It Matters Who You Follow
Christian leaders that consciously or unconsciously follow the leadership patterns of the world (which are animated by the unseen Powers) will inevitably wield power in unhealthy and destructive ways. Christian leaders that model their leadership after Christ will humbly serve and ensure others flourish.
That, essentially, is the core message of Jr Woodward’s, The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church (1). However, because this expose of the Powers behind unhealthy Church leadership was Woodward’s PhD Thesis, he takes 295 pages to say it!
A few thoughts…
First, I appreciate any book that is seeking to diagnose and correct the epidemic of unhealthy Pastoral leaders in the North American church. Ego, image and the values of the world are too often the driving motivation behind a Pastor’s work. While I do believe many Pastors enter the ministry wanting to make a different for Jesus, they often have lacked the intentional and often times difficult work of spiritual formation to recognize the corresponding desire resident within them: to be ‘successful’. That might mean working up through the ranks of Youth Pastor (not too important), to Associate (more important), to Lead Pastor (really important) within one church…or progressing from a small-sized church to a bigger, bigger and then mega-church…or getting on the coveted ‘evangelical speakers circuit’ where both fame and large speakers fees feed the beast.
One mentor of mine relayed this memorable quote to me a number of years back: “If the light inside you is not greater than the light upon you, the light upon you will destroy you.”
We’re seeing a lot of this right now in our North American context.
Another mentor told me many years ago, “You deepen your ministry. Let God widen it.”
We’re NOT seeing a lot of this right now. Instead, we see Pastors—called to lead a particular church—work hard to publish a book, speak at conferences, secure more online followers, and increase their reach…all, of course, for Jesus.
No wonder people are suspicious and even cynical about church leaders. I am too…and I am one of them!
We need more prophetic books like Woodward’s, naming the dysfunction and articulating necessary off-ramps for church leaders to escape the super-highway of ‘ministry success’. Though it takes a long time for Woodward to get there, he does this when he outlines the importance of a:
• Rooted Identity
• Vocational Faithfulness
• Contrast Community
• Spiritual Formation
• Kenotic Leadership (2)
God…grant us more and more of these types of leaders leading these sort of churches!
Second, I struggled with one aspect of Woodward’s imitation concept, summarized in his introduction: “I am proposing that the only way to overcome the Powers is through imitation of Christ, in particular his desires, which always leads to how we act.” (3) I cannot say, after reading through his book, how we go about imitating Christ’s desires. Not only that, I also cannot understand how we can imitate desires at all. Desires are feelings, and feelings cannot be genuinely imitated—we either ‘feel it or not’. Woodward himself seems to flip the script in chapter 10 when he writes, “When we imitate the Powers, our desires become misshaped, and we incarnate our leadership in a domineering fashion. But when we imitate Christ, our desires become reshaped, and our leadership is incarnated missionally.” (4) This second quote makes more sense to me, and it seems to be more in line with James Smith’s thesis (quoted in several concluding chapters) that our actions (liturgy) and intention can shape our desires (5). So I am left wondering what, exactly, Woodward meant to address in his introduction. Can any classmates of mine share their wisdom on this?
Finally, in light of last week’s reading on just war, (6) the quote from N.T. Wright that Woodward includes in chapter 10 jumped off the page at me:
“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” This well-known quotation from the African theologian Tertullian, writing around AD 200, reflects the early Christian perception that suffering and dying for the faith is not simply a necessary evil, the inevitable concomitant of following a way that the world sees as dangerously subversive. Suffering and dying is the way by which the world is changed. This is how the revolution continues.” (7)
I’m not sure if N.T. Wright is a full-blown pacifist, but based on some of my other reading he does appear to lean in that direction. In some respects, Wright’s quote answers the question I posed in last week’s blog regarding the early Christians and their seemingly pacifistic ways: It isn’t by use of force, but sacrifice, that the world is changed. But perhaps that’s opening up a can of worms from last week that needs to stay closed!
So to bring it all full circle back to Woodward’s primary thesis…a prayer: God, may more Pastoral leaders follow the kenotic ways of Jesus and be worthy of imitation by your people. Amen!
(1) JR Woodward, The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church (100 Movements Publishing, 2023).
(2) JR Woodward, The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church (100 Movements Publishing, 2023) 283.
(3) JR Woodward, The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church (100 Movements Publishing, 2023). xxxv.
(4) JR Woodward, The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church (100 Movements Publishing, 2023). 221.
(5) James K.A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Brazos Press, 2016).
(6) Marc LiVecche, The Good Kill: Just War and Moral Injury, 1st ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2021).
(7) JR Woodward, The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church (100 Movements Publishing, 2023). 235.
The original quote from Wright’s book here:
N.T Wright, The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of
Jesus’ Crucifixion (New York: HarperOne, 2018) 368.
About the Author
Scott Dickie
8 responses to “It Matters Who You Follow”
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Hi Scott,
I enjoyed reading your post. Your summary of the book is perfect…I couldn’t get there in so few words! While I found the book very helpful it was also bit of a struggle to get through being so academic. I was hoping for more at the end. I wanted more practical actionable steps to go along with the five themes from The Lord’s Prayer he identified:
• Rooted Identity
• Vocational Faithfulness
• Contrast Community
• Spiritual Formation
• Kenotic Leadership
I noted that Woodward is hoping to write a more popular level book on page 296. I would love that. Within the 5 themes above I am noticing elements of my NPO and considering ways they can be incorporated into my project in the context of relationships. What actionable steps do you think might help pastors attended to these?
Hey Jenny…thanks for your interaction. I agree with you that the book remained in a pretty theoretical space. Interestingly, I was reading the book on the first week of our new sermon series on contemporary idols. I’m speaking on the idol of success this Sunday and the temptation to find our sense of self in what we can achieve. The antidote, of course, is a grounded identity in Christ so there is nothing to ‘prove’ or add on to. How do we get there? Good question! It at least begins with understanding the temptation, recognizing how it most likely shows up in my own life (with the help of the Spirit, time for reflection/prayer, and gracious and honest friends and mentors who can tell us the truth), and then turning away from that temptation and telling ourselves the truth of the gospel in that moment. I don’t think there is often a ‘quick fix’….but over time, I do believe we becoming increasingly free from getting deceived by the Powers and increasingly live with freedom. You asked about Pastors specifically….this is likely for all of us. For Pastors…some practices that increase our intentionality to lay down our desire for praise when we’re upfront, and to look successful in our leadership is necessary and wise.
The quote from your mentor might just be worth the price of this entire doctorate: “If the light inside you is not greater than the light upon you, the light upon you will destroy you.”
Wow!
I’m gonna make a screen saver out of that – and look at daily, and then pass it on to my pastoral staff, and peers.
I’m gonna be chewing on this today!
Yes…that’s a good healthy punch in the gut for all public leaders to consider! It seems the advent of the world wide web both the possibility and thus the desire for light ‘upon us’ as Christian leaders has increased exponentially. I have a natural bias/suspicion about Pastors who want to Pastor beyond their congregation…..why? I suspect within every church that numbers more than 100 there is more than enough beauty, joy, pain, and brokenness to keep a Pastor more than busy…..but seemingly not fulfilled? Why? (and Ps. I actually don’t think we can truly Pastor people we’re not in relationship with). Perhaps if we move into the leadership world it makes more sense? Leaders called to lead leaders? That might make more sense…..but I wonder if the underlying desire for ‘more’ is still resident? What do you think?
Hi Scott,
I always appreciate your frank comments (especially about the length of a book).
You wrote, “Wright’s quote answers the question I posed in last week’s blog regarding the early Christians and their seemingly pacifistic ways: It isn’t by use of force, but sacrifice, that the world is changed. But perhaps that’s opening up a can of worms from last week that needs to stay closed!”
My men’s study is doing 1 Peter and the Air Force Col who is leading the study came to the conclusion that we are called to be martyrs.
Confession time – while I would like to think I would die for my faith. I don’t think I’d go rushing into martyrdom. Bottom line, if the sword of an Isis terrorist is hovering over your neck – unless YOU tell me not to, I am taking the shot.
Selah.
Love your heart to uphold justice and protect the innocent Russell! And I’ll take a ‘pass’ on answering whether I’m telling you to take the shot or not! That’s hard to predict without being in the moment! I do know that my life–which is most often somewhere between ‘fine’ and ‘great’–still doesn’t compare with what’s to come….so I find some natural affinity with Paul as he wrestles with staying on earth and being with Christ which is better by far. There’s no suicide ideation going on….but I tend to hold on to this life with a degree of indifference that seems unique–I’ll let a Christian psychologist determine whether my view is healthy faith or unhealthy detachment! Peace & perseverance to you as you finish up this semester
Hi Scott- I was happy to see your questions about the suggestion to imitate Christ, as I was also a but skeptical at the proposal. You took it in a deeper, and I think more thought provoking direction than I did; that is, how can we imitate Christ’s desires? I get concerned when we offer up ideals to others that are untenable, and therefore set them up for frustration or worse, hypocrisy. Thanks for the good read!
“That might mean working up through the ranks of Youth Pastor (not too important), to Associate (more important), to Lead Pastor (really important) within one church…or progressing from a small-sized church to a bigger, bigger and then mega-church…or getting on the coveted ‘evangelical speakers circuit’ where both fame and large speakers fees feed the beast.” Why do we place the “value” of pastors as less than… and what do you think that communicates to the youth? My dad started his ministry as a youth pastor, and he was amazing at it, but our senior pastor left right before I entered Jr. high because of an affair and my dad became the senior pastor and they never replaced the youth pastor. Are our youth not worth paying the pastor for? Are our children or youth “less than?” . Thank you for your post, it helped me understand more of the book!