Beyond Individual Leadership – Transitioning to Team Dynamics
Easum and Travis, in their comprehensive analysis of church leadership, challenge the prevailing model of the senior pastor as the sole architect of a church’s growth and vitality. While they acknowledge the senior pastor's pivotal role in shaping church and kingdom outcomes, they work to dismantle what they term the "myth of the heroic leader," an idea that places the entirety of a church's rise or decline upon a single individual. This paradigm shift reflects broader trends in organizational theory, wherein leadership is increasingly seen as a collective endeavor rather than a function resting on one person.
Drawing from Good to Great, Jim Collins’ influential study on organizational excellence, Easum and Travis adopt the concept of a "Level 5 Leader," someone who “channels his ego needs away from himself into the larger goal of building a great company... While incredibly ambitious, their ambition is for the institution rather than for personal success.” Such leaders prioritize the development of other leaders, decentralizing authority and fostering an environment where the leadership burden does not rest entirely upon their shoulders.
Church boards, modeled after corporate boards of directors, often subscribe to the myth of the heroic leader, leading to a problematic dynamic where a pastor is seen as a coach to be “fired” if they fail to deliver. Instead, Easum and Travis argue that boards should understand themselves as integral parts of a larger, collaborative leadership team, working in concert with the senior pastor to create a unified, coherent vision.
The authors advocate for a reorientation of church leadership, emphasizing three key areas of empowerment:
1. Expanding and Empowering Both Paid and Unpaid Staff - Prioritize recruiting from within the congregation, ensuring that new staff members are organically integrated into the church’s mission and culture. - Empower ministry leaders, rather than solely the senior pastor, to select new team members as the church expands. - Collapse the distinction between paid and unpaid staff, fostering an environment where all workers are seen as equally integral to the church’s mission. - Develop a robust internship program, incorporating individuals from high school to postgraduate levels, to build a pipeline of future leaders.
2. Cultivating Board Members as Accountable Leaders - Senior pastors often overlook the importance of carefully selecting and developing board members. Easum and Travis argue that this should be a priority, as board members are critical in shaping the church's trajectory. - Leadership experience should not be the sole criterion for board membership; alignment with the church’s vision and values is essential. - Treat board members as part of the leadership team, involving them in staff planning, retreats, and decision-making processes.
3. Empowering Lay Pastors - Deploy an "army of equipped servants," recognizing that every member of the congregation has the potential to function as a lay pastor. - Lay leadership is crucial for a thriving, mission-oriented congregation, as it decentralizes pastoral care and amplifies the church’s capacity to serve.
Beyond a Single Team – Fostering an Equipping Culture**
The authors emphasize that equipping all members of the congregation to serve, whether on staff or not, is the bedrock of a healthy church. A leader’s effectiveness, they argue, should be measured not by the apparent success of their ministry in terms of numbers, but by their ability to reproduce themselves in others. In this model, leadership is not about personal accomplishment but about fostering a culture where new leaders are continually developed.
Easum and Travis highlight a counterintuitive insight: service can precede salvation. By inviting unbelievers to participate in acts of service, churches create spaces where individuals can encounter Christ through action. This paradigm challenges traditional models of evangelism and discipleship by placing a premium on practical involvement over intellectual assent.
Moreover, while academic training is important, it must be coupled with practical, hands-on experience. Easum and Travis advocate for an apprenticeship model, where knowledge is continually tested and applied in real-world ministry contexts.
Beyond My Church – A Kingdom-Centered Vision
In a departure from the traditional congregation-centered model, Easum and Travis call for a kingdom-focused vision of ministry. No single church or leader can transform a city or community alone. Instead, churches must work together as the body of Christ to impact every corner of their community. This vision necessitates a shift from a parochial mindset to a broader understanding of the church’s mission, which extends beyond the walls of a single congregation.
Churches must view themselves as part of a larger movement, collaborating with other churches to advance the kingdom of God. This requires humility, a willingness to partner with others, and a focus on the collective growth of the body of Christ.
Beyond a Single Location – Multi-Site Church Models
Easum and Travis argue that churches must move beyond the limitations of a single location. Multi-site churches, which maintain the same core values, mission, and administrative structures across multiple locations, offer a more flexible and dynamic model for church growth. In contrast to churches that relocate, multi-site churches tend to be more effective in reaching new converts, as they allow congregations to extend their reach without severing ties to their original community.
The authors argue that mission, rather than space, should determine the church’s agenda. Each location must feel connected to something larger than itself, fostering a sense of belonging to a movement rather than a mere institution.
Beyond Church Planting – Planting Churches that Plant Churches
The final chapter of Easum and Travis’ analysis offers the most visionary challenge: churches must focus not simply on planting new congregations but on planting churches that will themselves become centers of church planting. This multiplication model shifts the focus from incremental growth to exponential expansion, creating a movement of churches that continually reproduce.
Denominations and para-church organizations cannot accomplish this task alone. Instead, churches themselves must take the lead in planting new congregations, ensuring that church planting becomes a core part of their mission, rather than an afterthought.
Conclusion
Easum and Travis’ Beyond the Box provides a compelling roadmap for the future of the church, grounded in the visible evidence of God’s work in a number of innovative congregations. Their insights reflect broader trends in ecclesiology and organizational leadership, offering churches a blueprint for navigating the challenges of a post-Christian society. By embracing team leadership, fostering an equipping culture, collaborating with other churches, expanding to multiple locations, and focusing on multiplication, churches can position themselves for long-term growth and impact.
Their call to move "beyond the box" is a call to embrace the unpredictable, to chart new territory, and to prioritize transformation—of individuals, communities, and the world.
Thank you, William, for leading me into uncharted waters and showing that a church closed to new life is one guaranteed to face decline.
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