the best of disinfectants.”
Jesus did not tell the disciples that their native desire for significance was wrong. Instead, he told them that it was misdirected.
A desire for status is wholly natural. We are by far the most social of animals, and social animals characteristically organize themselves according to status. The benefits are considerable, including diversification of roles, protection against predators, increased food gathering capacity, assistance with rearing offspring, and social support. But there are costs as well as benefits. Some risks, such as starvation and disease, are amplified in a community setting. Most animal societies exhibit a dominance hierarchy, which means that its advantages are not distributed equally. The alternative, however, can be near-constant disorder, competition, and strife, making the entire herd, pack, flock, troop, or pride less productive and more vulnerable.
Natural desires, while necessary, are also inherently ambiguous. This is as true of our longing for status as it is for our longing for the pleasures of sex and eating. These impulses are like a road with a ditch on either side. The ditch to the right is indulgence, which leads us to hurt ourselves and, especially, others. The ditch to the left is repression. We push the desire down, but all too readily it pops up elsewhere, often in disguise and often in even more dangerous form.
Fortunately, New Testament authors have much to teach us about this issue. The Greco-Roman world was thoroughly hierarchical and extraordinarily status conscious. Many early Christian communities were comprised of a highly unusual mix of people: highborn and lowborn, Jew and Gentile, literate and illiterate, masters and slaves. Entirely against the cultural grain, members of these groups were told, among other things, to call each other “brother” or “sister,” and to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom. 12:10).
By far the most common strategy employed by the New Testament authors was an appeal to the example of Jesus. We all know the famous “Christ hymn” of Philippians 2:6-11. Often missed is what comes just before it: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.” (Phil. 2:3) It is only then that Paul says, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God…emptied himself, taking the form of a slave” (vv. 5-6a).
We see the same pattern throughout the New Testament: Christological affirmations are offered in response to conflicts over status. That is precisely how many of the servant passages function in Mark, such as we find in 10:43-45: “It is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Perhaps the richest resource for dealing with these matters is Paul’s correspondence with the church of Corinth. For many there, Christianity was simply a new means to a very old end, namely, social advancement. Among other things, the Corinthians boasted of their affiliation with a superior apostle (1 Cor. 3:4) and viewed spiritual gifts as status markers. Paul counters their pretentions by saying that they are not, as they thought, spiritual people, but rather “people of the flesh.” “For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?” (1 Cor. 3:3).
Many other New Testament texts equip us to overcome the all-too-natural inclination toward status chasing. At the center is Scripture’s teaching about justification. All of us need to be justified, but we are incapable of justifying ourselves, try as we might. No bank account is large enough, no job title impressive enough, to give ultimate meaning to our lives. It takes faith to believe in a wholly different system of value, but it is such justifying faith that holds the power to set us free to serve fully and joyfully in this world.
This is especially true for clergy, whom we expect to be highly motivated (or, we might say, ambitious), but also genuinely humble. Moreover, a life of service is inherently unfair. It requires strength — strength of character, strength of identity, and, above all, strength of faith. On the other hand, egocentrism, like that displayed by Jesus’ disciples, is a very human manifestation of personal weakness: “they were arguing with one another about who was the greatest” (Mark 9:34).
Jesus did not tell the disciples that their native desire for significance was wrong. Instead, he told them that it was misdirected. I suspect that is a word for us all.
Craig Hill’s most recent book Servant of All: Status, Ambition, and the Way of

 

Jesus (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2016) is available at Cokesbury and Amazon.
Related Resources

1. Eerdmans Author Interview: Craig Hill, Servant of All: Status, Ambition, and the Way of Jesus 
2. “Who is the Greatest” — The Perennially Wrong Leadership Question by Lovett H. Weems, Jr.
3. Servant Leadership: Jesus & Paul by Ann A. Michel

Read more.
Building Congregational Engagement in a Church-School Partnership by Jake McGlothin on April 26, 2017
Jake McGlothin, author of The Mission-Minded Guide to Church and School Partnerships, explains how compelling messages that align your congregation's vision to the task of school partnerships and simple recruitment ideas will harness the resources needed to serve children in your community.Creating and maintaining a great church-school partnership can be challenging. But there are resources in your congregation waiting to be harnessed, if you put out the right message and pray that the Holy Spirit will get your congregation moving.
Vision
To focus mission and outreach efforts on children in poverty, church staff and key leaders must make a compelling message and cast and maintain a vision for what the congregation should do. Without providing your congregation with the theological and practical foundations of working with children at local schools, you cannot expect a significant response. Make efforts to connect the spiritual life of the congregation to community action and engagement.
Ultimately, the partnership must become an important aspect of who your congregation is. It must be ingrained in the culture if you want it to succeed.
Worship
For a church-school partnership to be successful, it is very important for conversations to occur during worship. Make every effort to put the partnership at the forefront of the church’s mission — during sermons, prayer time, inviting school administration to speak during worship, and announcements prior to worship.
Relationships
Whether you need 50 people or five, building relationships and talking to people one‐on‐one will always make you more successful as you seek volunteers. While having the pastor make a pulpit announcement is a very effective way to inspire the congregation, making sure you have a table or a place for people to gather who are interested in more information will create opportunities for discussions and questions to be answered in a timely fashion.
Clarity
Be clear about requirements, time commitments, and any other pertinent expectations or logistics. You should share all information that helps people make a decision about committing time, energy, and resources to a particular ministry. Don’t loosen your requirements and expectations just so more people will be involved. When you are creating your expectations, you should be thinking about the people you are serving, not those who are serving.
Motivation
Understanding motivations is very helpful in crafting your messages to individuals and groups. Using the example of a mentoring program for kids with disabilities, what are some of the reasons people would volunteer? Perhaps they have a dear friend who has a child with a disability. Perhaps they want to be a part of a community that supports children and families in these situations. Perhaps they are passionate about education and seek an opportunity to work with kids that really makes sense. Or perhaps they have just retired and need to do something that matters. When you understand why people get involved in a ministry or program, you’ll better shape the recruitment language.
Recruitment
The way you recruit should also match the commitment required. If, for example, you are planning a one-hour packaging event for a meal program and no sign‐up is required, a casual recruitment message may be sufficient. If you are starting a mentoring program at the local school which requires a weekly commitment and specialized training, you need to recruit in a more intensive way. Here are a few other simple things you can do:

• Invite the school principal to speak at morning services.
• Create a short video about the kids and their mentors, with permission, of course.
• Have a table outside the sanctuary where people can sign up and ask questions. Be there with the principal and your program leaders.
• Host a school partnership meal at the church where people can come to learn about the school and the ministries you hope to start there.
• Have clergy or another leader visit small groups and Sunday school classes to encourage folks to sign up to help.
• Create a Missions Sunday Fair that showcases all the different mission opportunities at the church.
• Try to create high‐volume, low‐commitment opportunities to do something for the school to get more members involved.

Ultimately, the partnership must become an important aspect of who your congregation is. It must be ingrained in the culture if you want it to succeed. Otherwise it will be just one more ministry for a select few of your members. Focusing on a specific partnership allows your church an opportunity to dig deeper and be a part of something bigger. A sense of unity and impact can make your church members see and believe in the power of collective work.
Providing compelling messages, aligning the congregation’s DNA to the task of school partnerships, and using simple, yet effective recruitment ideas will allow you to bring your congregation to the task of serving children in your community. And remember, you’ve done the work to get you to this point and God has blessed this work thus far. Believe in the abundance of God’s love and mercy and see where this partnership takes you!
[Adapted from The Mission-Minded Guide to Church-School Partnerships]

 

(Abingdon Press, 2017) by Jake McGlothin. Used by permission. Available at Cokesbury and Amazon.
Related Resources

• The Mutual Benefits of Church-School Partnerships by Jake McGlothin.
• 50 Ways to Engage Local Schools, a free Lewis Center Resource
• Effective Church-School Partnerships by Nicole Baker Fulgham
• Engaging Local Schools Video Tool Kit

Read more.
The Right Question
Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.
A fruitful exercise is to name as a group where you most hope God will lead your church in this next year. What will be different a year from now? What will increase? What will change? After doing this exercise, then you are ready to use this question to see how much attention you have given those things you most want to happen.

What do we monitor regularly? 

Want more Right Questions? Read Right Questions for Church Leaders.

50 Ways to Engage Local Schools
Many congregations find that reaching out to their local schools is an important way to serve children and families and strengthen ties with the broader community. These 50 tips can help you engage your local school effectively.
Learn more and download free.

Learn More Ways to Partner with Your Local Schools
If your congregation is considering a school-focused initiative, learn much more with Engaging Local Schools. Through videos, presentations, and supplemental materials, this tool kit guides your congregation in considering questions that are critical to the success of a school-focused service initiative.
Learn more and watch introductory videos now.
Quotable Leadership
When did you ever learn the most in your life? What experience? I guarantee you'll tell me it was a time you felt at risk.[Ginni Rometty]
Pastors Moving to New Churches Need the Right Start
Are you a pastor preparing to begin ministry in a new setting? With The Right Start Video Tool Kit, you'll learn how to end your current ministry well, develop a personal transition plan, and make the most of your first days, weeks, and months in your new congregation. The Right Start is available in both Pastor's and Group Training Versions.
Learn more and watch a video preview.
Editor: Dr. Ann A. Michel
Copyright © 2004-2017 Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary
churchleadership.com/leadingideas
Connect with the Lewis Center:

Lewis Center for Church Leadership

Wesley Theological Seminary

4500 Massachusetts Avenue NorthWest

Washington, D.C. 20016, United States
-------