Leadership in a Church Setting

The scriptural foundation

In the Gospels, Jesus called disciples. This was unusual. As Gerhard Lohfink points out, “There is not a single story in the rabbinic tradition in which a rabbi called a student to follow him…a rabbinic student seeks his or her own teacher” (1). Rabbinic students were to serve their teachers. This was known as “serving the wise” and included the duties of a servant at the time such as waiting on table, sweeping out the courtyard and washing the rabbi’s feet, as well as the primary purpose which was the study of Torah. What Jesus did was unheard of at the time. On the shores of Lake Galilee, he approached fishermen and invited them to follow him. Lohfink comments that the rabbinic student’s entry into a house of study ‘was not “following this or that rabbi,” but “studying (or learning) Torah”’ (2) with a particular rabbi. In the case of Peter, James and John, “they left everything and followed him” (Lk 5: 11). When the emphasis is placed on him, the radical nature of what happened is underscored.

If the disciples followed Jesus, does that make him a leader? For some, leadership is a problematic Christian category. In Hebrews 6:20 Christ is described as our “forerunner” (from the Greek prodromos, the one who runs ahead to reach the destination before others), the one we are to follow through self-emptying into the presence of the Father. Does this make him our leader? Well, not in the understanding of leadership which was prevalent at the time. Jesus was all too familiar with that view of leadership. The Roman centurion who came to Jesus to plead for the life of his servant, said ‘For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come” and he comes’ (Mt. 8:9). This is the command-and-control model of leadership, which is still a feature of military discipline and was, until recent times, the dominant model of leadership in the corporate world: clear objectives and lines of accountability, leaders and followers, subjugation of the individual to the collective, unquestioned authority demanding obedience.

If Jesus can be considered as a leader, it is certainly not in this mould. If Jesus is considered as a teacher, it is certainly not in the rabbinic mould either. Another feature of the rabbinic model which Lohfink points out is that it was not unusual for disciples to change rabbis, in order to learn a different interpretation of Torah. This was certainly not the case with Jesus. As he makes clear, ‘you have one instructor, the Messiah’ (Mt. 23:10). Some versions translate the Greek kathegetai as “leader” (New American Standard Bible), some as “teacher” (New King James Version), but the consensus understanding seems to be that if Jesus is referring to himself here as a leader, it is one who leads others on the path of learning, so teacher or master-teacher is the main idea. The implication for the disciples is a kind of horizontality, a lack of hierarchy, ‘you are all students’ (Mt. 23:8).

Where does Jesus fit in the centurion’s view of leadership, the hierarchical model based on clear levels of accountability and command? This model was based on authority, or the power which one person had over another by virtue of office. This was the prevailing model of the time, which Jesus characterised as the ‘great ones’ (Mk. 10:42) model of leadership, those who were ‘tyrants’ (Mk 10: 42) over others. Jesus offers a revolutionary new vision of leadership. He is prompted by James and John who, on the road to Jerusalem, ask Jesus for seats on his right and left in glory. They are seeking worldly status. They do not understand the path of loving self-emptying that lies ahead. The places on the right and left of Jesus on Calvary will be occupied by thieves who, in Mark’s account, ‘taunted him’ (Mk. 15:32).

Luke’s account of the disciples’ misunderstanding of leadership and status is set at the Last Supper. With Jesus on the verge of giving himself up to death for humanity, the disciples are arguing about ‘which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest’ (Lk. 22:24). They have not yet undergone the change of heart and mind (metanoia) to become true followers of Jesus. They are still locked in the worldly mindset of rivalry and status. Jesus had come to show another way.

It is clear in Luke’s Gospel that he was tempted to consider his mission in terms of worldly power and status. In the wilderness, the devil showed Jesus, ‘all the kingdoms of the world’ (Lk. 4: 5). The devil offers Jesus, ‘their glory and all this authority’ (4:5). The devil can make this offer because it is his to give, this is his realm, it has been given over to him and he can give it to anyone he pleases. Having resisted the temptations of worldly power, Jesus is ‘filled with the power of the Spirit’ (4:14) and returns to Nazareth, where he was brought up, to announce the breaking in of the kingdom of God, which has nothing to do with tyranny, authority, glamour, power, or possessions. He announces good news to the poor, release of captives, recovery of sight to the blind (Lk. 4: 18-19). In the Nazareth Manifesto, Jesus sets out a messianic agenda founded on proclamation, justice advocacy and compassion.

Leadership in this new kingdom of God was not about greatness or being served, but the reverse. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus replied to James and John with what is considered to be the scriptural foundation of the concept of servant leadership:

So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognise as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But 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 as a ransom for many (Mk. 10: 42-45).

Jesus didn’t just teach a new understanding of leadership, he modelled it, as the leadership literature of today might say. It was, in other words, authentic leadership. His disciples did not wash his feet, as the rabbinic students did, but he washed theirs. In John’s Gospel, this is enacted at the Last Supper when he takes off his outer robe (a symbol of revealing the heart of his identity), wrapped a towel round his waist, poured water into a basin and washed his disciples’ feet. Peter is scandalised. This is not supposed to happen. But Jesus insists, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me’ (Jn 13: 8). John Shea brings out an aspect of this scene which is often overlooked: ‘Jesus not only washed the feet, he dried them. They are ready again. The journey now can be continued. And the One who performs this servant activity is none other than God’ (2). In the leadership seminar, we might call this a leadership which not only serves, but which empowers and resources.

Leadership in the Church

So what does leadership look like in the Church founded by the Son of God? The Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, Lumen Gentium, addresses this as some length. Going back to scriptural roots, the document draws on Old Testament images to describe ‘the inner nature of the church’ (3). These images are taken from the life of a shepherd and from agriculture. So the church is described as a ‘sheepfold’ and an ‘estate’ or the ‘field of God’ (LG, 6). By using images, the document offers a more creative hermeneutic. This is not the linear analytic language of definition and reasoned argument. Images by their very nature resist definitive interpretation. This does not mean of course that every interpretation is valid. Some interpretations may do such violence to the image in the context of the wider teaching of the church as to be nonsensical. But nevertheless, we are in the realm of poetry more than legal discourse.

The document goes on to consider the style of a church founded by Christ who ‘carried out the work of redemption in poverty and persecution’ (LG, 8). The church is called to follow along the same path. The founder of the church, Jesus Christ, ‘became poor’ (2 Cor 9), so also the church, although it is located in the world and needs resources to carry out its mission of proclaiming the Gospel, ‘is not set up to seek earthly glory, but to spread humility and self-denial also through its own example’ (LG, 8).

In the first instance, this means preaching good news to the poor, recognising in the poor the face of its founder. The church has been set up by Christ ‘as a communion of life, love and truth’ (LG, 9). It is a mission for the whole world, a sign of God’s love. There is a horizontality in this people of God, the common priesthood of the faithful which is exercised in ‘receiving the sacraments, in prayer and thanksgiving, through the witness of a holy life, by self-denial and by active charity’ (LG, 10).

The church is also equipped with a hierarchical structure and a ministerial priesthood. Does that mean that those ‘at the top’ of the hierarchical structure are leaders? Well, not in the worldly sense that we have considered. There can be no question of those in the hierarchy of the church lording it over others, since the Gospel has firmly dismissed this model of leadership. The emphasis is on service and humility, but how is this manifest in practice? Lumen Gentium states that the ministerial priesthood ‘forms and governs the priestly people’ (LG, 10). The role of the laity in the church was to pay, pay and obey, according to the old adage. Is that what is meant by govern? Do as you are told? There are many Catholics who would recognise that model of governance, but it’s not what we find in the Gospel and it’s not the Gospel-inspired vision of Vatican II. The bishops of the church share in the priestly, prophetic and kingly mission of Christ, as do the faithful. The bishops govern the church, ‘by counsel, persuasion and example and indeed also by authority and sacred power which they make use of only to build up their flock in truth and holiness, remembering that the greater must become as the younger and the leader as one who serves (see Lk 22, 26-27)’ (LG, 27).

When the church exercises governance, there is always the temptation to worldly power and the abuse of authority, the very same temptation which Jesus was subjected to and overcame. The temptation to power will be overcome by anyone in the church to the extent that they are conformed to Christ. The exercise of ministerial priesthood which flows from that ‘mind’ (Philippians 2:5) should be recognisable as being of the Gospel.

Pope Francis, in his speech for the 50th anniversary of the institution of the synod of bishops, affirms the role of the Apostolic College of Bishops, ‘in which the Apostle Peter is the “rock” (cf. Mt 16:18), the one who must confirm his brethren in the faith (cf. Lk 22:32)’ (4). He goes on to place the emphasis on the service of the bishop’s office. He describes the church as an inverted pyramid, with the top located beneath the base: ‘For the disciples of Jesus, yesterday, today and always, the only authority is the authority of service, the only power is the power of the cross’ (5).

Leadership in a Catholic Setting

The concept of leadership in the worldly sense does not sit comfortably in the church. There has been a tension over the centuries between this worldly version of power and the Gospel vision of service. The Church at times in the past adopted a monarchical style of governance which was very far removed from its poor founder. More recently, with the synodal process, the emphasis has come back strongly to service and accompaniment. There are, however, instruments of the Church which are located in secular leadership paradigms. In the private, public and not for profit sectors, the Church has established and runs schools, hospitals, and service charities for a variety of needs. These organisations often sit within secular legislative frameworks of accountability and performance measures, but they are Catholic and often require leaders to be practising Catholic. The organisations are less likely to be confessional communities, with more and more of the staff non-Catholic (and those they serve drawn from the wider community) in contrast to the years when they were run by religious orders. What Clare Watkins observes about the Catholic school could apply to many types of Catholic organisation, that they are ‘located at the “edge” of the institutional church, in that it effectively interfaces between that aspect of the church and the more fragmented, even chaotic-looking activity of the Holy Spirit in the world” (6).

Leading on that edge is a complex challenge which requires formation and support. This is the space where Caritas Social Action Network, the agency of the Roman Catholic bishops’ conference of England and Wales dedicated to tackling domestic poverty and injustice, has identified the need for formation. As the liberal secular culture gets a firm hold, there are fewer coming forward for leadership roles which require a faith commitment. In my own work I have seen this in education and more recently in the charity sector. It is a complex role: a disciple of Christ inserted into a leadership role which is often judged by secular managerial processes and outcomes. The new CSAN leadership programme, Aspiring to Leadership in a Catholic Setting, due to begin in June 2022, is designed to form leaders who can navigate that complexity without comprising their faith.

In the last one hundred years, leadership has become a topic of specific study, with various schools emerging, from Henry Ford’s mechanistic production line paradigm of efficiency – “Just give me a pair hands” – to more recent conceptions of servant leadership. Secular leadership thinking has much to teach us in a Catholic setting, but we must always draw on our own resources, beginning with the Gospel. A model of leadership we will be exploring on the programme will be virtuous leadership, inspired by the servant paradigm of Jesus. A virtuous leader will need formation in prudence, or practical wisdom, phronesis, to read the signs of the times and discern the best course of action. She or he will need to develop the virtues of courage, temperance (understood also in emotional terms as self-regulation) and justice. In other words, a commitment to God’s purpose, the building up of his kingdom. Infused by grace, the virtuous leader in a Catholic setting above all needs to practice faith, hope and love. There will be managerial processes to navigate, difficult conversations to be conducted, strategies to be enacted, but guided by a loving, discerning heart.

Pope Benedict XVI identified formation as a priority for charity workers, as well as their professional training. They need, he said, ‘a “formation of the heart”: they need to be led to that encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirit to others’ (7). There are also many insights to be gained into effective leadership from secular writers, such as Patrick Lencioni who in his book The Advantage, explores the importance of organisational health. Some of these so-called secular writers come very close to a language which Catholic leaders would be comfortable with. Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky, for example, offer striking insights into the ‘sacred heart’ of leadership. Anyone who has ever led an organisation will recognise their description of hearts which become hardened over the years. ‘The virtue of a sacred heart,’ they wite, ‘lies in the courage to maintain your innocence and wonder, your doubt and curiosity, and your compassion and love even through moments of despair’ (8). A leader in a Catholic setting needs to keep their heart open in spite of the understandable temptation to harden up or hit back. The leader in a Catholic setting should be formed in the sacred, servant heart of Jesus, our one Teacher.

Notes

(1) Lohfink, G., Jesus of Nazareth: what he wanted, who he was (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2012), p.74

(2) Shea, J., Gospel Light: Jesus stories for spiritual consciousness (New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1998), p.147

(3) Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 6

(4) Pope Francis

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/october/documents/papa-francesco_20151017_50-anniversario-sinodo.html, accessed 17.2.2022

(5) Pope Francis, ibid.

(6) Clare Watkins, https://www.catholiceducation.org.uk/npqh/item/1002977-unit9, accessed 17.2.2022

(7) Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est (“On Christian Love”), 31

(8) Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky, Leadership on the Line (Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2017), p.227

(At the point of publication): Raymond Friel is the CEO of Caritas Social Action Network, an agency of the Roman Catholic bishops’ conference dedicated to tackling domestic poverty and injustice. He has twenty years of leadership experience in Catholic settings, mostly in education. His latest book, Formation of the Heart: the Why and How of Being a Catholic Today, has recently been published by Redemptorist Publications. For more information on the CSAN leadership programme, please contact: raymond.friel@csan.org.uk