Power

“Power” is such a loaded word these days, and much of our rhetoric is antithetical to the idea that anyone has power over another’s life. Instead we promote the notion of self-empowerment and the belief that no one but me has legitimate power over my life.

There is also the reality that God, who is omnipotent, has the power to do whatever He chooses - including anything to do with my life. Yet, he has chosen to give me free will, and has chosen to not exercise His power over what I choose and what I do. I think that is a key concept to grasp and it begs the question, if God does not enforce his power on humans, should any of us enforce our power on another human?

Power is not the same as influence, nor is the same as authority. I can be influenced by a TV ad, by an author, by an ideology, but in the end (at least in Canada) I am not forced to make any decision I do not want to. If I have a job, I will have a ‘boss’ who will give me direction and expect me to follow that direction. If I want to keep that job, I will likely have to follow that direction and accept their authority over me, but I also have the option of quitting. Or, in many job settings I can go talk to the boss and let her know I don’t want to do something, or I can go to an advocate and seek help.

Where this rubric changes, is when I have chosen by my own free will to submit to something or someone, e.g., I choose to give power over my life to God. Admittedly, I sometimes wilfully pull that power back, but to give it to Him is my intent none the less.

Often we hear the phrase, ‘the power of love’, and I think there is something to that. I love my wife, and because of that there are certain things that I do not do, e.g., throw my dirty socks on the floor, but there are also things that do, e.g., make her coffee in the morning. This is not because of her authority over me, or her ability to influence me, but it is because of the power inherent in the love we share.

There are certainly some instances where within the confines of the rubric under which I have chosen to submit, the person in power impacts me in ways that I did not anticipate or imagine, and if I had imagined them, I would never have submitted to their power in the first place. To use a fictitious example, if I had known before hand that when I went to my pastor and shared with him some deeply confidential information expecting confidentiality, and then he shared that with the congregation on a Sunday morning as a sermon illustration, I probably would have not spoken to him in the first place.

At the end of the day the issue of power is real, and those of us in power bear a significant burden of responsibility for how that power is wielded. When used for good and goodness, it can change lives. When used irresponsibly or with impure motive, it can destroy.

"Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missles and misguided men. - Martin Luther King Jr.

“You see what power is - holding someone else’s fear in your hand and showing it to them!”
- Amy Tan

“Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.” - Seneca

“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” - Matthew 6:13

Identifying Leaders

"If you are looking for leaders, how can you identify people who are motivated by the drive to achieve rather than by external rewards? The first sign is a passion for the work itself - such people seek out creative challenges, love to learn, and take great pride in a job well done. They also display an unflagging energy to do things better. People with such energy often seem restless with the status quo. They are persistent with their questions about why things are done one way rather than another; they are eager to explore new approaches to their work."

- by Daniel Goleman from the Harvard Business Review, November-December 1988

Christian leaders have an additional advantage - we are motivated by love for God and love for each other.

Character and Calling

Reflections on Character & Calling, by William Willimon

I recently read Character and Calling for an Ethics Course I'm taking, and jotted down some ideas that resonated with me that may be helpful discussion points as we look at the challenges we face leading Christian organizations and churches. These notes are not in anyway intended to be judgements or pronouncements, rather they are meant as starting points for reflection.

1. Christians learn what is good, right, and just by knowing the church and by experiencing life in that community.
   


2. How does sin in a church or Christian organization affect the character, nature, and ethics of that church or organization? Removing someone from leadership will affect operations, but will allowing them to stay affect ministry? Which is more important?
   


3. It is not the task of the pastor/leader to protect congregants/staff from the rigorous demands of discipleship. The vocation of the pastor/leader is to speak and enact the Word of God among God’s people.
   


4. Evidence that the Word is dwelling among us richly is the witness, rebuke, correction, and encouragement of the saints.
   


5. “Truth telling is a community matter in the church.”
   “Discipline and law are means of grace, not its antithesis.”
   - William Willimon
   


6. Can the church be a community without and boundaries for appropriate behaviour that define our community?
   


7. Are we more willing to tolerate a fractured community, rather than risk a test of our Christian ability to be agents of reconciliation?
   


8. Is the welfare of one individual as important as the welfare of the church/organization as a whole? Who should accept responsibility and suffer any consequences of an individual Christian's sin - the individual, or the church/organization?
   


9. Are we distorting the notion of community if we choose to ignore sin in the community, under the belief that exposing sin will harm the community?
   


10. Is good character contagious? Is bad character contagious?