Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am Won KIM, voicing Pastor Caleb Soo Lee Chong. Shalom. Today, we’ll carry on with our discussions on “Church Leadership View”. What type of leaders are we to pick? As taught by Jesus, and also subsequently taken up by Peter and Paul, our choice must revolve around leaders with servant-like mind-sets, traits of self-humility, multiple skill-sets and set good examples in character, spirituality, character-molding, possess exemplary qualities in wealth matters, social behavior, family issues and so on – all of which are crucial and fundamental.

The issue is this: what must a church member do to help his church get a faithful, kind and wise leader? I will share my approach from two perspectives. First, the responsibilities and roles of a pastor, followed by the church leadership itself, covering the roles of elders and stewards.

The Responsibilities and Roles of the Pastor

What are the responsibilities and roles of the pastor?

One. He has to search for and uncover leaders. No one knows his sheep better than the shepherd himself. Thus, the moment someone has been identified as a suitable choice, responsibility should be transferred to him in all boldness and ease of mind. Indeed, that was how God engaged Moses in the Bible in the book of Exodus chapter 3 verse 10. When God set sight on Moses, He started to train and equip him before passing on power to him, even to lead all his people out of Egypt into the wilderness. God had faith in Joshua and handed power to him in the same manner as well. Joshua went on to bring his fellow Israelites out of the wilderness into Canaan, the Promised Land. Leaders should not hog all the work to themselves. Instead, they should pass it on to those they have trust in, to uncover and equip them to become future leaders.

Two. Train them for leadership. Training must follow after uncovering them. You need to equip and train those with leadership qualities so that they can handle heavier responsibilities. That is crucial. As pastors, we need to spend some time to train them to take on as second and even third generation leaders in the future.

Three. Continue to equip current leaders. Let them be clear about our service/ministry commitments and the roles they are to play. This will bring about great effect. It is also a means to strengthen the team and uplift its efficiency. These days, many chosen leaders are not prepared. They do not know what their roles are and how they are to work hand-in-hand with the pastor. This mistake can be attributed to the pastor for failing to train and equip them to carry out the work well. If the pastor is unable to adequately equip these people, he can source for external trainers or other experienced pastors to provide the necessary guidance.

Additionally, many elders do not know their call of duty and only go for power without knowing the responsibilities that come along with it. Power struggles take place within churches as a result, with resultant tensions surfacing amongst the parties involved.

Four. The scholar-pastor. As a church leader, the pastor needs to upgrade himself, even as he upgrades others. He is able to upgrade others because he has already upgraded himself. How can one be in a position to equip others when he is unable to equip himself? Thus, pastors should lead a disciplined life, study and to upgrade himself. It was John Calvin who said that a pastor should be committed to scholarship, in other words, to pursue knowledge to no end. Yes, we need such people!

Five. Be an example that others would desire such noble tasks. The lives of pastors should reflect the honor and glory of such pastoral commitments. Herein lies the true privilege of response to the call of God! When people are able to see the pastor’s joy and desire for undertaking these tasks, similar inclinations should be inspired within them to such calling.

Needless to say, there are times when such calls to do this work meet with resistance because of the lack of desire for work in this ministry. Some people would rather distance themselves from these stressful tasks that appear to be meaningless and a waste of time. However, if the pastor would, from the very start, inculcate the notion in them that serving God is something worthy and noble, and that there is eternal value in trading one’s life for eternal joy, they would offer themselves more willingly as a living sacrifice to serve the Lord.  

The Responsibilities and Roles of the Archdeacon

What are the responsibilities and roles of the archdeacon?

One: He acts as part of a control mechanism to ensure that only suitable people are allowed into the Ecclesiastical Council, as well as taking responsibility for major ministries undertaken by the church. For example, there may arise a need to understand the character of the invitee, how he interacts with people, whether his spiritual grounding is firm, and if it suits the post at hand. The council may invite pastors to lead the team and gatekeep that work is done appropriately.

No one knows his sheep better than the shepherd. Thus, no pastor would allow anyone without team spirit to join the ecclesiastical council, even if he hails from a high-profile background such as lots of wealth, highly regarded by society, well-schooled and so on. This is especially critical if he is found to be self-centred, thinks highly of himself or throws his weight around in making single-handed decisions. Such people should be kept outside the council as a matter of principle.

Two. The ecclesiastical council must have the courage to let go of those who are not suited for leadership and others who are unable to involve themselves in team ministry work, including the current archdeacon and pastors if their behaviour were found to run contrary to biblical teachings. This would provide opportunities for other qualified people to do their part. Dear brothers and sisters, this is something that all of us can do – let go of those who are not suited to do team work or are not serving in a faithful manner to leave gracefully, and let in those team workers and faithful followers in order that ministry work can be improved.

Three. The council must allocate tasks according to the talents of its workers, so that everyone can give of his/her best and find joy in these ministries. Other people are not taking up ministry work these days as they are overwhelmed by the sheer workloads demanded. They are working under increasing pressure if they were to soldier on, even towards a breaking point before calling it quits altogether. Where workers are delegated tasks but are unable to apply their Godly gifts, they would become frustrated too. Hence, it is necessary for leaders to have the wisdom to optimize tapping from the talents of those under them with greater thoughtfulness and consideration.

Four. Avoid having more than two members from the same family within the church leadership. In other words, the line-up of the council or executive committee should not have members of the same family. Otherwise, current issues would not be discussed in meetings in an objective manner. It may also result in the entire church being under control of a particular family. In this case, the pastor may find his hands tied when it comes to discussing about or making decisions against the interests of a clique from within.

There should be some mechanism in the church to prevent members of any family from extending their office tenures within the council or executive committee beyond their second term of service. On the other hand, limits can be imposed on the age and number of years of service of those executive committee members, such as not allowing them to serve after reaching 65 or 70 years of age or imposing a two-term limit, or to stay out for the duration of one-term in-between. Such arrangements will facilitate new-blood joining leadership.

Five. The archdeacon or leaders are to be forward-thinking and carry on upgrading themselves. Such efforts are linked to their own drives to renew their outlook and stay ahead of the curve. As society continues to evolve, so must our church respond with passion. Only enlightened leaders can lead the charge as time marches on.

Lastly, support must be given to the pastor so that a great service/ministry team may be set up to attract more people to join their ranks. The archdeacon is obliged to work alongside the pastors, and offer them constructive comments whenever such is due. As the church continues to grow, more people would join and be inspired to spread the message. May God help us as the archdeacon, pastors, church leaders and executive committee members do their parts as team players for the common good.

The Responsibilities and Roles of the Congregants

What about the congregants, then? Needless to say, you must know the leaders of the church before casting your votes on that day. You should use the ballot box to show whom you would trust to lead the church forward, and support those leaders who are loyal and truly humble. As for office bearers who are irresponsible, lord over others or did not discharge their responsibilities, we should let our ballot papers do all the talking.

Secondly, bear in mind the qualifications and requirements as called for in a church leader (see the leadership views put forward by Jesus, Peter and Paul mentioned earlier) and vote for your candidates of choice accordingly, rather than solely on capability, oratorical skills, paper qualifications, wealth, and so on. Of course, all of these are good to have but none of these is an absolute must.  Prime amongst the requisite qualities are their spiritual life, moral characters, team spirit and leadership talents.

May God have mercy on us. Whether it is the archdeacon, pastor or an ordinary follower, all of us should go by biblical teachings to select the best leaders to lead the church. Let me end by sharing this story.

A Sufi is a follower of a certain practice within Islam who has attained enlightenment. One day, a Sufi was leading his followers as they walked towards a swampy forest. Sighting a solitary man walking in front, the Sufi called out, “Hey, be careful, the one out there! This is a swampy place. You may lose your life if you miss a step and sink into the deep mud!” To his surprise, the man replied calmly, “You are the one who has to be careful! If I sink into the mud, I’d be the only one in danger. You are leading a group. If you miss a step, you would be dragging your entire party down under!”

What an insight!

Everyone must take responsibility for the results from his own actions. While one person going the wrong way may bring harm only upon himself; if it is a leader who makes the wrong turn, the result will affect each and every one of his followers. Hence, whether we are talking about the roles of guide or teacher, head of a family or chief of an organization, a leader must exercise utmost caution before he makes a commitment or takes on a heavy responsibility.

May our Heavenly Father help us to become a good example to fellow believers and never to go astray! Amen.

Let’s pray

Dear Heavenly Father,

We pray to you for you have raised up different leaders within our midst, to coordinate with one another in the church, so that the gospel may be spread far and wide, with the flames getting brighter and stronger every day as we work together in the spirit of teamwork. In the process, your sheep will be taken care of well, equipped adequately as they follow you and grow up firmly rooted in your Word. May God help us, let our leaders in the church play their roles in wise servanthood with faithfulness and great compassion as they lead the flock on the way. May your church become the light and salt of the earth, continue to bear witness to honour your Name. Hear our prayers, O, God, the Head of our church, Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord, Amen!

Recommendations by Rev. Dr Caleb SOO Lee Chong

The three books “The Gospel for the Modern Man”, “Faith of the Modern Believer” and “Values for the Modern Disciple” by Rev. Dr Caleb SOO Lee Chong are worthy books to edify disciples. In order to minimize differences in the qualities amongst Christians, our churches need to set up basic courses to address these issues. In turn, this will enable all disciples to incorporate their faith into their lives and allow changes to take place through renewal of minds. May God make use of these basic courses to edify more disciples to strengthen His soldiers and claim victory on His battle-ground!

The three books “The Gospel for the Modern Man”, “Faith of the Modern Believer” and “Values for the Modern Disciple” are suitable course materials for anyone who wish to acquire understanding of the Christian faith in a more comprehensive manner. The contents are easy to grasp and relate to the real world that we are living in. They are written with an eye for the man-in-the-street and explore how to make our faith come alive in our daily social interactions.

In particular, these are suitable if you  

1. are someone who wants to understand the Christian faith or,

2. are someone who has just accepted the Christian faith or,

3. have been a Christian for many years but still hungering for a firmer grounding in the faith or,

4. are a pastor or co-worker who plans to use these materials for teaching purposes.

If you need to take up learning or use these materials in a systematic manner, please us contact at this email address.： [email protected]